Abs instead of pvc. Abs will rupture if cracked or over pressured. Pvc will explode like grenade. m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-D8C_gZls6v8.html
Oh that's very interesting. Thank you for sharing! I did notice that the burst pressure was only about 2/3 of what pvc is, but the way it fails certainly makes it much safer for use. I'll have to look into material availability next time I build one. I've never looked for pressure rates ABS and I imagine it will be tough to find a valve.
I built one similar to that but I invested in a brass valve. I found it in a surplus catalog for about $40.00. I tried a PVC valve but it was too stiff. The brass valve is much easier to open rapidly. It is threaded so I can reuse it if I ever have to replace the PVC portion of the unit. I also used a 1 1/2 to 2 inch reducer on the pressure side and used 2" PVC on the pressure side. This gives me a lot more volume on the pressure side than the barrel. With less than 100 psi I can easily shoot out 200 feet of line and have it lift my throw line container. I typically use 60 - 70 psi for most shots.
Nice work. Those pvc ones aren't great for a quick opening. I bought a $50 1-1/4 brass valve for $4 on clearance. Have no plans but couldn't pass up a deal that good😎
I’ve been waiting for a video on this air cannon build topic. Wow, really well done on the explanation and demonstration! I am a loyal subscriber of your channel and appreciate all your detailed content as you work in the trees! Thank you so much!
Excellent tutorial! It was to the point, very informative on all aspects of build, no stuttering or stammering and very particular about safety! I’ve made a potato gun using hair spray and a lighter but just didn’t know how to do using air pressure? A million Thanks to you!
Had I known a month and a half ago I would have gone this route instead of a giant Slingshot. I think I will eventually build one too. I will probably use 2" on the pressure side like someone else suggested. Thanks for sharing the cannon build.
Cool video, and a win for low budget design! I’m taking note of the ergonomics, as my first build was less than ergo. I ordered a 1in brass threaded butterfly valve and found specs for chamber volume. I pre-fabricated a durable pressure chamber from local plumbing store parts (threaded gas pipe, yes it’s heavy). The butt end has an elbow and two street elbows to mount the Schroeder valve out of harms way. We met up and took my friend’s throw bags to the store to spec a barrel. We chose 1.5in ABS because it looked straight and smooth. Also, ABS is used for impact resistance, and is less brittle than PVC. We glued the 2ft barrel to an ABS threaded reducer, and screwed it into the 1 in brass butterfly valve. ABS drain pipe is not tested for a pressure rating, but we justified it on the steel ball bag projectile leaking a bit of air around the edges, and safety glasses helped too. Our cannon launched a 16oz throw bag very well! With a 12oz bag, we had success using some musket packing techniques (wrap bag in loose wad of porous tissue, rag, etc). Video of first firing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K1pZa_S-CJQ.html&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Thats super cool man! I live hearing about other people's versions. Everyone likes to make it a little different and that's great. If I could get pressure rated ABS components, I'd build the whole thing out of ABS. It's much more shatter resistant and therefore much safer in the even of a failure.
Excellent content. I’ve been scrubbing through your videos trying to pick up details about your build, so this is much appreciated. One thought I had that I plan to add to my build of it would be to wrap the pressurized portion of the launcher in a layer or two of duct tape, just as a precaution against shattering or splintering in the event of a failure (thinking colder weather, or brittle pvc after extensive UV exposure). Thanks for putting this together!
@@TreeBuds This is true, however it also probably won't hold air if there are any fractures. Maybe its not a reliable inspection method, but I know that cranes have been built with pressurized tubing to make the development of fractures detectable through the use of a pressure gauge 🤷♂️
Cannons are a sweet way to set a line quickly. Climbing and rigging. Especially when you only need a pull line for dropping whole trees they save a lot of time. Made mine from steel pipe bc it was on hand but every crew should have one
I thoroughly enjoyed video , I have been in a few tight spots that needs a air cannon , hand toss was difficult and the ones on the market have a cost . thanks so much for a education on a tool that works for you , I may try it .. im just another tree guy .. who enjoys learning about different tools we use to get in to the canopy .. Joe
I do some non professional climbing myself and use a throwline so far. My neighbor owns a decent soze tree service and has one like this from 1.5 inch threaded plumbing steel and charges is with his trucks compressor but anything could be used to charge it. With air pressure alone there is no way to have it shatter or blow up.
