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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
I perform using a 6' folding table. The top is hard plastic, and for months I've been trying to create a servante for it that would attach/detach quickly and easily, without marring the table.
My first attempt was a "box servante," which simply sat on top of the table. This simple device worked well but had a few problems. With the table at the correct height for my hands, the box servante added about 8-10 inches of height, which obscured the view for some of the younger kids. The added height also made it easier to see under the cups, which meant more care with sleights like the 2-0-2 move. And although the box servante made a nice little "stage" on my table, I always wondered if it also tipped the final loads simply by its presence. My new servante cost about $12 and was created from the zinc "mending plates" sold in hardware stores. These straight and L-shaped 3/4" wide pieces of metal are normally used to strengthen or repair the sides/corners of wooden screens and screen doors. However, using stove bolts and lock nuts, I assembled 3-4 of them them into a 2' long metal "finger." One end curves over one of the folding leg supports under the table, where it is held in place with a heavy-duty spring clip (about $4). The other end comes within about 2 inches from the edge of the table, and is about 6 inches below the tabletop. The "business end" of the servante has a plastic Arizona iced tea cap bolted onto it, which is perfect for holding a lacrosse ball. I also made a second version that ends in a T-piece, which can hold a double load. The servante is stabilized and supported with a simple loop of string that runs perpendicular to it, and is permanently tied to the table frame. Now I can load standing up, from under the table, no body loads and no pouch needed. The servante is a breeze to set up and was constructed in about an hour, which included fiddling around with the right height, length, etc. SETHB
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Excellent idea!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
Thanks, Bill, for the compliment!
I also wanted to mention that I have been using a "sign servante," too. This started out as a clear plastic 8-1/2” by 11” stand-up sign holder that you can buy in any office supply store for under $10. It contains the sign for my business, “It’s Magic,” and stands to my left on the table. I duct-taped a small block of wood to the reverse side of the sign, and then screwed another plastic Arizona iced tea bottle cap to the top of it. This enables me to conceal another lacrosse ball behind my sign, which is printed on heavy paper stock to prevent see-through. Because the sign overhangs the ball by almost 3 inches on each side, I can have the specs spread almost 150 degrees in front of me with no angle problems. They can also stand 2-3 feet away from the sign and see over it but still not see the ball, since the sign is at least 8 inches taller than the top of the ball. The only thing I need to be careful about is having the sun behind me, which can sometimes reveal the shadow of the ball. One of these days I will either paint the back of the sign black or add a few blank sheets of poster stock to the sign and solve that problem. Stealing the load is a piece of cake. I simply stretch out both arms at a 45-degree angle and place them on the rear edge of the table, then lean forward a bit to emphasize some point. Moving both hands outward in this fashion is a very natural and plausible move, but it also places my left hand behind the sign momentarily, in the perfect position to grab the load. Once again, no body loads, no pouch and no pockets necessary. When the show is over, I just pick up the sign, toss it in my suitcase, and nobody is the wiser. The only limitation on the sign's use is that it can only hold one load/lacrosse ball, which is why I worked out a second under-the-table device to hold additional loads. BTW, the sign also serves another good purpose –- I laminated and taped my State Tax Resale Certificate to the back side of the sign, so I always have it with me in case the “revenooers” want to see it, which happens more often than you might think. SETHB
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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