Pinsetter finished and We’re on YouTube!
Hello fellow bowling buffs. I’m happy to report that I have found some time of late to continue the dream and I have finished what I like to call the “semi-automatic/mostly manual” pinsetter. 🙂
Here’s a description of it: My pinsetter is suspended above the pindeck and raises and lowers via plastic coated wire cable suspended on an overhead pulley down to a consistent position where the pins can then be placed in the holes that are just wide enough to accommodate the pins. This forces them exactly where they belong and doesn’t allow room to be placed off-spot. Once the pins are set in the holes a handle is pulled down which raises the pin table and the pins are ready for the next shot. The handle locks in place so that the table cannot inadvertently drop due to impact or any other effect. I also added an aluminum deck shield for authenticity.
A great feature is the pin table is very sturdy but light enough that my 8 year old daughter had absolutely no problems lowering, raising and locking it into place.
Yes, you still need someone in the pit area setting pins and returning balls but this definitely makes the job easier, cuts down on the time it takes to set the pins, and forces the pins to be set accurately. And it’s fun! I will put up some pics of the finished (for now) 🙂 pinsetter soon.
Also, I took some video tonight and have edited and uploaded the first one to YouTube. It is a video of me rolling a nice strike (you can see how you can realistically hook the ball) and my daughter lowering the pinsetter, returning the ball down the ball return, setting the pins and raising and locking the pinsetter. All of this is seen from the bowlers perspective. I put up a crude, temporary masking unit. But I have to tell you that not seeing the person back there setting the pins (other than the occasional arm/hand retrieving some dead wood) seeing the aluminum deck shield lower and then you see all of the pins there as it raises makes it so authentic! The sound on my camera was all messed up so I dropped the audio and spliced in a “regulation” roll and strike sound. It works really well. Here’s our YouTube debut and thanks for reading.
