I'm in, but intimidated by the whole belly spine thing.

[Bedlam]

Thanks for all the great info on my post regarding my entry into rodbuilding. As a result of many of your posts, I have been rethinking, adding to my initial rod building bucket list. I think a rainshadow blank is the way to go, since I want a decent rod I can use on the water as long as it doesn't look like my 5 year old built it. I need a 3wt rod, so I was looking at the rainshadow 7'9" 3wt blank for my first attempt. My vision is to use this on small mountain streams in North Georgia after I finish relocating the family to the Atlanta area. I want a 4 piece so I can stick it in a backpack, but the whole belly/spine part of the videos I watched is scaring me. I imagine it is easier finding the belly on a 2piece, but I want a functional rod. Am I getting in over my head with a 4 piece blank?

[billhouk]

You may want to look at the Forecast kits from Stockard for a first attempt. I'm new to this craft and what I do is find the spline of each piece. Then I put them together and find the spline for the rod and adjust if necessary. There are more experienced folks here so I'll ask a spline question I've been wondering about. Do the guides and wraps affect the spline?

[Goduster]

From a purely technical standpoint, it is therefore reasonable to state that a rod built on stiffest/straightest axis has a greater deadlift capacity than a rod built on the effective spine.The idea that rods built off-spine will fail sooner than rods built on the spine is incorrect. In fact, exactly the opposite istrue. Having the cumulative thicker wall predominantly on the compression side of any blank flex results in greater lifting

capacity before failure.

So does the slight difference between having the stiffest or softest axis on the compression side make any practical difference to the rod builder or angler? Considering that few styles of fishing allow for casting and fighting on a single axis,any great concern over blank orientation would appear unwarranted.However, the reader is left to draw his or her own

conclusions as needed for their personal requirements.

Wall thickness around the circumference of a rod blank is not verbatim. This anomaly is caused by the process of wrapping a sheet of material (prepeg) around a tapered mandrel. It can also be influenced by the sanding process that takes place during

blank stripping and finishing.

Nor is wall thickness consistent from tip to butt along anyparticular axis. There is a cumulative effect - whichever axis places the greatest amount of material on the compression side of the flex, will be the stiffest/strongest axis. Whichever axis places the least amount of material on the compression side of the flex, will be the softest/weakest axis (spine).Note that the stiffest and softest axis on a blank are rarely

180 degrees opposite each other.
In conclusion, spining of a blank is one of the most controversial topics related to rodbuilding.
To do it is not incorrect, to not do it and build on the straightest axis is also not incorrect.

[kbproctor]

I spine all of my rods but not for the reasons above. My feeling, and basic physics supports this, is that the rod will be more accurate if it is bending in the direction it wants to bend naturally.

[NewTyer 1]

I was told to roll the thicker pieces on a flat surface to find the curvager then mark. Put them all together once you have checked all four pieces sight down the blank and turn each piece to its straightest point. Question is, do you want a blank that is straight or built on a spline and not straight. I too am asking myself this question as I am also building a 4pc blank

[kbproctor]

My opinion is that finding the spine allows you to ensure the rod is allowed to bend the direction it naturally wants to bend. Doing this will keep teh rod from fight ing itself or you when you try to direct the line to go a certain direction.

I find the spine on each section, then assemble the rod and double check how it comes out. If things are not lined up properly, the heavier sections will over ride the lighter ones. I check my findings until they all agree. which they will.

[caddisfly777]

Geez ... don't come on this board in a coons age and find folks I know.

Now Kevin ... do you put the guides on the stiff or soft side of the spine? <G>