Being fairly new to quad line flying, I came real close to calling it quits after spending over 3/4 of an hour untangling a set of lines. I thought that after the original untangling that it was over – WRONG. Although the second time wasn’t as bad, it still was frustrating to have to spend all that time just making sure that the lines were right.
A friend had a small quad winder, somewhat similar to the one shown here but not as easy to use, so I decided to change the design to make it easier and much more tangle free…
When you use this winder, you hold it by the 2 dowels at the back and wind the lines while keeping them apart with the winding hand. It does take a little getting used to but the benefits are great on the flying field.
I use small sticky labels on the winders to remind me of which lines are which. I include the strength and line length for each set.
Construction is pretty straight forward . First select a regular winder that you like to use and trace it’s design onto a piece of 1/4″ “Baltic Birch Plywood” ( I find this to be the most stable and strongest of the plywood’s ). I wouldn’t recommend using any regular wood as the grain would make the construction very prone to breakage.
Once the pattern has been established , combine 2 pieces of wood together ( I find that double sided tape works great ) and cut out both sides together.
Next drill 1/4′ holes through both pieces, for the 1/4′ dowels that will join the 2, where shown in the pictures while they are still together and mark the outside of each, so that they will go together correctly later (this step is necessary in case you don’t get the holes drilled absolutely straight).
Next decide how much room you want between the 2 pieces and cut 4 pieces of 1/4 to length and dry fit everything together.
When you’re satisfied with the fit, disassemble everything and sand it all smooth. Don’t forget to round over all the outside edges and make them as smooth as possible so you don’t have a problem with your lines snagging on a rough spot while you’re either winding in or out.
Now all that’s left to do is glue everything together, sand the outside, and apply 2 or 3 coats of a waterproof finish sanding between coats.
When you wind you’re lines in, each side (left and right) go on a separate side and the tangle problem is all but eliminated.
Now go out and enjoy the flying instead of cursing at the massive tangle you may be used to!
Doug