Oh that's nice, I don't have any air brake trucks, but that's a great idea. Tree stuff sold one made out of threaded pipe, does he have one of those or did he make his own?
Great engineering!!! This kinda reminds me of the “potato guns” with bigger pvc to fit a potato, and you would spray some highly flammable spray in behind the potato, screw the end cap on tight then light the charge through a small hole drilled into the charge area behind the potato. Like lighting a real 18th-19th century cannon that uses black powder.
@Rockingruvin The best ignition source for potato gun is a Push Button Piezo Igniter. I’m sure there would be some scaling down needed. The average diy potato gun is usually capable of launching a potato 4 to 500 feet.
Pressure rating on PVC is for liquids, not air. Air is compressible and can cause the PVC to shatter. Best to wear full face protection in case it shatters on you. Air compressors in shops are not allowed to use PVC either schedule 80 or 40 per safe workplace rules. I have seen shrapnel from shattered PVC air imbedded in shop walls, tremendous force that can cause a fatality or loss of eyesight etc. Two common mistakes is using PVC for air compression and using cinder blocks under cars. Hope you guys know that too.
For sure, air pressure and water pressure behave very differently when released rapidly. Can't argue that. I can't comment on shop airlines because I'm not familiar with those regulations, but I do wonder if it has anything to do with their high susceptibility to being crushed by shop equipment or something like that. 1 1/2" schedule 40 pvc like I used here has a burst pressure of 1100 psi, so it seems as though we are staying well below that with a more than a 10:1 safety ratio. If you have a recommendation for a less brittle material, I'd love to hear your thoughts 😊
Thanks for sharing your design and this video. Like viewers I built a different version about 10 years ago. However I prefer your design. Except I attached a fishing reel to the barrel to feed the a line. 73 Steve AA4SH
Hahaa, yeah, I wish there was a better option. Obviously a brass valve could be incorporated, it just adds to the cost and weight quite a bit. Certainly could be worth it though 🤷♂️ Thanks for stopping by!
Instead of a single tube ,put a small one inside of a bigger one. This gives extra thickness Wrap the small tube with exhaust bandages to make a super strong barrel. Or just use thick metal pipe. Instead of a bike pump use a gas canister to load the chamber through a tyre valve. Is the throw weight aerodynamic ? If not why not Make a cardboard rocket cone with a nail in the centre like a dart. The rocket cone should be a tight fit in the barrel.
Try putting foam pipe insulation around it. It might soften the kickback and prevent it from breaking if you drop it. It might also stop or slow down the shrapnel if it explodes 🤯
For air cannons, please use abs (black) or atleast schedule 80. At least for the tank. Pvc breaks into sharp shards, wrapping it in duct tape can mitigate the hard plastic projectiles.
Fair thought. Schedule 80 abs is really hard to find. I do upstanding that is fails in a much safer manner though. That is a valuable thing to consider.
Just built one of these following your design. 55psi launched a 10oz throw weight 110 feet skyward. I was considering making another ... but let me know what you think about these design changes ... Rather than being shoulder-fired, might make it ground supported with a single long compression tube. Then add a 45-degree coupling before the vale to make aiming easier (and likely where I would install the value). This way it rests on the ground, not on your shoulder for better balance. And also keeps all of the compression areas away from your face during the sighting. To make it more portable, the pressure site could have a compression coupling to allow it to be spilt in half. Or the barrel side could be set up as detachable. Instead of gluing the barrel to the value, just drill a small pinhole and slide a nail across to hold it. That seal does not need to be super airtight. Thoughts! And thanks for the great content. Btw, I'm a self-taught climbing homeowner, kinda like one guy you mentioned in a recent video. I have an acre of trees to maintain.
That's great man! I love to hear about people who care enough about their trees to take it into their own hands. Those all sounds like cool modifications. The beauty of the whole thing is that everyone always ends up with their own twist. I have some friends who all made their own and none of them look alike. Thanks for sharing!
