Tone Poles/Bucket Poles/Etc. Searched and didn't find much.

[whitt_travis]

I've seen a few tone pole plans on the web, but I'm curious which ones are decent/worth building and sound good? How do the 5 gallon bucket poles work/sound?

I'm looking to build cheap, the local course isn't far away but it'd be nice to have something to throw at around my 3 acre plot. I don't want to drop a few hundred in building baskets, nor do I want to drop a few hundred in buying baskets.

So, what is cheap to build and gives a decent sound when hit? I have the tools and construction knowledge just need some guidance on design.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tbird888]

Here you go
And another
Just one more

 

[prerube]

I have the 5 gallon bucket ones in my backyard course for when I am too lazy to dig out the baskets. They are acceptable, but you can hit the top or the very edge, neither of which would actually go in if it were chains.

Nice prerubage T-bird!

 

[jsc430]

you know you've left your mark when...

 

[whitt_travis]

Yeah, thanks for the links but I was looking at those earlier.

I guess what I'm asking is, from someone who maybe has built or made a few, which one gives the best bang for the buck. Plans are pretty easy to come by, and I could build a few types and see. But I was more or less looking for an opinion.

Prerube, with the buckets did you put a bell or anything on them? Or did you just mount a bucket on a pole and there it is?

 

[Menacewarf]

One pretty sure fire method is to befriend someone in the restaurant industry and have them start saving the large industrial size cans (like for olives at a pizza place, ect...). Usually no big deal. 3 cans per tone then just can-open the bottom off of two cans, and tape all 3 together with some high quality duck tape. Punch a hole in the top and hang or just put it on a post. Duck tape is the only expense aside from if you splurge on clothesline, bungies, or posts.

 

[welshjohn74]

Try looking for scrap metal that can be repurposed in to tone poles. Ideally, the pole should be the same height as a basket would be. I am a fan of tone poles, because it requires extra skill to hit it. The metal gong sound can be beautiful. The thinner the outer sleeve, the better the sound. The outer sleeve is bolted through the top to the pole, so that it can swing freely. Good luck!

 

[prerube]

Hitting a tone pole and getting it to stick in the basket requires similar skill. If you hit the outside od a tone pole it counts, if you hit the outside of a basket it blows through

 

[weaktit]

Somebody around here had a good design using fence poles with PCV over the top. The best part, I thought, was the addition of some chain pieces that hang inside between the PVC and the metal pole which provides some metal-to-metal sound when you hit the target. I haven't tried it yet but it seems promising.

 

[nworage]

I cut 2" to 3" diameter hickory posts that would be 54" high after setting them 18" in the ground. I used 5ga buckets for targets. I drilled a hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket just slightly larger than the lag bolt used to mount it. i also drilled a smaller pilot hole in the top of the post. I placed a washer on the lag bolt and didn't tighten it all the way so the bucket could still resonate. I cut a hole in the bucket lid just large enough to slip over the post. I didn't really think it would make a big sound until I turned my back on a blind drive and aced it. $5 man. can't beat it. I have 6 targets with 3 different rotations for 18 shots that combine all types of shots ranging from 200'-400'. *The buckets are as big as the sweet spot on a basket...the kids even count it if it lands on top. At worst, it is a great practice course. (and considering how much smaller a tone pole or bucket is compared to a basket...I say it counts...)

 

[LucasP]

For my tone poles I prefer the metal folders type coffee cans. I cut the bottoms off of two of them and drilled four holes in the top and bottom and attach the 2nd can to the top can with some wire through the holes I drilled and the same thing for the 3rd to 2nd can. I left the bottom on the top can. Drilled a hold in the center and attached it to my poles with a screw.

I like it that way because when the discs hit the cans it deadens the blow kinda like when a disc hits chains.