What guide sizes and spacings do you use for the 6’ 1 piece Spg720 Forecast E-glass. Does the blank determine the spacings or is the length of the rod what matters? Thanks.
From everything I have read spacing is determined by the length of the blank.
This is the spacing chart that I use.
Guide one is the first(measured from the tiptop) the last guide is the stripper.
yesser, thats the same one i use meself…
Give this a read:
http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/staticguide.html
You can use the guide spacing chart already listed as a starting point and then use the static guide placement procedure to fine tune your guide spacing to your satisfaction.
I usually pull in spacing charts from several sources, and then set the guides up using the one that I feel matches my blank. If it is a slower rod, I use the guides that place the guides the furthest down the blank. A fast action gets the most compact spacing. One thing I noticed, though, is how little difference there is in most spacing charts. They are all pretty close to the same.
I often refer to these:
http://www.flyrodcrafters.com/servlet/Page?template=appspacingchart
http://www.angelfire.com/ks/bingham/guidespa.html
http://www.schneidersrods.com/guide_spacing1.htm (this one has down to 5’ blanks. Just highlight the chart to see the numbers)
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/rod_guide.htm
http://www.hookhack.com/rodbuilding.html
I like these 2, because you can set it up for any length blank. Just set your first and your stripper guides, and the program will calculate the rest of them.
http://www.uwm.edu/~stetzer/guideN.html
http://www.uwm.edu/~stetzer/guide2N.html
and of course look here first:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/graphite/part9.php
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/rodbuilding/tips/rt112.php
You set your guides up using whatever method you want, but a static test really needs to be performed to be sure that you aren’t leaving a flat spot. Most times you’ll be ok, but be sure to check so you don’t end up with a stress point in your blank. With e-glass, you are probably going to be fine no matter how you space, as long as it is one of the standard setup points. If it is set up as a spinning rod and you use the factory spacing chart from the Batson website, you’ll see that your blank only gets 5 guides. You’ll see most of the charts giving you 7 guides for a 6’ blank, so you have more than even the factory requires.
guides from the tip size 1, 4 1/2 inches, size 1, 91/2 inches, size 2, 15 inches, size 2 21 inches, size 3, 27 1/2 inches, size 4 34 1/2 inches and a stripper guide size 12, 42 inches. I got this from a guide caculator I use but I don’t know where I got it. Sorry I just have it on my computer.
Here is a guide spacing/sizing program:
http://www.farnorthrodsmiths.com/Downloads/GuideCalculator.msi
Recommend you follow Ol Blues advice. The very first 9’ graphite rod I did with the static placement technique turned up a flat spot about 1/3 down from the tip. Soooo…they are out there. 'methinks it is best to check every blank with the static guide.
Gemrod
This is just another reason I like to use stretchy string to place my guides before wrapping.
It allows me to use a generic guide chart first. Then I take the rod out and cast it. If I dont like it, I can move the guides until I do…just a suggestion.
Thanks for the replies. It helped a lot.