I have been drilling for a while and have done nice jobs occassionally for the few friends I have drilled stuff for and they have thrown very nicely and come back.  I seem to be quite good at bevel using the Mo Pinel bevel methods...

I am not in the business.

But a professional driller friend reminded me of some good tests to do that can help in fitting the many types of hands out there that range dramatically in flexibility.

Particularly troublesome for me with my own hand is the incredible stetchiness of my own hand.  As Bob Learn told me in a training class once...."like rubber and very difficult to fit".

Versus some friends have very different problems with extremely stiff hands.

The result....

When I put my hand on a fitting ball and many drillers offer to fit me they say stretch gently....as a result I end up with a very short fit.

Another person with a stiff hand stretching gently could easily end up with a stetched span due to stiffness in the fingers etc.

The solution:

(This is no surprise to professional drillers.)  Take the set to your hand fitting ball(You think) and pick the ball up.  The amount of bow of the hand above the ball tells one if they have the span right.  Somewhere around a pencil fitting between the hand and the ball and slightly less than a pencil seems to be just right!  

Now I had heard of this pencil test but never had done it with the weight of the ball hanging down.  Had instead done it with the ball on the table.  What a difference.

We then went on and tested setting a ball up for me with my stretchy hand and found doing the normal tests....when we then hung the ball down I had a magic marker under my flexible hand.  Voila another 3/16 of span length took that all out!

For a stiff handed friend the same thing in the opposite and expected way.  Took measurements with a "slight" stretch of the hand with the thumb in the ball.  Set the fitting ball to that span and voila, 1/2 of a pencil could be fit under her stiff hand!

This test is GREAT for verifying spans!  Or a set of pitches with maybe a very relaxed span for a hand!

REgards,

Luckylefty


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Open the door...see what's possible...and just walk right on through...that's how easy success feels..

I use the "pencil test" on every ball I fit.  --  JohnP

Lucky,

Excellent info! I am a beginning driller of sorts and have used the pencil but not with the ball hanging down.......most excellent!!!

Here is a question for you....and if you would like to reply to my messages here that is cool as I think this is a long one...*laugh*

I like to use a Bill Taylor Fitter at where I work. It is on a military base and we don't have all the high-tech goodies I would like but will try to work on that.  My question is how do you measure both a fingertip and convential grip with a Taylor (if you use one, as would like to make sure I am doing it right).  Also, do you adjust any finger pitches when using finger grips?  As an example lets say I want to go 1/4 rev and 1/8 rev on the fingers and I will use inserts. Do i have to make any adjustment to that due to the finger inserts?

I have a ton of other questions but figure I didn't want to overburden you!

Thanks for the help!

Oh yeah.....forgot one thing.......can you explain how you bevel? That would be priceless for me!

Mike
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When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —




Edited on 3/25/2008 2:56 PM

Lucky,

Liberally!! That is a good one!!..*laugh*

Thank you much for the very useful information! I will certainly check out the posting on Bevel that is for sure!

Here is my next question. When using the Jayhawk Ball....how do you measure the span?? Is it a hit and miss thing or is there a certain way you would go about it? I have never used the ball but believe we have one on order so need to learn how to measure a span on that also!

Thanks again!!

Mike
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When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —