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Author
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Topic: Adjustable Stretchers
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 09, 2008 12:06 PM
Okay, word is Happy Plumber is the guy to see, but his health has been an issue, and he fills his available orders up quickly, and can't meet the full demand.
It seems to me there's room for someone else, who could produce a product of the same high standards and quality?
So I have some questions, to help me test the waters, and see if I might be the one to fill the niche?
How long do the basswood stretchers tend to last?
And what wears out, or prompts replacement?
Are there any replacement parts you could use?
If you were to, or if you have, what changes would you make?
Can someone loan me a pair, or would anyone be willing to trade for a pair made from cedar?
Does anyone know of a source for basswood stock, so I can compare prices with suitable woods available in my area (cedar, cottonwood, etc.)?
While we're on "wood products", does anyone need a fleshing beam?
I made a few last year to take to the Rendezvous, but missed going, and could stand to offload them.
There's a long wide one (approx. sizes... 5' 2"x10"), suitable for bigger animals, beaver, big 'cats and coyotes, etc.
One with a narrower taper (5' 2"x8"), more of an all around beam.
And a smaller narrow tapered one (4' 2"x6"), for mink, muskrat, etc
They're very well rounded on top, and smooth.
I made them after I had the chance to flesh more than a few beaver and 'coons, learned what I didn't like in a fleshing beam on my (fragile) otter hides, and had reworked my own fleshing beam several times getting it right.
The two smaller beams are made from old growth wood, a clear 2"x14" salvaged from a garage built in the '50s, they don't even make boards like that anymore.
Krusty 
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 13, 2008 10:41 PM
Hello? Cal, Tim, Mercer, somebody use adjustables?
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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3 Toes
El Guapo
Member # 1327
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posted March 14, 2008 05:47 AM
All I use is adjustables K, but I will warn you about basswood. It is great to stick push pins in but otherwise it sucks. It bows bad as hides shrink and the stretchers just don's last. I have some I made myself out of cheap fir that have lasted for years. They are a bitch to stick pins in, but I won't ever try basswood again. One other trick is to never connect the stretchers at the nose. I bought some one time that were hinged there and that is a pain. If the tips just rest against each other, when you go to take fur off you can kind of wiggle them back and forth and it pops right loose. The connected ones are a pain to get fur off of. Just some observations.
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Violence may not be the best option....
But it is still an option.
Posts: 1034 | From: out yonder | Registered: Apr 2007
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted March 14, 2008 06:09 AM
I have some wooden stretchers i use for fox and coyotes, the stretchers i use for coyotes are made from bass wood boards with a saw cut down the middle and then shaped for the hide. I use a piece of boot tongue leather to hold the nose of the boards together and at the bottom i use a piece of 3/4 by 2 1/2 by 6" that i sheet rock screw to the stretcher to keep it tite. I loosen up two screws with a cordless screw driver and make adjustment then titen screws back up. Bass wood canbe very exspensive also, so i only made two stretchers from it. I have adjustable fox stretchers that are on the lite side compared to my coyote stretchers and i bought them already made up and not sure what wood was used.
I prefer to use solid boards now for the fox and i use wire for the coyotes. For fastening the legs down on wooden boards i like to use a staple gun instead of push pins, alot easier on the fingers and you just need a small screw driver to pull the staples out with.. I'll take some pic's of what stretchers i have for you to look at Krusty.....
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5082 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 14, 2008 10:31 AM
Cal,
Thanks. Those are exactly the type of "observations" I was looking for.
I remembered you saying that you didn't like having the "nose" of the stretchers connected.
I was considering using a biscuit joint, but not gluing the biscuit in place. This would hold them in the same plane, but you'd have some wiggle to un-stick the hide.
Can you tell me the thickness of the basswood boards?
I have close to 100 cedar boards set aside for this project. I'd expect them to be easier to pin than my own plywood or pine stretchers, and to last longer than basswood.
TA,
Thank you, too.
As I stated, I already have a whole bunch of solid boards, I made myself.
So don't sweat sending photos. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The price of the already expensive basswood nearly doubles, with shipping.
So it's probably cost prohibitive for me to use, unless I move "back east".
Cedar (western red), white pine, and cottonwood, are all more readily available here.
And in the case of cedar, is probably a much better choice, due to it's superior strength, anti-bacterial properties, and resistance to rot.
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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CrossJ
SECOND PLACE: PAUL RYAN Look-a-like contest
Member # 884
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posted March 14, 2008 10:53 AM
I have cat and coyote stretchers from HP also. Some of mine did just like Cal said and 'bowed'. Was looking at building some and wondered about using Poplar(sp). It was much cheaper than Bass, but wondered if it would have a tendancy to bow also?
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A friend will help you move. A good friend will help you move a body.
Posts: 1025 | From: on a water tower | Registered: Jul 2006
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted March 14, 2008 11:50 AM
I don't know about cost, but it seems like oak would last forever and probably as stiff as anything you could find? Ash is a good, strong hardwood. Bamboo has a lot of good properties.
I think you are on to something K. Looks like there is a need?
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31474 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 14, 2008 12:56 PM
CrossJ,
Depending on the local variety of poplar you have, it might make a good choice (cottonwoods are in the poplar family), but some of it might be as hard as pine).