@@zaccheus Well my V1 looks just like yours :). Now I need to put it to real use. But I only find time to climb once every few months. I do have all the professional gear and climb with an Echo 2511T. Just rarely have the good fortune to have someone to run the rigging lines so I figure out ways to do that solo, usually with natural crotch rigging. Now i would love to climb and learn from a pro some time. I'm in MD. I also follow @Metaspencer, in central NY, maybe you do too.
@CoolGen10 Yeah, I've seen some of his stuff. He's also kind enough to comment on my videos occasionally. Find help is hard and doing work solo is also difficult. I've been able to use different friends I have in the industry, but they all come at a price 🤷♂️
Keep in mind water pressure is different than air pressure. You can get yourself hurt real fast pressurizing PVC with air. 60 psi max....and that may be pushing it.
I see what you're saying, but pressure is pressure all the same. 60psi is still 60psi no matter is its made by air, water, or shrinking, the pipe around a steel bar. What's different is when the pressure is release by vessel failure. Air is a spring so it propels pieces with velocity. Water is not and so it doesn't.
As André said, it's a throwline and weight. The weight is a canvas bag with lead shot in it. I believe a quick search on Amazon will yield something for you. I'll add a link to the description too.
Id love to use schedule 80, but I don't know where to find it with a pressure rating. Most pipe is sized by internal diameter so I would imagine the same sizes would work, but who knows 🤷♂️
I'm not sure what you are referencing when you say rubber... spring loading the valve sounds like a great idea. I'm not sure the plastic valve would handle it really well, but it's a great idea for a brass valve.
@@zaccheus a big rubber band under load with a catch of some sort on the handle... it would serve the same purpose as you pulling on it essentially.... if it were linear with the barrel I dont think it would cause the valve to reach the limit but theres only one way to know for sure
@Zaccheus Ah Thank you. In my research for a 1-1/2 inch barrel I've seen Guys use 10 12 14 and 16 oz bags. I guess it just has to be heavy enough To continue to fall after it's up over the branch, I'm kind of working that out right now.
@CRUSH* VAPOR That's definitely my biggest struggle with the 12 Oz bags. If I use any of the heavier ones, I have a hard time keeping things on target.
@@zaccheus I started with an 8 oz. weight, now up to 13 oz., it just barely pulls the rope down over the branch. I'm using cheapo 1/4" Hollow Braided Polypropylene Rope, BTW I'm using a homemade weight made of an eyebolt, washers and a wood plug made with a hole saw. Haven't had trouble keeping on target, maybe the weight bags you buy have aerodynamic problems being shot from a cannon. Your vids are very interesting!
I have seen those units! A pretty good idea for sure. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable using that on something filled with air pressure right next to my face. It might be fine, and I'm sure it would he fine for drain applications, but for this scenario, I really want 100% certainty that it's the best it can be
I built exactly as you describe. However, when I pump it up, its not holding air. I dunked in tub of water, but I can't find any leaks. My schrader valve has a rubber gasket on both the inside and outside of the pvc cap. How should I proceed?
Hmm that sounds interesting. If there aren't any leaks, but no pressure is building, is there a chance you have a problem with your air source? If you're using a bike pump, maybe it has a leak?
Back in the day we made potato cannons and in the early days of utube had a video of us on a job site in a basement shooting a hard hat and canned vegetables with our potato cannon paid for having fun ... I'm making a mini 1 now for my throw bag ... I'm a electrician but hear with wood amd drop trees for free so I can have the wood
Screw that! I have a 6ft long spud gun i made for a science fair project! 6inx12in combustion chamber, reduced down to a 2inx5ft barrel. And a BBQ igniter for spark. Lol I dont even mess with throwline, i tie my climbline to the bag and send her on her way! Lol im jk. Im not that slow in the head. It would be fun to test it tho! To see if a regular spud gun that uses fuel/spark can out do a similar sized pneumatic spud cannon. I know ive launched potatoes a tad over 300yrds with it. Its a bit temperamental tho, because if you dont get enough oxygen inside the chamber. It wont ignite properly or at all really. But it can be a lot of fun! My science fair project was to find a way to simulate how a combustion engine works. Have you, i think i may have been in 8th grade tops. So it was pretty clever for a 13yr old to do. Basically the potato represents the piston, combustion chamber represents just that. And the screws i had in the sides of the combustion chamber represented spark plugs,, and the ignitor represented an ignition system. Unfortunately, i had to do it via a video. Since school wouldnt allow it on school property. Lol But it was a very fun project. Forgive me for going off topic. Just thought some may be curious what my project was...
