Want to try Bamboo

I had some neck surgery a few years ago and while I was rehabing I got into building rods. I built rods (graphite) for family and friends and even sold a couple but to be honest I got kind of bored with it. I didnt feel like I was really creating anything, all I was doing was assembling rods. I have been doing a lot of reading on bamboo rods lately and I am very interested. It seems like there is a lot of specialized tools and such. Luckily I have a wrapper and a turning motor and quite a few other little do dadds from building graphite rods so at least I am not starting from scratch. Does anybody have any ideas on where I can come up with some used tools. I have tried eBay and there is nothing there. My wife and I just bought a new house and are in the process of adopting another child so pretty much everything I do is on a budget. Any ideas would be appriciated. Thanks.

Every once in a while someone will post bamboo tools for sale on Clarks Board.
http://p205.ezboard.com/bclarksclassicflyrodforum
Since you seem bound and determined to walk down this dark path you might as well do it right and and start hanging around Clarks. Nice folks and more information than you could use in a lifetime.
You might consider making some tools yourself. Planing forms, binders, ovens, dial indicator base and standard are all things that can be built by anyone who is up to building bamboo. You can also start out rather "minimalist" and bind by hand and heat temper in the ovens down at the local pizza joint. See who is selling used tools in your area. Micrometers, calipers and dial indicators can all be found used. Unfortunately wee seem to be experiencing a downturn in machinists jobs, which means a supply upswing in the used tool market.
AgMD

Alright, here's the way I would go-

Get a planing form + depth gauge from here:
http://www.genuinebellinger.com/planingforms.html

And find yourself a nice old Stanley ( 9 1/2, Knuckle-18, etc..) on Ebay, or your local antique store. Or, you can pick up the Lie-Nielsen plane for $125.

I'd also pick up a decent dial indicator or micrometer (should run you about $50 or so).

You can flame your cane, or make an oven to "bake" it, so you'll either need to build yerself an oven (probably $3-400), or pick up a torch (probably another $50-100).

There you go. For about a grand, you'll be all setup for making as many bamboo rods as you possibly can.

Regards,
Joe Martin

Thanks for the help guys. Do planing forms find their way to eBay very often?

heres a site that shows you how to make planing forms
http://www.thomaspenrose.com/bamboo.htm

there are other sites out there that show how to make the other stuff, but its been a while since ive seen any of them posted places you can try http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/

Every once in a while you will see a planing form on EBay but in all probability, you will want to get a good one. Boing to Bellinger or Jeff Wagner will assure you that you have a good form that will give you lots of good service. Also, as was previously mentioned I believe, give Russ a call at Goldenwitch. He has an assortment of "tool packages" that will include a lot of the necessities that you would need. Of course, Jeff or Bellinger could probably do the same kind of package for you.

Most importanly, to save you a lot of mistakes, headaches, and $$$$$, find you someone to apprentice with, or a class...The time and $$$ you spedn doing so will save you a lot of time and mistakes in the learning curve.

"...pretty much everything I do is on a budget..."

sounds like me .... and - I'm nearly ready to get into working with my culm - finally. It's been months (since mid-April) that I've been reading - and about late Aug / early Sept I really stepped into it.

I'm a do-it-myselfer kind of person. For making the blank - from plane form, soak tube, binder, oven, torch, dial guage, vernier, mallet, fro, plane - I think I didn't spend more than $300.

I'm making a wooden plane form - with a steel one being costed out from a local tool shop (know the owner). The wood one will get me going and any 'secrets' I want changed I can do with the steel one. Soak tube - 4inch dia. PVC pipe with 2 caps. Oven - 8inch by 14 inch tin ducting with a rack, a heat gun, and a digital thermometer. Torch (had one). Plane (had one). Dial and vernier (bought). Mallet and fro (made them). Binder - made it.
None of my stuff looks like the precision made / crafted binders, plane forms, ovens that can be bought. However they will do the job, and that's what I'm looking for without lots of upfront capitol expenditures. If I like bamboo making - I'll upgrade and spend more later.

It's easy (like anything flyfishing related) to go overboard and spend copious amounts of money. But - to get started you really don't have to. More costly tools do help - I will agree - but for the economically challenged ... not necessary.

I keep reminding mysefl - they made these things hundreds of years back - shouldn't be that hard.

darrell,

What a great place this board is! Thank you everyone for all the advice. I will keep you posted on how my new obsession is going.

