I think everyone who first uses cane has to get past that mental hurdle.
I really like the 202E taper. Good luck with it.
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The Bitch Creek trip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR1gexO9ao8
I just surfaced today with a finished rod - my second rod and a present for our youngest son Jon in Colorado for Christmas. Although I started thinking it would be a Garrison 202E per my previous post, I wound up with a Wayne Cattanach 6' 3" 4 wt 2 pc taper. I shot over the top of the taper target by about an even 0.005" everywhere. I added a swell to the butt per another maker's input (I took it out to 0.275 at stations 65 and beyond). Since this is a gift, I had the butt cap engraved with a Celtic braid Jon designed years ago and added his initials. Here's a photo of the rod (apologies for poor photography). First cast on Sunday afternoon after the varnish dries some more...
Attachment 11294
It casts nicely with a Cortland 4wt DT Sylk line... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUpGZ95tB4k
We may just get a chance to see it in action on Wilson Creek in North Carolina over Christmas!
And here's a quick vid of Wilson Creek... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPUd1...ature=youtu.be
A perfect small stream for a 6' 3" 4wt rod.
Jon is now back in Colorado, looking for a small stream without ice... I'm looking for a picture of his first fish on the rod! The next rod is for our oldest son, Dave.
I'm on to my next rod build and working on the strips prior to rough planing. This time, though, I have a neat little fixture (not original) that really helps node-removal. I personally rank node-removal right up there with a root-canal... here's a short video of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4HDqPo4BRw
Straightening strips is a challenge for me - I've watched expert rod makers droit solely by hand and I am amazed. My attempts have been wonky - until now. I recently saw a widget in a Golfsmith catalog that looked like it has application in my shop straightening - it turns out to be useful. Here's a quick video highlighting what it does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq8y9PCNz9s
Although this kind of looks like the entry to Mordor, it's actually the glued-up and bound butt section of rod 3 dangling down into the heater tube to let the URAC set. The temperature is quite a bit cooler in the tube then it looks - about 100 degrees F.
Attachment 11505
Here's a short video showing rod 3 getting glued up. I still have a great deal to learn about using a binder properly - I keep getting a bend in the top 5 - 10" of my tip section which I can't seem to eliminate after the glue dries. I've done that on rod 2 and 3 now. In any event, this is an improvement and movement up the learning curve - no gluelines on either tip or butt blanks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXpMG..._41HWQ&index=1