Rainy Day - No Kites to Fly

I've been on vacation for the past week, but the weather has been rainy and I've had a cold most of the time. So I've been out a total of two times with my kite gear, and I have very little to show for it. I could be depressed, or...

I could start a shop project!

Ok, to be fair I finished a shop project. This one has been hanging around for almost a year now: the new kite line winder. I started CAD drawings last year, beginning with a design that's sold commercially under the name "Windbreaker". One of the people on the KAP forum described it as "Knucklebreaker" because of the handles, bits, and pieces that hang out when it's rotating, so I moved away from it. Erick, one of the KAPers from Germany, posted pictures of his winder, and I liked it. So that's the direction my CAD drawings went.

A few weeks ago I picked up the 1/2" baltic birch plywood I needed for the project, and I finally got around to cutting out parts. Over the last week I've sanded, tung-oiled, and finished building the thing.

(Yes, that photograph was taken outside my house... in the rain... It really hasn't let up much.)

It's heavier than my old winder, but a lot more solid and way easier to hold. I haven't had the chance to field test it yet, but if the weather clears any time in the next few days that's my top priority.

The center grip is a wheel off of a scooter that was run over by a car. The bearings are still good, so I stuck with the originals. If they start to go, I've got a tube of ABEC7 bearings I picked up to replace the ones in my Foredom handpieces. That was years ago. Dang Foredom makes a good product.

The winder handle is a piece of 1" diameter Delrin, bored out to ride on a stainless sleeve that's pinned in place by a 1/4" bolt. The design for this part started out using bearings as well, but there's really no point since Delrin is a bearing material, and it rides great on the stainless. So the design was simplified. I tried to make it comfortable to hold, but if it needs adjustment it's a simple lathe job.

The row of holes out toward the edge of the winder is so the line can be clipped off with a carabiner to fix it to a particular length. This lets me put out, say, 200' of line, clip off, anchor, and attach my rig.

So far I'm pleased with the winder, but it does mean changing some of my procedures in the field. My previous winder had a hole clear through it, so it was pretty easy to clip off the line, shove the winder up onto my arm, and use both hands to hang the rig or use the transmitter. This winder won't allow for that, so I'll have to work out new procedures.

I do like the larger moment arm on the winding handle, and the free-spinning bearings on the grip. I think it'll be a lot easier to bring line in. That might offset any inconvenience the lack of a through-hole will present. Time will tell.

I'll write more once I have a chance to field test it.

Tom