You might consider building a 2 strip quad style rod. They don't require planning forms and you can get started with just a hand plane and a dail caliper.

I built my first one for about $40 worth of tools and materails.

You start with 2 squared up strips of cane. Using the hand plane remove material from the pith side to produce a long thin wedge. Every few passes of the plan you check the thickness with the calipers.

The two wedges are glued together and you hand plan the sides to finish the taper.

You can find more info at the following link, look under '2 strip quad' or PMQ 'poor man's quad'...

http://www.bamboorodmaking.com/html/pmq.html

Hi,

Lots of good advice, and there's plenty more in the cane world today. I can't imagine what it would have been like trying to ferret things out even thirty years ago, though I've heard tales.

I've seen wonderful rods wrapped with thread running through a phone book with a human-foot tension device -grin - and a film can with a nylon stocking lid full of varnish used as a dip tank. On the other hand, I love Jeff Wagner's high-end planning forms for their precision and versitility, and while Stanely's work well, Lie-Neilsen planes are works of art in themselves. Different strokes...

Here's just a thought to use or disregard as your circumstances dictate... if you want to see if you really want to make rods before investing too much, consider a class. Everything is usually provided, and you walk away with a finished blank or maybe even a finished rod, depending on the length of class and the price. The setting are often pretty cool, too. The Catskill Museum offers a late June class (disclaimer - grin - I'll be there with my husband and at least one other instructor), Jeff Wagner offers classes, Lon Blauvelt, Ron Barch, Wayne Cattanach, Golden Witch, hmmm... there's a lot of others, too. Just a thought.

Kat

I have to agree with Kathy, and might add one thing about rod building, and it really applies to all disciplines, graphite, glass, boo.

Building a fly rod is an expression of what you feel and like to see in hardware and aesthetics, as well as how the rod handles and it's performance. We all have our preferences and it is always nice when what one likes is well liked by others, but that is not always the case. What really matters is the personal satisfaction that one gets out of their work. A good example is that I personally like the appearance of the genuine cigar grip and the torpedo style grip, and I use that style a lot in rods that I build for myself. If I were to give advice to a new rod builder, it would be to make yourself happy with what you want to see in a rod that you build for yourself, and when you build one for someone else, build what they want and you will enjoy it just as much as what you do for yourself when you see the gleam in their eyes.

I still envy PhotoJoe for what he is doing with the apprenticeship in building bamboo. That would be the ultimate way to go as it goes one giant step beyond a class. Just imagine what an experience it would be to do that!!

I have a set of Bellinger forms that have never been used. I bought them from Golden Witch, and I have not had enough time to use them. If anyone would like to see photos or make an offer please send me your email, and I will get in touch with you. Thanks for your help guys and have a nice day. If I do not have anyone interested in them in a week or so I am going to list them on Ebay.
thanks,
Brad

I'm a month or so in front of you on this endeavor. I found a Stanley 9 1/4 (just like a 9 1/2, without the adjustable throat--which isn't strictly necessary), almost unused, at a local antique store. The older planes were made to a higher standard of fit and materials than modern ones (except for pricey models like the Lie-Nielson and Veritas), and the blades on the old ones were made of better steel, which could save you the cost of a Hock blade (I got one anyway). I started with an Anant (Stanley copy) and, after putting a lot of time into tuning it (flattening the sole and contact surfaces) found that it just wouldn't keep the blade from slipping side to side, and it was very difficult to adjust to a fine, consistent cut. I made a hot air oven with Home Depot vent duct and plumbing parts and a WalMart heat gun for less than $100. It works much better than some of the pricey designs. You can bind by hand, although a string tensioner and some rod supports mounted on your workbench will make it easier. I lucked into a vintage Herter's binder and form, but would have otherwise rigged a binder and gotten an adjustable form from J.D. Wagner, Bellinger, or bamboorodsmith.com (by far the least expensive, because he's just starting out in the business). Wipe on finishes and the right glue choices will limit the amount of other drying devices and dip tubes, etc, without reducing the quality of your rods. You'll need a good measuring device, like a micrometer or dial caliper capable of .001 increments. The first thing you need, even if you have a teacher, is a good manual, like the Cattanach book, which you can get used (often in new condition) from an online bookseller. That will get the job done, although there are some other things, like a drill press, lathe, and a dedicated workshop that would make the job easier and more enjoyable. I figure after I turn out a rod or two, I can get the "CFO" to approve a little bigger investment in my hobby.
-CC