5 at a time

[jtkwest]

next i change to a 5/16" straight bit and open up the last 8" of the muzzle for ease of loading,(you can drop the shaft into the groove , THEN slide it down the track(much better)) the flip the gun over and cut the trigger slot with a 3/8" bit, leaving 1/8" seat all the way around for the trigger to sit on, like a littleshelf. now all thats left is: 1- pinning the triggers,(then i can cut the line release slots)
2-band slots
3-line anchor gorooves
etc.(too much stuff, i gotta get to work
i will update later tonight

 

[Spear0Joe]

jtkwest i take it you build gun for customers? you seem to post an awful lot of guns lol kudos man

 

[jtkwest]

jtkwest i take it you build gun for customers? you seem to post an awful lot of guns lol kudos man

no never, ,(why you wanna buy one, shhhhhhh)LOL. so far my buddies all want them, and i cant make them fast enough.i made 12 so far,(not counting these 5)

 

[jtkwest]

recess the line anchors,(once again neptonics)super easy, just use 1/2" router, 1 of the guns will be a mid handle, so i routed a channel 1/4" wide and deep for the rod to slide in, plus at each end , widen for triggers,(one in mech,to the rod, then one remote trigger. i will have to finish up with drill and chisels. pinning the triggers is next,(have to wait till thurs. i got class tomorrow) that will determine the exact trigger position, then i will be able to make the line release slots.(josh at neptonics, )just made some new self reset mechanisms for his tuna trigger, but for 60.00 each, they are not cheap! i bought 3 anyway. i'll just charge more. he told me that in order to have a reset line release you have to have barrel vertical dimension of no less than 1 3/4" tall. it is a mechanical reset and not " spring based. he also has new black handle frames and sex bolts to put handles on, he hasntr had time to put them in the catalog yet.

 

[jtkwest]

i use a jig saw to rough cut the muzzle, then use belt sander to shape it a little more, i will finish after i cut the line slot, i will finish with orbital sander. the band slots i use a 1/2" forstner bit for the inside hole and the 5/8" bit for the further out hole. i heard that the bands stack up better that way, we'll see. the hole look kinda funny,"they are still WAY rough" i will sand them alot more. i guess with the bands "in" you will never see them. i made them all for two 5/8 bands, except the mid handle that will be 3 bands. ok so far 5.5 hours sat. - 4.5 hours sunday, and 3.5 hours today. thats 13.5 hours. my target is 4 hours per gun. definately on target so far

 

[foxfish]

Thanks Jason, I guesse you could make a ply jig to finish the band holes with the router & one to round the muzzle end too?

 

[Tin Man]

Thanks Jason, I guesse you could make a ply jig to finish the band holes with the router & one to round the muzzle end too?

Yep, perfect application for a pattern and a router template bushing.

jtkwest - I hadn't heard of the Neptonics resetting release. How does it work? Can you post some pics? As for the shape of the band slot, I haven't tried a longer taper like yours, but if you look at the muzzle on my carbon gun, you will see that I put a steeper taper and narrower hole at the back of the slot. Not my idea, I shamelessly stole it from a picture that Don Paul posted once. But I LOVE the way that aligns the bands, at least for a 2-band gun.

 

[Don Paul]

Yep, perfect application for a pattern and a router template bushing.

jtkwest - I hadn't heard of the Neptonics resetting release. How does it work? Can you post some pics? As for the shape of the band slot, I haven't tried a longer taper like yours, but if you look at the muzzle on my carbon gun, you will see that I put a steeper taper and narrower hole at the back of the slot. Not my idea, I shamelessly stole it from a picture that Don Paul posted once. But I LOVE the way that aligns the bands, at least for a 2-band gun.

You didn't steal a thing, I post images to share. The rubber that's elongated against a wide barrel at the rear of the band slot is restricted by a larger degree than the band just spanning the length of the barrel.

I not only ramp the rear of the band slot upward, it also has taper. The thin Ti plates I use in the vertical axis allow me to cut the band slot close
to the bottom of the shaft. I have run 3 5/8's bands in that slot at times.
Cheers, Don

 

[jtkwest]

Thanks Jason, I guesse you could make a ply jig to finish the band holes with the router & one to round the muzzle end too?

hey foxfish
maybe for the band slot, i will. if i find a design i like enough. we'll see how the funny shaped ones work out.. as far as the muzzle, all my barrels are different dimensions so far, so it would be hard to make a jig for that. i would eventually like a jig for each cut i make. you can use the router to make pretty much every cut. i DO want a jig for the line release slots.and i need a 1 1/4" bit to do recesses for the metal neptonics handle frames, flat mounting plate.it looks better when its recessed. as long as i have the barrel dimensions tall enough to allow me to remove 3/16" to recess it.

