Just a follow up on my new side supports from Michal. They are excellent and I can recommend them to others!
Few weeks ago I made some custom tennis side supports, quite simiiliar to badminton version. The same thickness, material and look. SOme pictures here http://www.davegiles.co.uk/blog/new-custom-madetennis-squash-side-supports
I've done 48 racquets since buying my supports, they're probably the best thing I've bought to help my stringing.
I don't know if this counts as "custom", but I've finally come across some auto-locking bases that work with generic clamps: I'll send a racket through later, but I'm already impressed. £180 impressed? Tall order, and there's still some modding to be done!
180 AUD. Then add 90 AUD for shipping and £27 for customs. If I'd gone round the corner for them, they'd have been about £100.
Rather, if they'd been around the corner. Oh - and add 6p for two washers I needed to get some clearance.
To be fair, the clamps that came with my machine were utter sh*te, so anything would have been an improvement, but these are seriously good - they fly around like kites when they're not locked, and you could hang a medium-sized horse off them when they are. Unless your clamp bases are more than 2 years old, though, they're definitely a toy.
I also bought those fixed clamps bases. They are great. But I had to loosen the adjustment screw (allen key through the side black cap), before I can tightened the rail screws tightly with the clamp base open. Otherwise, if I tightened the rail screws without the adjustment, the clamp base won't lock. After that, it was fine. Also got their hybrid clamp v50. They are super smooth.
They do take quite a bit more adjustment than the usual clamps - I've already had mine all the way apart twice to clean everything and see what moves where - but once you get everything exactly right... only Yonex makes better.
Update: as a result of buying those marvellous clamp bases, I will soon be embarking on some fairly aggressive modding (a lathe will be involved, at the very least). Stay tuned.
SERIOUS modding Finally managed to get my OCD modding done... Machining the new stem (blind hole to get the clamp head in): Check, adjust, check, adjust until I got a clean sliding fit. Sadly, my clamp tubes aren't the same bore, so I had to do this twice! Machining the existing clamp stem: This is where I thought it would all go wrong - I was convinced the end of the piece would run-out like crazy and I wouldn't be able to get a constant diameter. Thankfully, I managed to get 4.5 cm of "spur" sticking out of the base. The finished articles, gluing up (next to an old one - you can see where I had a practice at the machining): They are now within a couple of thousandths of their respective tube's diameters, and long enough to unlock the base clamps when dropped. After being told this was impossible by two machinists, I consider this a decent win.
If I end up a the AE again next year, I'll see if Paul and I can do some videos... these new clamps will feature prominently.
Think I'm going to get some of those mounts for my recently purchased TX-700...the stock ones are w**k Any recommendations on the best CLAMPS to buy for a TX-700? Also does anybody else have the problem of the clamp bases either not clamping or getting 'stuck' depending on how tight the bolt is done up inside the base? How can I fix that?
You should read this thread: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/124496-Best-fixed-clamps-for-badminton