Because we don't use a sealer or finish on stretchers, they tend to cycle a lot of moisture through themselves in the finishing process.
For this reason, too, I think the cedar is an excellent option.
Leonard,
We walk a fine line between hardness and softness, in stretcher boards.
The wood needs to be strong, but also needs to be soft enough to push pins into.
I hope to start needing to own a couple ('cats and coyotes) for the next fur season, so I'll be building some for myself, no matter what.
I've been saving up clear stock and have plenty on hand, now I just need a pattern, and I can get to prototyping and fine tuning the building process.
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Bryan J
Cap and Trade Weenie
Member # 106
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posted March 14, 2008 01:42 PM
Krusty
My adjustable stretchers just use a couple of 6 or 8d finish nails as kind of a dowel, they also came with about a ¾ inch block with holes drilled through so on larger animals if you need just a little extra width you don’t need to get a different stretcher. They seem to be ok for coyotes. I have trouble keeping track of the little blocks. I also think I loose some length on my ‘cats to the thickness of the boards. I tried some solids on a couple of reds and ‘cats this year, I was pleased with the way they looked when I was finished but….I was constantly worrying about slip due to the lack of air flow.
Posts: 599 | From: Utah | Registered: Feb 2003
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Paul Melching
Radical Operator Forum "You won't get past the front gate"
Member # 885
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posted March 14, 2008 03:26 PM
Krusty
My adjustables are 5/8 " thickness. I would be glad to ship one you for your use in researching this project. good luck with the project you can email @ bigroom55@msn.com for info on shipping.
PM
[ March 14, 2008, 03:27 PM: Message edited by: Paul Melching ]
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Those who value security over liberty soon will have neither !
Posts: 4188 | From: The forest ! north of the dez. | Registered: Jul 2006
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 14, 2008 04:00 PM
Bryan,
You're a step ahead of me.
One of the other things I am looking into is "grooved" solid boards.
Part of working up a business plan has been to look at surface planers (shapers, etc)... and with the right set of blades I could produce a solid board that breathes.
But I'm not that far yet.
If I'm following you, the little block goes in the nose end of your stretchers, effectively widening the head/neck end?
That's why I thought of a biscuit joiner. With a standard (shallow) slot, a larger biscuit would widen the nose the same way as your block (and they can be easily sourced at any hardware store when lost).
You might consider some "hybrid" stretchers, a combination of wood and wire, for your smaller 'cat and reds.
These are made by adding a wooden base to an existing wire stretcher.
The nose end pulls tight and flat over the wire, giving maximum length, and the wooden base offers a place to pin the hips and tail to, and a surface you can prop a belly board up on.
That's another step ahead of me, in different direction.
But I'm willing to do custom orders.
After all that's what I do, I make stuff, and a paying job beats a good idea, every time.
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 14, 2008 04:06 PM
Paul,
I walked away from my post for a while, and missed yours.
Thank you for the offer! I'll be in touch regarding shipping. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Bryan J
Cap and Trade Weenie
Member # 106
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posted March 15, 2008 06:41 AM
Yes, the block goes in the nose. If they were not out on loan right now I would snap a pic or two.
I have seen the hybrid method used on coon I will keep that in mind. Thanks. For now though I have plenty of stretchers for the amount of fur I handle.
Posts: 599 | From: Utah | Registered: Feb 2003
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted April 10, 2008 07:15 PM
Here's what I have come up with so far...
From left to right; Super 'coon, large fox, small fox, and coyote/cat.
So far, I only made one base piece, so all these stretchers will slide out to 12 1/2" (on most, that's far beyond what you'd need, but it saved building more slotting jigs and the time involved in changing set-ups in mass production steps).
I saw some 'coon boards with an adjustable tail-board, and liked the idea;
The boards are planed to 3/8", to give the most length and width to your finished hides, and are rounded over nicely at the edges.
And I played around with several versions of noses, biscuits used for joining are too small, and likely to swell with moisture and crack the boards, thin plywood biscuits can't be easily replaced and require fabrication...
I finally settled on this;
The four holes can be laced with bootlace, for a tighter connection.
Or 1/8-1/4" shock cord can be laced through (which is sorta how I intend on sending them out), so they are "joined" but can still wiggle.
I slid my tanned coyote pelt onto a stretcher, with nothing holding the tips together, and when it pulled up tight in the nose, they lined up just fine... but they are unwieldy outside of it.
I'm still playing around with the Cal's big 'cat board ... a jumbo 'cat stretcher, with the "belly slider", a sliding block and belly wedge, similar to the super 'coon board tail (slid in instead of out) with a block from bowing in.
Slip the hide on, pin the hips, slide the belly slider in until the block touches the rails and tighten it in place, and finish pinning.
I've got a set of mink/marten boards too, just didn't get photos of them.
The coyote/cat board, without the tail board, and closed almost all the way tight, is a large otter.
And the fox boards cover medium and small 'coons, 'possums and skunks.
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lungbuster
Knows what it's all about
Member # 630
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posted April 25, 2008 09:01 AM
Krusty, you have email.
Posts: 225 | From: Idaho | Registered: Mar 2005
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