# Aluminium slingshot build log #1 ||Danny0663



## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Howdy, fellow members
I am relatively new here so bare with me









I have been searching around the forums for the _perfect_ slingshot for my hands, and had a couple of print outs to make and to test,
after a couple of print outs i finally made the *'mxred ergo'* which the design was kindly on a PDF file on Youtube. ( THANKS Chuck )
After making the slingshot from plywood, and after extensive testing. This slingshot was a keeper straight away.

I wanted this slingshot to last forever since i loved it so much, so i ordered some 1" thick aluminium plate and got busy right away.
With only limited tools, i used a drill to cut the design, and used a flat head and a good 'ol hammer to whack the excess aluminium.

And this is what i came up with.


















should i go with a pinky hole/lanyard hole or just leave it as it is? (thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated)

I am absolutely knackered after 10hours of drilling/hammering/filing and will call it a day.

More updates/photos to come.
Cheers


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Wow, cant' wait to see the finished one


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Lord! What a brute!!! You have done a LOT of work there.

Personally, I put a lanyard hole in very slingshot I make; but I do not make it big enough to serve as a pinky hole. I just do not like pinky holes ... BUT that is just my preference ... lots do like them. In your case, it will be easy to drill a lanyard hole ... say about 1/4 inch (6 mm). But putting in a large pinky hole might be a lot more trouble. And now that the basic shape is already cut out, you could drill the lanyard hole and later enlarge it for a pinky hole if you decide you want one. Perhaps you should drill a pinky hole in your wooden effort, just to see if you like it before you go to the effort on the aluminum.

I am curious as to how you are going to smooth the outside. I hope you have a good power wood rasp or right angle grinder ... smoothing the outer contours by hand would be seriously onerous.

Looks great so far. Do keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers ... Charles


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## Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults (Apr 21, 2010)

Ho Boy you got some work and man hrs to put in on that baby hope it terns out O K for you all the best Pete


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## atom (Jun 24, 2011)

i would go with a lanyard hole because if that slips out ya hand it will take ya head off lol. cant wait to see it finished


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

use a flap disc if you have a small angle grinder. somewhere around 30 to 60, 120 grit. aluminum leaves a lot of particles on whatever you use to grind, so you will need to clean your files or sandpaper every once in a while. dont use stone grinding wheels! aluminum has a low melting point, so you dont want to get it too hot with stone grinding wheels. you can also leave deep grooves if you are not careful with the grinding. if you have a dremel, you can use the lil drum sanders. aluminum is a bit like wood, start course and work your way down to fine grit.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

> i would go with a lanyard hole because if that slips out ya hand it will take ya head off lol


Totally agree, i think i am going to just make a lanyard hole and i'll go from there.

And as for tools, i only have the basics power tools such as drill, dremel, and jigsaw only.
So most of the burrs will be filed off.

and will use a bastard file to shape the overall slingshot, may take a while but i don't really mind, as long as the final results are satisfying.
Will keep you updated.

Cheers,


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## Papa G (Aug 19, 2011)

Lots of work ahead Danny, but should be worth it, loks like it will look great when you finish.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Looks like an epic work in progress Danny, keep us updated please


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## AJW (Apr 24, 2011)

With that much work you .......... you must REALLY want that mxred ergo. You won't be sorry.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Bloke I love the MX-Red Ergo.

Here's 2 that I have made.

ps. Come back Chuck, we miss you









EDIT : Lol, look at my avatar as well.


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## Blue Danube (Sep 24, 2011)

Fwiw, I would consider drilling a few additional holes to reduce weight kind of like pacific cutlery used to do on their Balisongs. If done right it would REALLY add to the wow factor.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Could always go for that UBER wow factor by drilling out the handle from the bottom and using it for ammo storage!


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## smallholder1 (Jul 16, 2011)

that is a massive under taking hats off to you.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

This slingshot is going to look kick a$$ when done.

I would like to dedicate the following song to this frame


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## AJW (Apr 24, 2011)

Hrawk ....... Your mxred ergo frames are great. Thanks for showing them.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Got another chance today, to file the ergo and it is taking it's shape slowly.
next time i will finish the shape and start the rounding process.


































cheers, till next time.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Good work, but I would recommend making in a different material then recasting in aluminium.


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Looks great so far


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

love it! i need to get my hands on some aluminum! looks so cool.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I shudder to think of the man hours and energy that have gone into that. It is looking very good indeed!

Cheers ....... Charles


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Thanks for the comments guys, 
Did not think it would take so long to file, and shape. But it turns out i have been working on this little project for about 16hours or so and i am getting tired of filing.
nearly there though, ( Sort of ............................................................... )

Cheers


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

What's that, 3 days, your are now about 40% done.

As it said in chat, finished by the weekend!


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

I have rounded the overall slingshot, i still need to file around the forks/fork tips, as it is still quite rough.
It's coming along ever so slowly, but i am getting closer to sanding and polishing soon, probably by next week since i am on holiday now.





































