# Part 1... How hard can it be? LOL!



## Ultraman (May 20, 2011)

Well I have custom made slingshots ordered from, Flippinout, Slingshots Canada, Performance Catapults, and I just now hear back from Bunny Busters who will make me one of his. I plan to buy an A+ and Pocket Predator but while I wait I thought... Just how hard can it be to make a maybe not so pretty but functional slingshot myself? So here we go... Went to Goodwill and bought a small hardwood cutting board for a $1.00. Next I took a rule and a can of garbanzo beans and laid out a rough draft. Barrowed a little B&D jig saw from a neighbor and about 5 minutes later I had my Slingshot to be in the RAW!







Now to barrow or buy a file and get busy! It even came with it's own "PINKY HOLE"!
Updates to come as I work on it some more.


----------



## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

i think you should lower the forks?


----------



## Ultraman (May 20, 2011)

mckee said:


> i think you should lower the forks?


Oh it's FAR from done


----------



## tubeman (Mar 7, 2011)

Just curious, why did you buy or order all of those top of the range slingshots from expert makers, then decide to make your own from a Goodwill $1 cutting board ? That seems to be a back to front approach to me, as most people try the DIY thing first then realise that they don't really have the skills needed, and end up buying the well made and priced Pro versions. Just asking


----------



## Ultraman (May 20, 2011)

tubeman said:


> Just curious, why did you buy or order all of those top of the range slingshots from expert makers, then decide to make your own from a Goodwill $1 cutting board ? That seems to be a back to front approach to me, as most people try the DIY thing first then realize that they don't really have the skills needed, and end up buying the well made and priced Pro versions. Just asking


Just having FUN while I wait!!!!


----------



## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

tubeman said:


> Just curious, why did you buy or order all of those top of the range slingshots from expert makers, then decide to make your own from a Goodwill $1 cutting board ? That seems to be a back to front approach to me, as most people try the DIY thing first then realise that they don't really have the skills needed, and end up buying the well made and priced Pro versions. Just asking


Because it's fun to buy them but just as much fun to make them, the two aren't mutually exclusive


----------



## Gwilym (Dec 9, 2010)

I bought first then started making. I think quite a few do.


----------



## tubeman (Mar 7, 2011)

Guess I got this wrong, sorry


----------



## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

Looks great! One word of warning though, be careful of the structural integrity of the board(it doesn't appear to be multiplex) Would hate to see a follow-up post where a piece of the board broke off and smacked you in the forehead.


----------



## tubeman (Mar 7, 2011)

Ultraman said:


> Just curious, why did you buy or order all of those top of the range slingshots from expert makers, then decide to make your own from a Goodwill $1 cutting board ? That seems to be a back to front approach to me, as most people try the DIY thing first then realize that they don't really have the skills needed, and end up buying the well made and priced Pro versions. Just asking


Just having FUN while I wait!!!!








[/quote]

Fair comment


----------



## TastelikeSnozberries (Jul 16, 2010)

AaronC said:


> Looks great! One word of warning though, be careful of the structural integrity of the board(it doesn't appear to be multiplex) Would hate to see a follow-up post where a piece of the board broke off and smacked you in the forehead.


Also noteworthy is the fact that the fork nearest to your thumb in the picture of you holding it appears to be attached to the rest of the slingshot rather than being of the original board, since the cutting board probably wasn't intended to take the forces of heavy bands and it appears that it is made of more than one solid board, I would take this into consideration when banding it. other than that it's a clever little build!


----------



## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

You could potentially pin it with a steel dowel. Just a thought. Safety first!


----------



## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Too big and too dangerous. It's made of glued together narrow boards, which are possibly weakened with age and dried glue. It looks too wide to be comfortable. Nice design though. You should shrink it and put it on a piece of plywood or solid hardwood.


----------



## CHANEKE_JOSH (Feb 10, 2010)

that´s Ok... if you're shakille o'neal!!









that´s waaaay to big, man!!


----------



## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

I use "side laminates" and they can beautiful and strong, *if they are made with a high forefinger and thumb grip design (as that takes an amazing amount of stress off the slingshot) and reinforced with steel rods.* I never trust them until I have finished adding the "steel reinforcing" to the forks. I would NEVER recommend this material to be used with a hammer grip style!!!
Here is an old pic/ drawing from my website of what I do to all my wood slingshots (solid or side laminate) other than multiplex. It doesn't take much (note 1/8" rod stock) to really add an extra measure of strength and safety to material like this with the proper tools and a little practice.










Here's the procedure...

Make mark s on the forks tips on the outer edges with a drill punch so that your drill wont' slip.
Mark the depth you want on your drill (even tape is acceptable) and drill your holes being careful to angle your holes to best match your slingshot contours as shown in the pic. Looking at your drill bit envision a straight line to were you want it to go. I created a drilling jig that helps give me a reference point that I use in my shop since I do so many in my business. Even drawing a temporary line on your frame with pencil helps.
Cut the 1/8" rod (I use a small bolt cutter as it leaves a sharp angled end that cuts slightly and makes the rod fit perfectly with glue). You don't want it so tight as to not have enough glue. Leave it about an inch or so longer than the depth you want it to go in order to have room to chuck it in your drill.
Chuck the rod in your drill and use a strip of coarse sand paper to really scuff the surface back and forth while carefully running the drill. You really want the glue to have scratches to have something to hold to.
Choose an appropriate modern strong glue that will hold well to metal and wood. Epoxy, super glue gel, gorilla glue etc; would all be alright I suspect. I have finally settled on a quick set product that has a foaming action much like gorilla glue called Sumo.
With your rod chucked and prepared, slowly pull the trigger to rotate it while applying a drizzle of the glue spiraling from the tip up and stopping about a 1/2" from the chuck.
Put a little glue in the hole in the fork first. Insert the rod using the drill and working it with a little pumping motion while rotating it at about med. speed until you reach the bottom of the hole. What you are trying to accomplish is having as much glue spread along the hole and rod from top to bottom.
Un-chuck and quickly wipe off excess glue that will be surrounding the protruding rods.
The glue I recommend will foam up and fill gaps making a strong bond in about 3-5 minutes.
After it's dry, use a Dremel or other saw/grinding tool to flush cut the excess rod tips from the forks being careful not to damage the wood.
Gently regrind the radius of the fork tip blending in the metal rod with the wood. Make sure they are perfectly smooth so that they can in no way damage the band material while shooting.
Hope that helps some of you who want to try "side laminate" board or other solid wood frames. This accomplishes essentially the same thing that "steel reinforcing" rod does in concrete. While the concrete may break it will hold together. This does not create an indestructible wood slingshot, but it does kick up the strength of the frame considerably.

And only because I feel I have to today.....
*** WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING WILL ROBINSON!!!!! *
*This post is intended for informational purposes only!!! Use this information at your own risk! *If you choose to use this information, you agree to hold harmless A+ Slingshots (aplusslingshots.com) and its owners (Perry & Kay Adkisson), heirs, or employees of any and all liability. You agree that the above-mentioned will not be held responsible or liable for any consequential, direct or indirect or special loss, injury, or accidents caused by use of this information. In all cases, the user assumes full responsibility and all risk associated with the use of this information. 

Best as always,
Perry (A+)


----------