Lol, I thought about going that route. It's obviously a little hard to regulate. The pneumatic version here isn't perfect either, but you can atleast work with 10 lb increments
@zaccheus ive been working on something similar but from a reverse perspective. Your solution fires the throw line to the target/shore. First my problem) when going out boating alone and coming back in, its a hassle and a race when docking the boat to try and tie off the lines both at the front and back, to prevent the boat from veering its ass outwards, depending on winds and water currents. Solution) what if when you came in with the boat, the lines would fire from.the shore into the boat, and all youd need to do is tienit off
@@zaccheus I think thats a great idea...2 elbows instead of 2 caps... would be a lot more solid... you could even go crazy and 45 the barrel for extra support... not pressurized of course you could just glue the fittings on the surface
@@jbbolts True, true, it would add volume aswell. It might be tough to Fina place to out the schrader valve, but that might not be too hard if a problem to solve
All guages loose psi unless you have one integrated into the system. The thing thay mayyer the most is that it's fairly consistent from one cycle to the next. It's okay if 10 psi escapes, as long as 10 psi escapes every time.
I cannot say, I'm not a plumber or engineer. I don't feel.comfortable putting more than 100 psi in it. But even that much pressure could severely injure you if it broke.
Not at all! I am located in North Canton. Looks like I'm about three hours from you. Not too far to go if you ever need a climber for a day or more. Will you he attending the Paul Bunyan show?
@@zaccheus you are right. My pal told me about it and for some reason we thought it was October 1-2. We will for sure be there. I am assuming you are talking about Cambridge Ohio??
Might be safter with metal, though it's bad when it explodes too. I'm not sure using an unregulated pressure source will work all that great for throwline stuff though. Sometimes 400ft is 300ft too much 😅
What? A vertical grip on a polymer stock? That might need to be registered as an "Assault" air cannon... Nevermind, I'm from the Vampire State east of Ohio and have been marinating in overbearing gov't regulations too long. 😂
I made one out of a bead blaster for tires. its basically a metal tank with a 1 1/2" valve that you fill with air to seat tubeless tires. Same principle as your except you set min on the ground and aim it like a cannon...... and with a 5' foot long barrel...... lol, watch out. It will launch that bag the length of a football field.
What if it was just a single pipe? Less to fail and you launch it on the ground like a grenade launcher? Less accurate but less to fail and safer. 🤷♂️ I might try building one.
You could definitely try that. I think the accuracy is a big part of what makes this handy, but I imagine you could get good with it in any form if you practiced. It might be good to increase the pipe size if you just go straight with it. If you don't have very much volume behind the valve, you might have to use a higher pressure to get the same results.
Dude how in the can you comment on my page saying I don't know anything about safety and you build an air cannon out of PVC pipe that isn't rated to anywhere near the PSI you're putting through it. Smart kid real smart 😂😂😂
That's also a viable option. The only think I don't like about the APTA is that the compression chamber is smaller so it requires more pressure and it's just plain heavy.
Hmmmm, I'm thinking that increasing the size of the tubing on the air storage tank would make the throw ball go a lot faster and higher 🤔 I won't do the extra 90° and T junction as those would weeken the system...... I'll probably make some handles that can clamp around the tubing...... maybe launch it RPG style and put some sights on it of some sort 🤔🤔🤔 I don't really need one, but just the possibility of such a monster just strokes the "Deadpool" parts of my mind. Don't worry, with the larger air container I won't need to go that high on the pressure, but I might try a bit more once I have confidence that I'm not going to kill myself 😁
