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DIY sub-1lb climbing stick adventure!

so I reached out to dragon plate and they said they don't support the use of any of their products for human use aka human load.
 
Also I think machining a step/standoff combo with tube insert is realistically the only way to stay strong and under one lb and still strong
 
ImThere said:
Holes cause carbon fiber to split
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Has anyone tried to lay the double steps and standoffs on the 1" Square Carbon Fiber tubing and then wrap additional carbon fiber with resin around the double steps and standoffs to "mold" them to the square tubing?

I don't know how strong this would be but it would eliminate the drilling of the tubing and the weight of the bolts/nuts.
The square tubing should theoretically hold it's original strength qualities. The additional resin and carbon material would be pretty light.

You might need to make the Standoff and Step a 1 piece design to maintain strength but I think it could work.

Just a thought if someone has the resources and skill to try it.
 
The issue with your original aluminum version is that welding aluminum takes the hardness out of the material!!! You are on the right track adding gussets like your revised stick has. I once built a BMX frame using aluminum, when I was first out of welding school and poor, and couldn't afford to have it heat treated. I learned quickly why that is needed;) 6061 has a tensile strength of 6 but once it is welded it goes to 0, only heat treating will get it back to a 6
 
Sandor27 said:
Sets up in the tree nicely...
View attachment 9012

View attachment 9013

Now the good and not so good news....

I used 5 minute epoxy to glue the steps onto the tube. I neglected to clean the tube before I applied the glue. I think there might be residual mold release agent on the tube since the epoxy does not adhere to the carbon. Like wax paper. So as soon as I stepped on the lower step it rotated, and you can see where I stepped on the top step it slid down the carbon tube....
View attachment 9014

The good news is that I was able to bounce on the top step and it did not bend at all.

Also the Amsteel rope knot I was trying out did not hold with a round tube. The knot worked fine for the square tube, I think the sharp edge bit into the rope. I had to add knots to keep the rope from slipping.
View attachment 9015

Well there you have it. A sub 1lb 2 step climbing stick. Spacing on the carbon stick is 17.5" (500mm tube with 2" tall bottom step).

And I probably will leave it here. I'm going to use SRT to climb the rest of this season and probably from here on out, also I have my Leverage sticks...

Another thought too.... the lighter the stick the more it rings when you smack it. So that's not good, but maybe some stealth tape and it'll be fine.

Q.E.D
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Weld an aluminum cap on the top as a back up for slippage and experiment with adhesives until one will bond the two, try roughing up both bonding surfaces?
 
mattsteg said:
You still cashin' them swaider checks?
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That’s the stupidest name. I called it the foot cinch strap or something like that. It aggravated me carrying that strap up the tree so I swapped to DIY cable aiders. Hadn’t hunted with them yet. Might not be my thing either. Just carrying an extra stick isn’t that big of a deal. Sometimes it’s the easiest thing to do.
 
The "C" channel is smart. Just know that it is severely lacking in torsional stiffness. That means it will likely be vulnerable to twisting.
 
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