I have been gnawing on the idea of making a landing net frame from scratch. My latest pondering have been on some local bamboo. I am guessing that there’s at least one other on here who has strange thoughts run through their heads. Thoughts, advice appreciated.
The voices like me.
Uncle Jesse,
I remember reading about a book on here that was all about building nets. Maybe you or someone that knows how can search the site and find it? It was an article, not a thread the best I can remember.
hope that helps,
hNt
at one point Royce here on FAOL sent me a great net tutorial. you might want to contact him to see if he still has it.
Eric
can anyone tell me a source to purchase nets that are made of that clear rubbery material used on Brodin nets?
Uncle Jesse:
I have made them and it can be a fun project. It helps tremendously if you have a steamer to put the bow piece(s) in to soften before bending; but it is not absolutely necessary. Do you plan to laminate strips for the bow, or use a single strip? This will have some bearing on the steps involved.
You first need to make a jig from wood and finishing nails. The nails are driven into a board in the configuration of the bow and handle, with nails placed both inside and outside of the bow. The nails can be spaced several inches apart around the curvature of the bow. The distance across the bow is determined by the final thickness of the bow; e.g., if you are going to laminate three 3/8 inch thick pieces together, the spacing of the nails across the frame need to be 3/8 inches apart. Let’s assume a 3/8 inch thick frame. You need to design the shape of your handle and reduce the width by 3/4 of an inch (3/8 + 3/8 = 3/4) to allow for the doubled thickness of the bow, as the thickness of the doubled bow will be added to the width of the insert. Make an insert from the wood of choice based on these measurements, and SAVE the two scrap pieces and label them relative to the side they came from (R or L). They will be used as gluing presses when gluing the bow to the handle insert.
You can do the “steaming” in your kitchen using a long baking pan. Simply immerse the bow strips into boiling water in as long a baking pan as you can find. By moving the bow strips back and forth in the boiling water, you can expose a much longer area to the boiling water. You can “feel” the material getting “soft”. At this time place the piece in your jig. Repeat this for each strip if you are going to laminate. Let them cool. Now remove from the jig and apply glue to the proper surfaces and replace the glued strips into your jig. You now need to clamp the strips together. I use the medium size Acco clamps (available at all office supply places) with great success. A piece of wax paper over the strips at the clamp station prevents the “paint” on the clamps from staining the wood. You can glue the handle insert in at the same time. Simply place the “waster” cut out pieces in their proper place on the OUTSIDE of the laminated bow, apply glue to the inside of the bow and the outside of the insert, and clamp together using C clamps.
When all is dry, I use a round cutting burr in a Dremel tool to cut the groove around the outside of bow for the net retainer monofilament. I then mark and drill the necessary holes for the net loops to go through, and lightly sand. The required number of holes is generally readily determined by counting the attachment loops in the net itself. Sand and finish as desired. You next mount the net, which may require the use of a heavy piece of monofilament to push through a hole and loop through the net and then thread back through the hole, to facilitate pulling the net through the hole in the bow. I use “weedeater” size monofilament to anchor the net to the bow, by working it through the net loops that have been pulled through the holes in the bow. I use RIT Dye to dye the monofilament to correspond to the basic color of the net (it takes dye very readily).
ONE WORD OF CAUTION: IF YOU USE WOOD, YOU CAN STEAM IT[b] ONLY[/B ONE TIME!! If you steam it more than once, you create internal stresses that will ultimately cause the wood to split! I was puzzled as to why a nasty split occurred in the outer strip of my first net after about two years of use. An in-depth search of the woodworking literature turned up this admonition in more than one text. So, now we both know! (I have no knowledge of what will happen if you steam and bend bamboo more than once.)
Have fun!
Thanks Sage,
I have the ability to put together a steamer in my basement from a old popcorn popper and various and assorted collectibles I have been saving for such an opportunity. I noticed a stand of green canes down the road from my house that are not too large, I would love some 1 1/2 in. diameter. I was thinking of a two layer laminate hoop to a handle of wood to be determined, I have a supply of western and red cedar on hand. Bamboo seem to be a easier way to a good looking net than hickory which I was originally contemplating.
I build one years ago as a gift out of walnut veneer stips glue and clamped into a form. It turned out beautifully. I put an oak handle on it
Here is a couple of sites that I found helpful
http://www.eidnet.org/local/kzorn/flyfish/nets/nets.htm
http://www.joelwoodworks.com/index_files/page0020.htm
I have built about 6 nets and never used steam, but I did soak the strips in water overnight before bending.
Brad
Brodin has replacement nets on there website
-Jeff
Frabil sells rubber trout nets for about $20. They have three sizes, I believe. I’ve had mine three years with no problems. Oops! It seems they raised them to $31.00, but they’re still well worth it.
Bruce
The two links that kaboom provided are excellent tutorials, and should provide some enlightenment on the method I have described. My only NEGATIVE comment is that the elaborate forms they employ are great for larger scale, or commercial, production, but unnecessary for making just a few. Soaking the strips in water works, but requires much more time to get a strip pliable than does moving back and forth in a shallow pan of boiling water. The boiling water only takes a couple of minutes to have the strip pliable enough to conveniently work with (think the Q-10 principle from high school chemistry).
If you have a net, or know someone who does, that satisfies your design requirements. simply trace it onto a 1 X board and drive the finishing nails in in the appropriate places on both the internal and external outlines, and you have a form! You can acquire all the Acco clamps you will need for the price of a pair of woodworkers spring clamps. The only significant differences between the two is that the Acco clamps are smaller and don’t have plastic covered jaws. The waxed paper mentioned earlier is a great substitute for the plastic jaw covering.
I remember doing a small research project in a materials class in the second part of the last century where we compared the effect of soaking wood and steaming it. There was a marked difference for the time frame we used. I am thinking splitting green bamboo, which should be pretty flexible with a little steaming taking care of any excess rigidity. It should be a fun project until it gets where the weather and corp of engineers will allow me to go fishing again.
I have a net, a salvage project that has a good firm edge on it. Rescued it from old luggage.
Uncle Jesse:
Steaming, or boiling as I did, takes only a matter of minutes; whereas, soaking can take several hours. Kind’a like watching your toenails grow!
I have built more than a few hundred of them… I am also a wood techy by training and certification. There are a few points I think are important and a few tips that would help.
A form is extremely fast and easy to make…
The less water you put in the wood, the less has to come out later… A steam box made with a piece of PVC pipe and steam source like a small tea kettle will be fast, easy, and neat.
Air-dried lumber at about 20% moisture content can easily be bent over a hot pipe set-up, no form needed…
Bamboo only seems like it would be easier to use than wood… bamboo nodes will slow you down a great deal…
A little fabric softener in the water will limber the wood much faster…
Getting the lignin (the natural “glue” that holds wood together) hot is the important part, and a little water to lubricate the moving fibers will help.
For color balance make veneers of different thickness when laying up the nets.
art
measure net makes a rubber version as well. I think they sell the nets and replacement bags at www.yagersflies.com
Yup!!
Replacement bags (they zip onto the frame of any net) found at
http://yagers.stores.yahoo.net/menetrenetba.html
MAO