Should I or shouldn't I? (Newbie interest)

Equipment Rod Building: Cane and Graphite
1

Given my current rod /reel dilemma (I really don’t have one right now), and having always contemplated “building my own” rod, I’m curious as to what the general consensus among those that do build their rods would be. Not truly knowing what it would take talent wise, and what financial resources would be required beyond purchasing the rod blank, I’d like to know your feelings.

Should I jump into this “hobby” and do my first rod now?

Should I hold off and undertake it when I already have a serviceable rod to use?

Or should I push this ridiculous idea from my mind completely?

If you think I could/should undertake such a project, I’d like to know your thoughts on my jumping directly into a bamboo rod, or if I should “practice” with a fiberglass blank first.

To help understand my abilities, here’s a little information on my aptitude for this… I’m a pretty accomplished woodworker, having built items ranging from a simple shelf of pine, to a black walnut grandfather clock. I’ve built a mahogany and plywood sabot sailboat, and I’ve done quite a bit of fiberglass and resin work (poly not epoxy). Not just on the sabot either. I’m a surfer that does his own ding repair, and I’ve built a couple of surfboards as well. I’ve restored a home (refinished floors, plaster, trim, paint, etc.) that was built in 1837, and owner-built 2 others. So I am pretty “handy” when it comes to working with my hands. As a profession, I own a small architectural design firm, so I also have the ability to visualize and think through projects, as well as pay attention to detail. I am a bit of a perfectionist, somewhat anal, and that is what scares me the most about undertaking a project like this. I know I likely won’t be happy with a finished product that looks like… well… not good. To say nothing about how it might work.

On the other hand… I’ve never even tied a fly. So I’m not sure I could ever get thread to wrap around anything. Getting it to wrap evenly, may be asking the impossible.

You thoughts are most appreciated.

—David

2

Hi David wellcome to FAOL. if you go to the main page and click on features you will find a section on rod building that will give you a good idea what is involved in building a rod. If you don’t fly fish now you might also want to read flyfishing 101 to help decide what kind of rod to build.

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David; It seems to me that you pretty well define what a rod builder is. A somewhat anal perfectionist who is handy.:smiley: Seriously, based on the kinds of things you have already done you obviously enjoy a challenge. I say go for it.

With the help of all the articles on this site and a lot of folks willing to help, you will more than likely be very happy with the results of your first effort. You can build a great graphite rod for under a $100 in materials including the blank. I would start there.

4

Hi David, rod building can be a very enjoyable thing to do if you enjoy fly fishing and enjoy doing things yourself like it sounds you probably do.

Since you mentioned you don’t have a rod/reel I guess I’ll ask this first…are you just getting into fly fishing or have you been doing it and just currently don’t have the rod&reel at the moment?

Reason I ask that is because if your just about to get into fly fishing then I wouldn’t tell you “not” to get into building your own rod, but I would say to just wait a little bit until you’ve tried out fly fishing and see if you even like it and want to pursue it or not.

If you have been fly fishing for awhile and just don’t have a rod&reel at the moment then just ignore what I said above;)

If your already a fly angler than I say go for it and start your first rod. If you want to make sure you are going to like rod building then you can find an old broken piece of a rod, or even an aluminum arrow shaft and try wrapping a section of it with thread and see if it seems like something your going to enjoy doing.

If you try doing that and like it, or just decide “yeah I’m gonna go for it” then let us know and I’m sure we’ll all be more than happy to point you in the right direction for what you will need to get started, rod parts you will need and all that good stuff.

Steve

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Before you get started, I think you must know … it’s far more of an addiction than a hobby. So, be afraid … be very afraid!!

When I was first contemplating building ONE rod, I anguished long and hard as to whether or not I should get a dryer, or even a stand to use in wrapping. That was about 75 rods ago!! You build one, and it’s all over with but the shouting!!

Start fairly basic, and remember, your first rod is just that … your FIRST rod. Goofy wraps, uneven epoxy finish, what ever. It’s YOURS. Don’t be tempted to change anything on it! Fish it till the cows come home! Enjoy everyone of its’ little imperfections totally. Make adjustments on the NEXT one … and the one after that … and the one after that.

It’s a fun way to get something totally unique. I for one, feel you can do it! We’re here to help in any way we can!!

