i started setting pins when i was 9 years old. that was 1944 and it was hared to find setters because of the war that summer i started we also had our first female pinsetters as well. one thing different from this video is that we did not fill the spotter in the down position. we filled in the up position and pushed it down which was not easy at age 9. why was i working that young because my dad was drafted into the army and my mother had to run the bowling alley that we owned. i did get a lot of free bowling as the pinsettes would set for each other and it was free when we werent busy.
We didn't call them pinsetters where I lived. They were called pinboys. The pinsetter was the device he serviced. You would leave a tip for them at the counter when you paid. How much you paid depended on whether you kept score or not. You would take your sheet to the counter, and the guy there who kept an eye on what everyone in the place was doing would sometimes make you pay more than what your scoresheet indicated. When I learned to bowl, they were just beginning to try it make it a more family friendly atmosphere. In the years previous, the bowling alley had something of a rowdy reputation.
My first job at 13 was setting pins working two lanes for 5 cents a game using a manual setter and returning the ball by putting it on a ramp. Using the fingerholes was f orbidden.
Our church had an ABC-sanctioned league, using two lanes equipped with B-1 setters in the basement of our parish hall, until the middle 1980s. The lanes and machines originally were used at an ABC tournament from sometime in the mid-1950s and were purchased and put in place to replace what had been four nine-pin lanes. Back during my high-school days (1970-1972) I was one of the two guys who were hired as pinboys. We got $9.00 each for a 4-plus hour night, but it paid for my junior class trip to Washington DC.
Here in the West Country (England) on the skittle alleys we have 'sticker-ups' - kids who do just that after each hand. Hard work but we've all done it!
Set pins on a pair of alleys we used to have in the basement of our church's parish hall. And yeah, you quickly learned that you had to be LOTS faster than that. A good setter could pick up and return the ball; pick up five pins at a time (by cradling them in their hands), slide them into their places with hardly a glance, get the other five pins place, then manually drop the rackand respot the pins (no pull cord on our machines either) and be up on the bench and out of the way before the ball got back to the bowler. Four hours or so of good healthy exercise per night, and we got paid for it besides!
They still actually HAVE bowling alleys with manual setters and pin guys? News to me! That's like finding an alley with manual scoring - almost impossible!
th24kid1 They have little windows in the masking units so you can see what the bowlers are doing, so if that happened hopefully you'd have time to get out of the way!
i started setting pins when i was 9 years old. that was 1944 and it was hared to find setters because of the war that summer i started we also had our first female pinsetters as well. one thing different from this video is that we did not fill the spotter in the down position. we filled in the up position and pushed it down which was not easy at age 9. why was i working that young because my dad was drafted into the army and my mother had to run the bowling alley that we owned. i did get a lot of free bowling as the pinsettes would set for each other and it was free when we werent busy.
Those have a certain charm to them. I like it.
We didn't call them pinsetters where I lived. They were called pinboys. The pinsetter was the device he serviced. You would leave a tip for them at the counter when you paid. How much you paid depended on whether you kept score or not. You would take your sheet to the counter, and the guy there who kept an eye on what everyone in the place was doing would sometimes make you pay more than what your scoresheet indicated.
When I learned to bowl, they were just beginning to try it make it a more family friendly atmosphere. In the years previous, the bowling alley had something of a rowdy reputation.
Hehehehe yea the bowling alley is such a funny mix of youngins and also degenerates getting drunk playing a game
A Bob Newhart interview brought me here. He was a pinsetter in the 50s, years before he got into comedy.
My dad was a pinsetter back in the 50s at some local alleys.
Interesting combo of manual B1's & B10's with synthetic lanes & decks!!
My first job at 13 was setting pins working two lanes for 5 cents a game using a manual setter and returning the ball by putting it on a ramp. Using the fingerholes was f orbidden.
Our church had an ABC-sanctioned league, using two lanes equipped with B-1 setters in the basement of our parish hall, until the middle 1980s. The lanes and machines originally were used at an ABC tournament from sometime in the mid-1950s and were purchased and put in place to replace what had been four nine-pin lanes. Back during my high-school days (1970-1972) I was one of the two guys who were hired as pinboys. We got $9.00 each for a 4-plus hour night, but it paid for my junior class trip to Washington DC.
Here in the West Country (England) on the skittle alleys we have 'sticker-ups' - kids who do just that after each hand. Hard work but we've all done it!
it's a amazing looking
My dad also worked as a pinboy. 10 cents a line, and he would also get an additional dollar or 2 as a tip for league play.
I used to set pins and the rack was lowered by manually (not by pulling a cord).
0:10 You’ve Got Mail
built to last and grandkid operated.....gotta get one
I was a pinsetter back in the 50's...tough but we had to be faster than shown here
Set pins on a pair of alleys we used to have in the basement of our church's parish hall. And yeah, you quickly learned that you had to be LOTS faster than that. A good setter could pick up and return the ball; pick up five pins at a time (by cradling them in their hands), slide them into their places with hardly a glance, get the other five pins place, then manually drop the rackand respot the pins (no pull cord on our machines either) and be up on the bench and out of the way before the ball got back to the bowler.
Four hours or so of good healthy exercise per night, and we got paid for it besides!
They still actually HAVE bowling alleys with manual setters and pin guys? News to me! That's like finding an alley with manual scoring - almost impossible!
A lot of people would not know how to score manually.
Very cool
Very cool! How many lanes do they have? I bet it's manual scoring also....LOL
the deck looks like the bins on an 82-70
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Yes it does. Very similar.
i wish that this job position was still available I want to make some money
Did you ever get hit by any flying pins?
Kinda like a GSX where it rotates a pin while going down
Just hope nobody decides to throw a ball while the pins are being set.
th24kid1 They have little windows in the masking units so you can see what the bowlers are doing, so if that happened hopefully you'd have time to get out of the way!
yup that would have to be at least a 5 pin penalty
Hopefully it had a sweep you could put down.
You kidding? They did it all the time. As soon as the pinsetter started up and even sooner bowlers had balls on the lane. You had to be very fast!
EXTRA LIFE!!
0:10 1-Up!
I herd a 1UP sound.
And no tips for being fast either!
0:10 COPY RIGHT SOUND AFFECT ALERt
seriously?
to much work