Thanks to everyone that is still following this topic...

cheers till next time,


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## lightgeoduck (Apr 3, 2011)

that was a fun follow... nice turn out danny

LGD


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

She's getting some nice lines to her mate!

I'm enjoying the build log.

All by hand too, wow.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

> nice turn out danny


No where near finished mate


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Hmmmm ... for me it would be at about this point that I would put it in a drawer somewhere for "later", and then discover it again in perhaps 5 years!!!







With that tenacity, you should take up marathoning! I must say, it is looking pretty good.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

Wow! That looks great. Something you can hand down for generations. They will talk about how it was hand made for years to come.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Beanflip said:


> Wow! That looks great. Something you can hand down for generations. They will talk about how it was hand made for years to come.


Yup, his grandkids grandkids will still be using that thing.


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## Snipez1978 (Jun 7, 2011)

That's looking smart buddy I really need to get some ally so I can make some of mine I've got a metal cutting bandsaw and blades so will be a little easier

Atb rob


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

i've been sanding all day,
and have just finished the 1st abrasive cream polish, tommorow i will finish it off with the final polish.....
However i am near completetion..










Cheers


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

impressive, it now looks like stainless steel. cant wait to see it banded up and perhaps in a video.


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## Blue Danube (Sep 24, 2011)

Very nice job, let us know how it shoots...


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## PandaMan (Oct 14, 2010)




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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

holy sh it!
best looking shooter i have seen in while. you did an amazing job


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

What an outstanding (or is that out-sanding?) job. Truly impessive.

Cheers ....... Charles


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## Howard (Aug 9, 2010)

Just: WoW!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

I want the precious !!!!


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## lightgeoduck (Apr 3, 2011)

INSANE!!!


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## Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi you put the hrs in and made a nice catapult well done


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Hey Pete, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but could something like this be used as an original for a casting ?


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## Tirador (Jun 14, 2010)

Danny, this is such awesome looking sling!!! Great JOB!!! Look like you are going to have to make a special case for it to protect it!!!
Hrawk, I don't want to answer for Pete, but he's a magician who can make anything. I actually think his ancestors had something to do with "the one ring"....


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Tirador said:


> I actually think his ancestors had something to do with "the one ring"....


Thank you for confirming what deep down, I knew all along


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## Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults (Apr 21, 2010)

Tirador said:


> Danny, this is such awesome looking sling!!! Great JOB!!! Look like you are going to have to make a special case for it to protect it!!!
> Hrawk, I don't want to answer for Pete, but he's a magician who can make anything. I actually think his ancestors had something to do with "the one ring"....


Whats the one ring? yes we could cast that no problems at all.look a bit like one i did 18 month back for a guy in germany
nice lines


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## Faust (Apr 5, 2011)

Wow, that's some amazing work there. I have a few pieces of aluminum plate I plan on making into slingshots but I don't think I want to tackle anything that thick to work by hand. But still the final result looks stunning.


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## mxred91 (Aug 8, 2010)

Wow Danny. You have put some real work into that. I did also make one out of 1/2" thick aluminum, but it did not come out nearly as nice as yours. Very Cool
Chuck S.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

What a project! Danny, I admire a guy that takes on a project like this and sees it through, and you did a fantastic job, too.


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## gamekeeper john (Apr 11, 2011)

THATS A BEAUTY !!!!!! i know how much work as gone into that because i have made one from a alloy sheet before, it took me about 50 hours if not more to get it up to standard, and the best thing is its about 10 x stronger than any cast aluminium, heres the one i made, please excuse the black circles, it was a dead rabbit, i had to block it out to post in this thread lol- thanks john


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## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

I don't think i would have the attention span to complete one like that. You have done an awesome job. The shape and finish are fantastic.


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

thats the bollox,fantastic work mate,you need to pat yourself on the back more than once,very impressive


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## johnny r (Sep 7, 2011)

One of the most impressive pieces of determination I've seen. I'd like to see the finised product with bns and know how it shoots


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

WOW !! thanks everyone for the generous comments, can't thank you enough.
Never thought people were so interested......

I did some polishing with wax this morning, before i have to start studying...
i'll tell you this though, polishing was harder than i thought.
I still need to polish it once more with the "high gloss" polish cream as there are still some micro scratches from the wool pad.
Won't do more polishing today, as i need to study and make up for the time i lost, making this Bl**dy thing...
and i will band it up later in the future, with some double theraband golds, and take some more final pictures of the final product.

I would say i am about 97% near completion ....










































Cheers,


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Danny0663 said:


> WOW !! thanks everyone for the generous comments, can't thank you enough.
> Never thought people were so interested......


We love our slingshot pron and this is some serious hardcore stuff!


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## NoSugarRob (Jun 3, 2010)

frikkin ell thats looking good !


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## homemade hunter (Sep 24, 2011)

Whew that looks great. Are you in secret santa (hint hint)?


