David

Here is a picture of the basic layout that I use...



I believe it is the same, or nearly the same that John Scott uses.

I use a powered furling board for all of my furling. The leader is layed up as shown in the drawing, then the tip end is attached to a weighted hook that hangs over the far end of the board. After the tip is hung on the hook, the rest of the leader is removed from the layout pegs. the leader is then twisted/furled using the motorized end hooks. After twisting/furling, I capture the end loops with a nit-picker and remove the leader from the board. At this point the leader needs to relax before installing the Shorb loops. I usually hold the leader in one hand and "massage" the remaining twists out with the other hand. When the leader is fully relaxed, I go ahead and install the Shorb loops in the ends, starting with the butt end. At this point, I hang the leader over a bar hung in the rafters of my basement and start another leader.

Using this method, I can make and package about a dozen leaders an hour....that is if there are no distractions and everything is going good. The routine is to furl the leaders, sit down and fill out the inserts for the bags, place the inserts in the bags, and then place the leaders in the bags.


When I first started, there was no way I could get that many done in an hour, but after making a few hundred, and doing the same movements over and over you get into a routine. Jack Hise claims he can make and package 6-8 per hour using his manual board similar to the one you describe. When he tries to make them on my rig, he is lucky to finish 5 an hour. I think it just comes down to making your process easily repeatable and getting used to your equipment.

Good luck and welcome to The Dark Side!!

Brad