Using Power For Furling

[JohnScott]

The method I learned employs power twisting and power furling - hand power.

The jig employs a gear box with a large hand powered gear with a crank on the "working" side driving two smaller gears whose shafts come out the "furling" side. ( The gear ratio is 3:1, but if I were to build another one, it would be at least 5:1 to reduce the "input" time. ) Hooks to which the material to be furled is attached are mounted to the end of the smaller gear shafts.

The jig has posts set for a 40% - 30% -30% taper but the posts can be repositioned by drilling holes anywhere along the board for different tapers. I normally do a 10-8-6 configuration but the set up is quite adaptable to different configurations ( e.g. a recent 14-12-10 leader for a more powerful rod ). Finished length is about 7', but the board can be extended to do leaders up to about 9'.

Tension during twisting and furling is controlled by hand via a movable end post that slides along the board controlled by a length of shock cord and light rope.

Using formulas for various materials developed by the fellow who taught me how to furl leaders, this rig lends itself to a high degree of "repeatability." The only real variable is the amount of tension applied, and I suspect that that has little effect on the finished product.

The rig could be powered by a low speed electrical motor, but then it would require a counter to ensure a consistent number of twists and furls, or some sort of timer to control that aspect. At that point it would be "automated", except for repositioning the legs after the twisting and before the furling.

The REAL trick in an automated version would be the shorb loop !!