Palot Ball drain and Humongus Catch drawer!

[Eddie]

OK so I needed to make a ball drain to keep from moving the Palot in order to reach the full catch tray. Seeing that I dont have any room for a special Stand I decided to convert my dresser into a catch draw.

I saw that most of you guys used either cardboard tubes or pvs. I didnt like either option. I wanted flexibility and noise reduction I got both.

In my Motorcycle shop I have lots of 1 1/4 inch fuel tubbing. I figured that is the way to go.

What I did was get a pack of small different size funnels from 1" -3" in dia at the mouth. I wanted to test the best smallest size that would work.

I chose the 11/2" funnel as it coverd the ball drain hole perfectly.

What I did was insert the funnel in one end of the tube and pushed as far as it would go. At that point I cut around the funnel where it met the tube.

That gave me the maximum opening in the funnel for the balls to go through. In the pic you can see where the cut is to be made to the funnel

Then I flared the tube end by making 4 verticle cuts about 1/2 inch down
this allowed the tube to ride up higher on the funnel then I simply duct taped the funnel to the tube.

Next I drilled a hole for the tube under the ball drain. I inserted the tube and held the funnel up to the ball drain opening. I used duct tape once again to hold the tube inplace from underneath the dresser top as I didnt want the tube mounting to be seen. The pic was taken from the mirror as I couldnt get a better angle of the tube in place.

I then had to notch out the back of the dresser draw so that I would have clearance for the tube when opening and closing the draw.

I didnt have a saw so I just drilled numerous holes and broke the piece out with vise grips. I know its wrong and it looks terrible but I didnt want to go back and get a saw and the notch wouldnt be seen anyway.

Thats all there was to it and now I can use the entire draw to catch balls!
It would be in the thousands and thousands LOL

I dont have that many balls so I simply put a tray in the draw.

Talk about quiet!! The tube is dead silent and the draw muffles everything because of its size. Its great!!

also I found the greatest sound suppresion material for trays that I will post in another thread so that it will be easier for members to find

[birdbrain]

!!!drawer!!!ps:nice design!

[Eddie]

!!!drawer!!!ps:nice design!

I know I realised well after I posted. How Embarrassing. So kick me and call me Shirley!!!!!!:embarasse

[Eddie]

I forgot to mention that the funnel is not connected to the machine by tape or other means it is just held up against the ball drain opening.
This way you can move the machine if you have to or put a different one in its place without disconnecting anything.

Its also cool to see how fast the balls move inside the tube!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought something was up with the way I was spelling drawer it just didnt look right and by the time I figured out my dumb mistake it was too late to edit.

[birdbrain]

Shirley

[Sid]

Nice Idea Shirley!

practical and effective...

what more can you ask for...

[slothappy144]

Nice use of an old piece of furniture, another custom pachi stand, good job Shirley!

[Eddie]

Nice use of an old piece of furniture!

Actually its not even a year old!!!!!!

Nice use of an old piece of furniture!

Actually its not even a year old!!!!!!

The more I have been looking at the tube funnel connection. I dont like it too 1/2arsed I think I will remove the tape and use crazyglue around the seam so that it appears much nicer and I will use a better mounting system to the dresser. I think the pipeclamp L-bracket approach has a more finished look.

[arbycoffee]

Here be one of my ideas
New Back-front Emptying Hopper


The Black funnel (42) needs to be rotated toward the front of the machine, so the balls dump into the the funnel and drop into the Black Tray (43) underneath the wood platform.


The Black Tray slides into the front between thr legs


The Black Tray half slid out.


The Black Tray full slid out showing spent balls.


This view shows the tray slid all the way back in it rest postion,


This view shows the tray slid all the way in the out postion, which shows the dump hole, the balls come through.
You can remove the tray and funnel and do it the other way of using a a tray to catch the spent balls.

[slothappy144]

Greg is always trying to improve the hobby. Master of ink and silver ball.
Nice low profile.
what happens when too many balls get under there?
my wife stopped up the Daiichi I made semi cyclic, she did not move the balls in time and plugged the whole thing up.
is it logic probes sig line, about nothing is fool proof to a talented/determined fool?

[arbycoffee]

need a longer tray that does not show the hole when slide forward to empty some balls out.

[compirate]

my wife stopped up the Daiichi I made semi cyclic, she did not move the balls in time and plugged the whole thing up.
is it logic probes sig line, about nothing is fool proof to a talented/determined fool?

I hope you didn't call her a fool to her face.
It might be cold out tonight!

[Tulsa]

Excellent idea Arby!

I really like that concept. It would work out to be every bit as good as semi-cyclic without having to hack your machine and leaving it in original condition.

[Lddrizzt]

Hey Tulsa, remember you and I were trying to figure out something like that one weekend? We were waaaaayyyy over thinking the whole thing. Arby's idea is awesome.

[arbycoffee]

You can use tupple ware and change the legs to hight you need and spacing.

Big K here we come

[arbycoffee]

a new oil fill funnel wors best

[slothappy144]

What my old oily one is fine!
Hint: put a small wedge in the back to slope to the front and you can grab the balls out with one hand and keep shooting. if the tray is long enough. We don't stop now, it is mezmerizing.

[arbycoffee]

[quote=slothappy144]What my old oily one is fine!
Hint: put a small wedge in the back to slope to the front and you can grab the balls out with one hand and keep shooting. if the tray is long enough. We don't stop

That is what I was thinking would be best a tray long enough to catch and deliver to the shooter in front

[birdbrain]

just build a ramped floor between the feet with it being long enough to extend in frt of machine.. install a lip around frt to keep your balls from spillng all over your lap.:embarasse

[slothappy144]

I made my box with a sloped bottom. the wife looks like she is on an assembly line, scooping balls to fill trays, all the while shooting balls full tilt, a beautiful thing.
If you can't tell from the picture the bottom is much higher in the back than in the front, all balls end up in front.