 

[jtkwest]

Yep, perfect application for a pattern and a router template bushing.

jtkwest - I hadn't heard of the Neptonics resetting release. How does it work? Can you post some pics? As for the shape of the band slot, I haven't tried a longer taper like yours, but if you look at the muzzle on my carbon gun, you will see that I put a steeper taper and narrower hole at the back of the slot. Not my idea, I shamelessly stole it from a picture that Don Paul posted once. But I LOVE the way that aligns the bands, at least for a 2-band gun.

i havent seen the line release either. josh is supposed to email me ,(yesterday LOL) a pdf. with the schematics for it. he told me, the other day on the phone, that it is activated on the bottom of the new tuna mech, by the, part of the trigger that sticks down below the housing. it has no spring, it is mechanically activated. honestly, i can but a riffe kit for 30$ and use that. i am interested to see what they look like. if i had known they were 60$, i would only have ordered one. it seems like too much money to me. as far as the band slots, i guess i did it wrong. my idea was to use a 1/2" forstner bit for the inside hole, and a 5/8" forstner for the outside one, then connect the edges and smooth out. they kinda look retarded though, the way i did em. l dont really think it will HURT,( the way i cut them) and you wont be able to see them once the bands are in, so i am just going to leave it that way, and sand them out. question for you tin man: how can i fit plastic muzzles ,(such as yours) on a wooden gun, and have it be SECURE. like daryl wong for instance

 

[Tin Man]

This is how I did it on my first little gun. I thought it worked out pretty well.

 

[Don Paul]

True Art.
Don

 

[jtkwest]

True Art.
Don

word.......

 

[jtkwest]

ok so next, i spent 2 hours drilling all the trigger mechs. i clean the holes with 1/2" forstner drill bit and VERY sharp 1/4" chisel, slowly making the "seat" deeper and deeper, each time putting the trigger in the slot and seeing if it line up perfectly with the track. this is the scariest part of the whole build for me. if you bollocks the holes up, and the trigger doesnt line up, you are screwed, you will have to fill with epoxy and do again, but its not really the same strength. i use a little piece of l shaped metal, pre drilled for the trigger template. clamp in place, with a piece of wood under, so the wood doesnt blow out, upon exit of the drill bit. say a prayer, and hold the drill perfectly straight. i used to use the drill press, but i do it by hand now. i put the trigger in the slot to the deired spot and clamp right in the gun. pinching it in place. then i drill right through the trigger in place all at once . that is why i do it by hand, so i can feel if it is biting on the trigger metal, or going through, like it is supposed to

 

[JCooke]

hows the project coming

 

[jtkwest]

I'M kinda waiting to finish the guns. i got one ready for final assembly. i gotta make 3 more handle pieces, then grind the line release shorter,and the trigger needs a little grinding too.pre drill the screw holes for the line anchor and handle frame, then just put it together. i spent some extra time coating the insides of all the notches with 2 coats of thick epoxy. the trigger slot and the band slot. that way the water cant intrude into the wood from the inside of the notches.the mid handle will require more time too. tomorrow night i will finish the three guns that are sold. the other two,(one is a mid handle for me) the other will be a 54" overall reef gun with a tuna trigger. i still gotta buy a handle frame and tuna trigger for that gun, i have 3 reef triggers with auto reset line releases, but i already mortised the gun for a tuna trigger. so when i sell the other two i can get it and finish the last one. i will take some pics fri night of the progress and the three finished guns. i actually like tin man's design and want one like that,(handle fra,me) maybe for the mid handle, or i may use the black frame with the mohagany pre made handle pieces,(did you see those in my post,(new neptonics stuff) i like the new shape better than the old, and the black finish is cool too. anything is better than the black plastic junk that most of the gun builders use

 

[JCooke]

Sound busy,
Well Master this young grasshopper just poured the tracks for guns 1-4 and ran out of epoxy, guns 5-8 are on hold. Closest epoxy is 80 miles away here.

Ill be doing a new post when things move along a bit. Mid march gun handles should be a go, thats a ruff ETA.

Jas

 

[mfdfyrecaptain]

Man seeing you build these guns really inspires the imagination and to try it myself. Great job and thanks for posting.

shane

 

[jtkwest]

some updates: 3 of the 5 guns are sold, i have some pics. i have been using epoxy mixed with color tint. i do it on any guns that have mistakes. two of these guns needed it. this way i can fill the wrong hole or groove with epoxy and re drill. then cover it up with black epoxy. i got some tips from phil herannene that proved to be invaluable. the pics dont do the finish justice, it looks super sleek shiny, with almost no bubbles or blemishes,(thanks phil!) and let me tell you, this is so durable it is ridiculous! i strongly recommend using epoxy for your clear coats. just use the few tricks phil told me and you will love the results after 1 to 2 coats. compared with varnish, which took me 12 coats to get similar results. plus i bet epoxy is way better at protecting the gun from bangs and dents.

 

[Tin Man]

Beautiful! I love the all black "Stealth" look!