SparkieRob Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 (edited) G'day all. I'm making a wooden card type line winder for my Rok as the halo just doesn't fit into my bag well. I have made some templates of different styles ready. I am wondering the thickness of ply to use? I have options of 5mm, 7mm, 9mm and 13mm. My guess would be 7mm (9/32). My designs are between 250mm (10") and 330mm (13") long. Thanks. Edited September 3, 2014 by SparkieRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepster Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 I make my Rev winders out of 1/4" (6.35mm) oak. Have made some SLK winders out of the same stuff. There is minimal loading on my SLK winders ... small stuff only. Never a problem in about five years of use. However, if you are going to hold the winder to fly the kite, you might find the thicker woods to be more comfortable on your hands. Don't have any pictures, but many wooden winders use an angled notch in one end of the top of the winder to "catch" the line for holding. They will then thread a strap through the hand hole to anchor the winder to a stake. The notch allows one to adjust the line length while still anchored. This is what my Rev winders look like. Just angle the top of the notch backwards towards the center to visualize a SLK winder. Cheers, Tom http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/3351-/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--Pete Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 I've made winders of this sort up to 36 inches long. Each wrap pulls six feet of line out of the sky. Rather than a notch, I make a deep (3-4 inches) "U" at each end. I also carve a long dip out of one side, opposite the hand cut-out; this makes room for my normal figure-8 winding as well as making an easy visual reference to make sure I let line off from the same side I wound it on from. (Keeps from getting twists in the line.) Rather than a notch for tying off the line for flying, I cast a couple of half-hitches on one of the horns (along-side of one of the "U"s). I make the big ones out of standard 3/4" boards because I sometimes wind on under considerable tension. Winders for things like dual and quad line-sets can be as light as 1/4" plywood (5 mm would be fine) since they are never wound on with any tension at all. Here are some like this: A 14" winder holding a supply of paracord, and a 30" with some 500# Dacron fiberglass pull-tape, plus a really ugly plywood 5-footer holding a 100' extension cord made from 8 gauge Romex (I needed some serious power a long way from the outlet). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Sometimes I need a tiny winder for short lines carried in small cases. Here's one made out of a decal application squeegee. Cut out on a band saw, drilled on a drill press & sanded into submission. This one fits into the small mesh pocket in the Prism 3D case that I carry my 4D in all the time. I no longer use any straps on short lines & smaller kites. Here's another one showing it being placed in the Micron case pocket SHBKF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted September 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 First "proto" done. This was to get a feel for lengths and thicknesses. Winds and unwinds smooth. Next one I will put a handle hole relief for unwinding, a back cut slot to hand fly. I also might try a "straight" type with radius'd ends. I saw Bazza had one in his hand in a pic from the kite festival in Oz. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepster Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 First "proto" done. ... Love the "first proto" part of your quote. So, on to the next configuration. I have a number of commercial winders for my 500 lb SLK line. One area of their design that I find discouraging is the long points over which the line is wound ... the bottom two points in your picture. For your next prototype, you might try reversing the lengths of the end points ... "short" to wind over and "long" to serve as back up. Then wind and unwind line on the two prototypes a number of times to see which you like the best. This is an example: http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5375-/ Now to make a couple more modifications on the above winder before it's "just right" ... Cheers, Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Rob, Here's one I made sometime back, especially for winding-in SLK's. It's made from a 3/4" thick by 4" pine board. The shape and design were just something I came up with. The holes were intended to reduce the weight a bit, and to allow a good place to tie onto the line. The two golf balls are drilled through the centers, and attached to the winder with long screws. The balls turn freely on the screws, so you can tie on and crank away. Tension or no tension, it's not likely to break...... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Second proto almost finished. Just need a small marine rope post for the LHS to loop off around and a coat of oil. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Don't know the line lengths you're using, but have you seen the Windbreaker winder? When I was flying SLKs a lot, I bought one and then made several interior sections, based off the original design. One set of handles - 3 guts allowing different lengths, or strengths! Reef Runner's pic is the closest to that design, but the Windbreaker has movable handles to several positions. I really liked the windbreaker for the ability to haul kites down in a hurry, even a French Military kite and a good sized delta. No worries of it ever breaking down either! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I really liked the windbreaker for the ability to haul kites down in a hurry, even a French Military kite and a good sized delta. No worries of it ever breaking down either! Reef Runner's pic is the closest to that design, but the Windbreaker has movable handles to several positions. Yeah, I suppose I kinda imposed on their design just a bit, when I made mine..............works great, just not adjustable 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 The great thing about the windbreaker is that it can be used as a cleat to hold the kite against your anchor. I have a number of them, I prefer them greatly to hoop spools. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I saw this design somewhere on the web where the winder looked like a rabbit. Apologies if it is copyrighted. Tried to do it from memory. This one is for my oldest (9) girl's SLK. This is kind of fun... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Finished another one. Applied the same type on line retention as the previous one. This ones for my boy (6). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted May 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Making a few to take to a festival... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave362 Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Looks really good, man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmadz Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Making a few to take to a festival...ImageUploadedByTapatalk1430498986.594863.jpg Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Rob, do you have a template that you would mind sharing? Did you use plywood or solid stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted May 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 I made a template from polycarbonate from memory of a design I saw somewhere. It has evolved a bit due to production methods. That is, the shape has deviated a little. I'll snap a pic of the template over the top of a grid and put some notes on it. I used 5 ply which is plenty strong but a little soft. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I have found the original design that was in my mind when I made these, I am sourcing it here; by Al and Cheryl Axton. Mine is slightly different in that it isn't L/R symmetrical for the winding legs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmadz Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I have some spare polycarbonate. I plan on cutting your shape out on a scroll saw and then sanding and buffing the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 I have some spare polycarbonate. I plan on cutting your shape out on a scroll saw and then sanding and buffing the edges. If you use 1" steel plate, you can skip the anchor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmadz Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 I have some spare polycarbonate. I plan on cutting your shape out on a scroll saw and then sanding and buffing the edges. If you use 1" steel plate, you can skip the anchor. Funny you say that. I can get a hold of some 4 gauge steel plate, but it's a b*tch to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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