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## lightgeoduck (Apr 3, 2011)

" . . " [sub]as you can see there are no words to explain the beauty that turned out to be[/sub]

[sub]LGD[/sub]


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## atom (Jun 24, 2011)

wow and wow again, great work danny


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## Bob Fionda (Apr 6, 2011)

I have no words except : " FKSIRBFHWSRXYO!!!! " (that's means FANTASTIC - PERFECT - WONDERFUL)


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

slingshot porn indeed/. i am going to have to delete my history


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

That looks fantastic now


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

Hrawk said it best," slingshot porn"


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## Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults (Apr 21, 2010)

gamekeeper john said:


> THATS A BEAUTY !!!!!! i know how much work as gone into that because i have made one from a alloy sheet before, it took me about 50 hours if not more to get it up to standard, and the best thing is its about 10 x stronger than any cast aluminium, heres the one i made, please excuse the black circles, it was a dead rabbit, i had to block it out to post in this thread lol- thanks john


Hi john nice slingshot. think you quote that plate aluminium is 10 xs the strenght of cast is a littel OTT at best the tensile strength of HT9 plate is18-20 U T S the cast equivalent is LM25s ingot metal would be 23-25 U T S (unit tensile strength) with the appropriate treatment cast would be stronger still? but were only making slingshot? all the best Peter


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## As8MaN (Mar 6, 2011)

Man, its perfect, really good job, looking forward to see some vid of this beauty in action!!


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Final polish?
nahhhh, no such thing as a final polish.























































used my old band set,

When i get a chance to 'final' polish it, i will post some more pictures.
For the meanwhile,

Thank you everyone who has been following this build so far.
I greatly appreciate all the generous comments,









I would like to thank Hrawk, who has helped me through out the whole process.
Hrawk, couldn't of done it with out you.









I would also like to thank mxred for his kindness of sharing the design, really love the design by the way.

Keep a eye out for my next brass/aluminium hybrid?

more pictures to come.

Cheers everyone,


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)




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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

OUTSTANDING!!


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## tubeman (Mar 7, 2011)

Heirloom


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## spanky (May 29, 2011)

absolute work of art


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## Ted (May 27, 2011)

This is a museum piece (to be taken out of its case every day to be shot).


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

That one is a looker! And it has all the design shapes of a comfy shooter. Great job!


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## Snipez1978 (Jun 7, 2011)

What grade aluminium do I need and how thick do you recommend

Atb rob


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Personally, i have no idea.
But since it was commonly available for common use, i believe it is either the 5XXX or the 6XXX series.

1" thickness does feel really great in the hands,
though if you are willing to spend the time and effort, i would say go for 1/2" + plates. You won't regret it


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## BIG-B (Sep 16, 2011)

I would chuck my misses out of bed for that lol! Beautiful catty mate well done


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## Holzwurm (Nov 5, 2010)

@ Danny0663

Absolutely great work





















, ........I could never take that polishing effort , never ever !

Now go make one out of 1/2" stainless steel , .........might take you just four times longer







!

really stunning work of yours , ....cheers , Holzwurm


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Looks like this is the full stop for me.

Hey guys,
As promised i have polished the slingshot to the best of my ability, with the resouces i have.
I would like to polish is further with a finer cream polish, but this will do for now.

I would like to thank everyone for following my make/build log, and i sincerely appreciate it.
I hope you enjoyed watching the process, as much as i enjoyed making it.









Abit of nature can't hurt










































































cheers,


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

I like the mirror finish, are you wearing gloves when shooting


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Welcome to the elite of the elite makers dude.

That is something to be seriously proud of man.


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## Blue Danube (Sep 24, 2011)

Danny, Well Done

now make us a Chalice from Brass or Bronze.....

You then become LEGEND!!


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## notchent (Aug 4, 2011)

Rock and Roll, man. Awesome.


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## homemade hunter (Sep 24, 2011)

are they purple sanctuary bands? i bought some of them off trademe.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Correct, they are the P sanctuary exercise bands


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## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

I have to admit that I am totally blown away by your new slingshot and your tenacity! You are an amazing craftsman to be able to pull that off with a drill, chisel, and file. Stunning.


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## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

Did i see this for sale in the classifieds?


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## Ry-shot (Jul 22, 2011)

that looks a bastard to work with !


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## Ry-shot (Jul 22, 2011)

is it heavy ?


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

> Did i see this for sale in the classifieds?


I believe soo .... it was up for offers for a couple of days, because i wanted to fund my other hobby. But decided to keep it for a gift one day.



> is it heavy ?


I have not weighed it in yet, but i'm estimating between 130 - 200 grams.


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## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

I don't blame you for keeping that. It is truly a beautiful piece.


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## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

WOW! Just WOW!


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## Lee NZ (Apr 9, 2013)

Incredible work. Please don't sell it or give it away. I know I've given away things I put great effort into, and it wasn't until years later that I realised how badly I wished I'd kept them. It should be an heirloom. Keep it in the family.


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## Catapultkraig (Mar 5, 2013)

Wish I had 1 of those where can I buy one


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## PorkChopSling (Jan 17, 2013)

Holy shiny!! That's it I need a work bench and bigger power tools so I can try to make me one of those. Danny that ss is awesome!!


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