CanSlaw
Elite Member
I am traveling right now, so I will give the best details I can as my supply notes are at home on my work bench.
Parts list:
7/8 in aluminum tubing. 28 to 36 inch
Shaft Clamp
arm cuff
nylon web belt strap
single sided sticky weather strip. (if needed)
bicycle hand grip and foam grips for handles.
1 1/2 inch 1/4-20 nylon bolts and nuts
Bicycle handle bar end plug
1/4 inch drill bit
Shaft: is 7/8 aluminum tubing. Where I live there are lots of boats and the tubing is marine rails. I find my tubing in the scrap yard and buy it there when I can. If not an aluminum supply house from the phone book, or a boat repair dealers may have scraps. Check what length of tubing you need for your detector from the measurements of Anderson or Plugger shafts online. An Excalibur will be longer than a box type detector. If you hip mount as I do the shaft length will be 28 inches The only lower shafts that do not fit the aluminum are Garrett lower rods. For those I use a Whites lower rod.
Use one of the bicycle handle plugs to plug the back end of the straight shaft, or they can be bought at a hardware store for 50 cents.
Arm Cuffs: I use the cheapest ones I can find online. The last one I bought was a $3.00 plastic one on line. It is not padded, so I used 3 strips of 1.5 inch single sided sticky weather striping to pad the arm cuff, it's working fine. Or you can use the arm cuff off of your crooked shaft that you will be replacing.
1 inch nylon web belt with plastic buckle from Wal*Mart in Sporting goods, $2.00. I used a drumel to cut slots in both sides of the arm cuff for the arm strap. Max "borrows" his straps from shopping carts and goes all the way around the arm cuff attaching with Velcro at the bottom of the cuff.
Hand Grip: Aluminum Bicycle handle bar extensions, also know as climbing bars: Wal*Mart package of 2, $6.50. I grease the thread with silicone grease before installing to prevent salt water corrosion.
Foam Grips for handle: Wal*Mart package of 2 about $2.00
!/4 in x 20 X 1.5 inch nylon bolts and hex nuts: Home Depot or Lowe's. Can't remember the price, but they came in packages of 2 and 4 for a couple of bucks Buy extras to carry for spare coil bolts. I switched from nylon wingnuts to hex head nuts, much easier on the hands when carrying the detector. Also only hand tighten, no tools needed and they hold fine.
Shaft Clamp: Plugger shaft clamp. Buy from his web site $12.00 free shipping. On ebay $16.00 because of ebay's ripoff fees.
http://rodsbyplugger.com/
Mark your holes where your control box will mount, copy location from the shaft manufactures pictures for your model detector. If you have a drill press, GREAT, I don't, so I use the pipe holder in my vise. Drill your holes as straight as possible. If the drill bit went through the nylon bolts will to, they are forgiving. If you have to enlarge one of the holes to get the bolt to line up with the control box, it's no big deal the one perfect hole will still hold the control box from flopping.
Mark where the shaft clamp will go, then drill holes every 1.5 inch up the shaft for lower rod adjustment, if you want it. On some lower shaft, no holes are needed, the Plugger clamp hold perfectly. I only drill the holes for my comfortable length and maybe one other if I want a lazy shorter shaft day.
I also attach a piece of web belt to the hand grip for a hand strap with 2 stainless steel sheet metal screws. The hand strap is nice for hunting in rough water and helps relieve hand fatigue.
Plug the end of your straight shaft was a soft bicycle handle bar end cap to keep sand out of the shaft. Remove this cap for fresh water flushing after hunting. No more frozen lower shafts.
I hope this helps and that I have covered everything. A straight shaft is pretty easy to build and is not real technical. Adjustments are easy to make by sliding the handle where it is comfortable for you and to balance the control box.
I also have a tether added to my shaft for rough water hunting.
If you have any ideas to add, please feel free to, I enjoy upgrades.
Parts list:
7/8 in aluminum tubing. 28 to 36 inch
Shaft Clamp
arm cuff
nylon web belt strap
single sided sticky weather strip. (if needed)
bicycle hand grip and foam grips for handles.
1 1/2 inch 1/4-20 nylon bolts and nuts
Bicycle handle bar end plug
1/4 inch drill bit
Shaft: is 7/8 aluminum tubing. Where I live there are lots of boats and the tubing is marine rails. I find my tubing in the scrap yard and buy it there when I can. If not an aluminum supply house from the phone book, or a boat repair dealers may have scraps. Check what length of tubing you need for your detector from the measurements of Anderson or Plugger shafts online. An Excalibur will be longer than a box type detector. If you hip mount as I do the shaft length will be 28 inches The only lower shafts that do not fit the aluminum are Garrett lower rods. For those I use a Whites lower rod.
Use one of the bicycle handle plugs to plug the back end of the straight shaft, or they can be bought at a hardware store for 50 cents.
Arm Cuffs: I use the cheapest ones I can find online. The last one I bought was a $3.00 plastic one on line. It is not padded, so I used 3 strips of 1.5 inch single sided sticky weather striping to pad the arm cuff, it's working fine. Or you can use the arm cuff off of your crooked shaft that you will be replacing.
1 inch nylon web belt with plastic buckle from Wal*Mart in Sporting goods, $2.00. I used a drumel to cut slots in both sides of the arm cuff for the arm strap. Max "borrows" his straps from shopping carts and goes all the way around the arm cuff attaching with Velcro at the bottom of the cuff.
Hand Grip: Aluminum Bicycle handle bar extensions, also know as climbing bars: Wal*Mart package of 2, $6.50. I grease the thread with silicone grease before installing to prevent salt water corrosion.
Foam Grips for handle: Wal*Mart package of 2 about $2.00
!/4 in x 20 X 1.5 inch nylon bolts and hex nuts: Home Depot or Lowe's. Can't remember the price, but they came in packages of 2 and 4 for a couple of bucks Buy extras to carry for spare coil bolts. I switched from nylon wingnuts to hex head nuts, much easier on the hands when carrying the detector. Also only hand tighten, no tools needed and they hold fine.
Shaft Clamp: Plugger shaft clamp. Buy from his web site $12.00 free shipping. On ebay $16.00 because of ebay's ripoff fees.
http://rodsbyplugger.com/
Mark your holes where your control box will mount, copy location from the shaft manufactures pictures for your model detector. If you have a drill press, GREAT, I don't, so I use the pipe holder in my vise. Drill your holes as straight as possible. If the drill bit went through the nylon bolts will to, they are forgiving. If you have to enlarge one of the holes to get the bolt to line up with the control box, it's no big deal the one perfect hole will still hold the control box from flopping.
Mark where the shaft clamp will go, then drill holes every 1.5 inch up the shaft for lower rod adjustment, if you want it. On some lower shaft, no holes are needed, the Plugger clamp hold perfectly. I only drill the holes for my comfortable length and maybe one other if I want a lazy shorter shaft day.
I also attach a piece of web belt to the hand grip for a hand strap with 2 stainless steel sheet metal screws. The hand strap is nice for hunting in rough water and helps relieve hand fatigue.
Plug the end of your straight shaft was a soft bicycle handle bar end cap to keep sand out of the shaft. Remove this cap for fresh water flushing after hunting. No more frozen lower shafts.
I hope this helps and that I have covered everything. A straight shaft is pretty easy to build and is not real technical. Adjustments are easy to make by sliding the handle where it is comfortable for you and to balance the control box.
I also have a tether added to my shaft for rough water hunting.
If you have any ideas to add, please feel free to, I enjoy upgrades.
I just bookmark this thread. 
