Thanks everyone for the replies so far. Great info!

2 more questions:

What's the issue with silk thread for wraps? I've wrapped a few graphite rods using nylon so I'm not a TOTAL newbie when it comes to that but have never used silk. Does it break easily? Fray? Hard to get the thread to lay down properly?

With graphite rods there's 2 schools of thought regarding finding the spine. Some say it's important and others suggest just building on the straightest axis. Is it necessary to find the spine on bamboo? The reason I ask is that the loose ferrule I mentioned seems to tighten up nicely if I spin the middle section a little. Being that I'm stripping the rod down anyways I was thinking of just turning the middle section and wrapping the guides on a different "plane" to eliminate the need to work on the ferrule. Is this a good idea?

I've got a couple books on order from Amazon and they should arrive any day so hopefully I'll be able to start the project soon. I'll try and post pics once I'm done.

Thanks again.