# Trimmed Forks?



## BushpotChef (Oct 7, 2017)

Someone tell me: if one simply trimmed off the forks at the bent tip and rounded the tops so that they were simply vertical forks. Then used the fork protectors and ran like that, would that work? I kind of asked myself if so then why aren't they just made that way and thought maybe for the safety of beginners - like extra clearance?

Anyways someone let me know because I'm thinking of giving it a go with this Barnett frame I've got  :









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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

The tubes will wear out faster at the forks with that 90 degree bend along with the friction . There are other options such as gypsy tabs , attaching flats and or reversing the direction of the forks giving more draw length . You can also epoxy a 3/4 inch wooden ball to the fork ends .


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## BushpotChef (Oct 7, 2017)

treefork said:


> The tubes will wear out faster at the forks with that 90 degree bend along with the friction . There are other options such as gypsy tabs , attaching flats and or reversing the direction of the forks giving more draw length . You can also epoxy a 3/4 inch wooden ball to the fork ends .


Ah, I hadn't thought of tube life that makes sense. I like the idea of the wooden balls. I thought of replacing the grips with wood. seems like it could be made to look pretty snazzy on top of being functional.

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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

I love my Barnett Strike nine because the forks are much lower and narrower than some of the other big box store slingshots. I thought about cutting my forks off like you mentioned but I thought I might get a lot of hand slap.

I modified one of my strike nines handles with a micarta style wrap. It looks terrible but it gets my hand higher up the forks and adds a little heft to the slingshot. It is still hammer grip but the forks are closer to my hand. Also I took off the tube protectors so that I can use simple shot small dipped latex tubing.

By the way if you ever need tube protectors you can get vacuum caps from your local auto supply. Just know the diameter of the rods.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Here is a very old pic of how I tie many of my Daisy F-16's It holds like a rock but it is a bit time consuming to put on new tubes, not to bad if you know what you are going (I use a constrictor knot or rubber ties now)... I have done it in the field many times, this works with looped tubes and flats just as well...

Forgot to mention, I set up all my wire fork slings with the forks facing forwards.

wll


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## BushpotChef (Oct 7, 2017)

wll said:


> Here is a very old pic of how I tie many of my Daisy F-16's It holds like a rock but it is a bit time consuming to put on new tubes, not to bad if you know what you are going (I use a constrictor knot or rubber ties now)... I have done it in the field many times, this works with looped tubes and flats just as well...
> 
> Forgot to mention, I set up all my wire fork slings with the forks facing forwards.
> 
> wll


That looks like a really solid method, I'll have to give that a try. First things first I'll reverse the forks and get those tabs set up. I think I'll set it up for looped 2040's to start and see where that takes me.

Thanks for sharing that. 

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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

BushpotChef said:


> wll said:
> 
> 
> > Here is a very old pic of how I tie many of my Daisy F-16's It holds like a rock but it is a bit time consuming to put on new tubes, not to bad if you know what you are going (I use a constrictor knot or rubber ties now)... I have done it in the field many times, this works with looped tubes and flats just as well...
> ...


Here is an old video showing how I put looped tubes on a wire frame slingshot:


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## raventree78 (Apr 20, 2016)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> BushpotChef said:
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> > wll said:
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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

raventree78 said:


> Grandpa Grumpy said:
> 
> 
> > BushpotChef said:
> ...


I use medium or large size dipped latex tubes from simple shot to slide onto the frame.


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## raventree78 (Apr 20, 2016)

Thanks, I need to order me some of the dipped tubes to experiment with


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## MakoPat (Mar 12, 2018)

Gypsy tabs are looking more and more like a good idea to me.
I read on here some where about a latex glue that extends the life of bands (flats and tubes). That may good for whatever solution you decide to usd.


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