Here's a question from the July/August 2000 issue of RodMaker magazine:
"I enjoy the magazine very much and recently sent for all the
available back issues. In one of them, you said that wrapping
double footed guides on a rod would make the rod softer, not
stiffer. This goes against everything I've ever heard about
using double footed guides. All the better rod builders I
know say that double footed guides make the rod stiffer, because
the guides are stiff themselves. How can you explain your
statement which goes against what everybody else says?. . .Barry,
Flora, IN
"You and your building friends have missed the boat on this one.
All guides, whether single or double footed, will soften a rod to
some degree as the weight they add has a greater effect on rod
efficiency than does any stiffening that may occur between the guide
feet.
Let's put this into perspective. Let's say you're building a
simple 6 foot spinning rod. I'd guess you're going to use about
6 guides or so to make things interesting let's assume they are
of ultra-stiff frame construction. What is the total area between
the guide feet? Measure and add the sum of that space on each guide
that lies between the guide feet and I'll bet you'll come up with a
combined total of something less than 3 inches. So on a total rod
length of 72 inches you're going to stiffen less than 3 inches! In
other words, the total amount of stiffening going on is pretty much
immaterial - you'll never notice it. But you will notice the
reduction in rod efficiency caused by the overall weight increase
made when you added those guides. Double footed guides, usually
much heavier than their single foot cousins will exacerbate the
softening caused by the addition of extra weight to the rod. This
is why, contrary to common belief, using double footed guides will
usually result in a softer rod than if single footed guides had
been used on the same blank.
The bottom line is that the reduction in efficiency caused by
the weight of the guides will have an overall greater effect than
any few inches of stiffening will. ~ Tom Kirkman
Publishers note:
If you have any tips or techniques, send them along! Help out your
fellow rodmakers!
~ Publisher, FAOL
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