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Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

Posts

Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#1

Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

John K Jordan

A friend asked me if I could make some tire thumpers for a local school bus company. I never heard of such things! Evidently they are used by bus drivers to check for flats, especially on the inside tires of dualies, by thumping the tire and listening to the sound. The guy said some people kick the tires but others have problems with this, especially smaller women bus drivers.

I looked these up online and found most people who buy them from Amazon get them for a personal protection device to keep in their house or car.

I made a couple of quick prototype shapes, hickory and walnut, about 20" long, with no particular attention to detail or finish.


This may be a good think for someone to make who wants to sell some simple turnings that would be easy to make. Those with some shape other than a dowel rod seem to sell for $20-30. I don't know the market for these but this company wants about 30. They might want very simple cheap ones, I don't know yet. He said he can buy them at truck stops but they are too expensive there.

JKJ

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#2

Good for mashin' taters too

Dick Coers

Personal protection, mashing potatoes, thumping tires, all take about the same shape and different sizes. Nicely done

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#3

Ken Vaughan

"Fish Priest"

Ken Vaughan

Used in the North (Alaska) to administer last rites to king salmon.

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#4

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

John C Lucas

One of my favorite students that worked with us in the photo lab wanted to try turning and wanted tk make a tire thumper to use for protection. She just kept calling it a thumper. Only after she sketched it out did i realize she meant a tire thumper

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#5

Mike Stafford

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

Mike Stafford

Around here we call them a fish billy and are used to subdue toothy active specimens who refuse to calm down when they are brought in the boat.

Many years ago I turned one out of some unknown wood that was in the corner of a crate which contained foreign car parts. It was about 30" long.

My fishing buddy and I took a friend with us king mackerel fishing. The friend was about 6'7" tall. We took turns driving the boat, catching the fish and landing the fish. My fishing buddy was reeling in a large king and I was manning the fish billy so that when I snagged the leader and brought the king into the boat I could put it to sleep with minimal flopping around. The tall guy was driving.

Well, I pulled the fish into the boat using the leader and took a swing with the fish billy and missed. I took another swing and my friend dropped the rod on the deck and almost knocked me out of the boat as he rushed to catch the tall guy who had been looking over my shoulder from behind and caught the back swing of the billy right between the eyes. His forehead was split open and blood was pouring down his face. He was a bit woozy.

We cleaned him up and bandaged the cut and asked if he wanted to go in. He did not and we fished the rest of the day uneventfully. He didn't need stitches as it turned out.

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#6

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

Josh Bowman

When I was a kid and pumped diesel at a truck stop, we used meat hooks to do the same. Guess the big dog trucks can't tell they have a flat until they blow out the tandem tire......which is too late.

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#7

Yikes, remind me to never sneak up behind you! 


Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#8

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

Jake niedling

John - my dad drove a big rig for a living. He always carried one in his truck. I used it many of times to check tires on the truck and trailer. His were always a round stick with a heavy steel band around the end that hit the tire. Nice turnings by the way.

Jake

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#9

those are a little too short for Bryce Harper

GaryG in MD

Nice features.

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#10

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

John C Lucas

Maybe thats why i dont fish. Too dangerous

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#11

Re: "Fish Priest"

Steve Worcester.

Made 0ne for our tuna charter captian out of bloodwood

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#12

Re: those are a little too short for Bryce Harper

Steve Worcester.

For the record, if it is just sitting in the back of the car, it's a Billy club, and is possession of a weapon

Re: Unusual turning request: tire thumpers

#13

Re: those are a little too short for Bryce Harper

John C Lucas

Steve. I would just show my pistol and say this is a weapon, that is a toy. :).