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It's been a long time since I got the chance to do a new build. Mini-NASAW, a prototype for what became the full-size machine most of you are familiar with, was a wooden frame with metal moving parts (arm, hanger, carriages). The wooden tracks simply didn't last well, especially through somewhere near 200 launches and several times dropping the weight with the gates un-opened. The last time out, a bit over a year ago, splintered much of the track support and gate section, and needed to be totally re-built. So, instead, I did something I'd been toying with for a couple years, and built an all-steel frame for the same moving parts. It still breaks down into individual pieces, and thus stores/transports nicely (well, it should, this aspect hasn't actually been tested just yet, but the setup is similar to the old wooden one, but with smaller volume parts). After a coat or two of paint, this thing should be good to have lots of fun with!

The gallery will be going up on our website soon The gallery is up, view it here!, or go here to see the pictures on Facebook (you should not need a Facebook account to see them - let me know if that is not the case).

That thing is sweet Matt. Love those clean and well built metal frames and it has the super nice carriages just like the full size one. I would love to see some video of it.

Thanks Nick. I got it finished in time for our annual demo event at Wickham Farms last weekend. This year we brought this machine and Janus, and once we cocked them let the kids take turns pulling the trigger. Mini-NASAW performed brilliantly, shooting 1-1.25lb mini-pumpkins in the 500-600ft range with a 70lb counterweight. It is SO much smoother than the old wooden frame (which used the same arm, hanger, and carriages), and the tuning was awesome. The arm carried less than 1 foot onto the downrange rails, there was just no energy left in the system. We did probably 60-70 shots, not a single issue or misfire.

I'm working on a couple videos (I was too busy operating the machines as we were short-handed this year and only got a couple videos), but the farm did post a couple of videos, which perhaps you can view at this link?

That's amazing that it scaled down so well. To build a treb and fire it immediately with great performance consistently is an achievement. In that video it looks like it has that trademark nasaw smooth action to it. I've always wanted to build a faw but for now I will just have to enjoy y'alls.

Nick481 wrote:That's amazing that it scaled down so well.

Well, the original Mini-NASAW was built in 2010 as a proof of concept before NASAW was even fully designed, and when new it too fired pretty well. In fact, its power was what convinced us that yes, we should be scaling it UP to a big one. The wood rails just didn't wear well, and last time out at a demo in the Spring of 2015, the gates fell apart and the wooden frame broke in multiple places (partially due to not opening the gates before a shot...whoops!). The steel frame, while heavier (and even heavier than intended thanks to the steel shop giving me 1/8" wall for the 1.5"x2" pieces instead of 1/16"), should stand up well. It already has probably near 30% of the shots that the wooden one did.

And yes, it is REALLY smooth. Actually, it was smoother yet in the shop tests, during assembly for the demo event the gap for the gates was a touch tight and the wheels kind of had to jam the gate closed instead of falling closed. Something that we will keep an eye on whenever setting it up in the future.

Drop me a PM if 'yall are coming up to DE this year.

Real nice! I will study the pix at leisure in days to come. To comfort myself for the loss of the 2 local events here in WA.