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go for it. assembling a plastic rod is actually rather easy. hone yer skills prior to working on a bamboo blank. yer skillset as described though suggests you won’t have much problem.

don’t settle for goofy wraps or sloppy finish though.

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<just for the record … my choice of words, “goofy wraps, uneven epoxy finish”, was strictly in fun. Those of us in the totally anal retentive group will, no matter what level of perfection we’ve reached, find fault in what ever we’ve done. I adhere to the standard of doing it right the first time, but my “right” and someone else’s “right” may be totally different. I’m still trying to temper my TAR nature by repeating, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing.” Have FUN!!!>

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David -

With the experiences and skills you have described, I have no doubt that you could, given some indepth study of what it takes to build a rod, build out a fine bamboo rod your first time up.

Follow the link to a great place to start.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/graphite/

Also, there are some websites devoted to bamboo rod building which have a wealth of information specific to bamboo. They would provide a lot of interesting, but not crucial, information about bamboo rod building.

There are a number of people on the Bulletin Board who will coach you along the way. And there are some folks here on the Bulletin Board who can build a blank, or you can buy one from at least one of the sponsors. My guess is that you will have to pay $300 and up for a good quality bamboo blank, and you will probably put another $100-150 into components and something more into equipment and supplies.

John

P.S. My high level of confidence in what you can do starting with bamboo comes from comparing your experience and skills to my own, which are very limited, and inferior, to put it nicely. And yet, with little practice, I did turn out a couple very respectable rods.

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I’d say absolutely venture into rod building. :wink:
Remember that first pine shelf? Was a little shaky getting started and your best accomplishments came later. But that first project is probably still around, still being used somewhere, right?
If you want to begin with a Boo rod, you surely can. That’s a matter of choice.
To me one blank is every bit as good as any other. You have to leave the shore and wade in somewhere.
Best part is, you can take it apart if you have to. You didn’t glue up those wood projects before test fitting, right?
I’ve only built, and rebuilt, a few rods. If you wanted to try it out, rebuild something first. Get something from a garage sale/flea market and do one guide at a time to build some confidence and find your “jig” for it.
Personally, I prefer rod varnish. Yep, I’m that “old school” about it. But Super Glue is great stuff, too. I’ve used it as a finish on my wood turnings in my own shop.
Jump in! You won’t drown. :lol:

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Guys I have to disagree with those that are saying to build a cane right off the bat for the very first rod. Main reason for saying that is because a cane blank&parts are going to run minimum $300/$400 so you certainly don’t want to “learn” on gear that cost that much.

Not to mention with cane you will be using permagloss or varnish and for someone just starting building that stuff can “puddle” on the flats if your not use to turning a rod by hand. Plus their issues with shimming the grip because you have to open it up enough to fit over a Metal ferule on a cane blank you buy that’s already ferruled. Not to mention if you want to do a cane “right” you will be using Silk thread and for anyone that has used silk thread on cane you will agree its harder to get the thread to slide so you can “pack” it. I’ll stop there but let’s just say there’s many more things you have to take into consideration with just jumping right into a cane for your very first rod and I would never suggest someone do that IMO.

11

I went through the same thing more than once. Every single time the answer was the same. It wouldn’t save me a dime and probably would cost more. If you are doing it to be frugal, or a cheap bastid like me, you won’t save money.

Now, if you want to do it to learn more about rod construction, cool. If you want to do it for hobby, neat.

Check out sites like Sierra trading post, Madison River, or Bob Marriots 3-d sale to save money.

Have fun with the research.

Rick

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I have to be the newest member of the rod building community since I am about 2/3 through my first one. Here is what I have found out so far.

  1. It is much easier than I expected after reading a lot of articles on rod building. So far, the hardest part was reaming out the cork grip. However, I worked on it very slowly and it came out just fine.
  2. Finding the spine took a bit of practice. I had to do it 4 times before I got the same spot two times in a row. Now that I know what the spine feels like it should be easier in the future.
  3. If you file the front of guide feet to a knife edge, the thread will climb right up the foot with no problems; if you don’t it wont. I had to cut the first two guides off because I didn’t file the feet enough.
  4. My first wrap came apart because I didn’t use enough tension on the thread. I tightened the tension and was still able to adjust the guides as necessary for final alignment,
  5. Building the wrapper and dryer were more difficult than I expected but that was because I wanted a 4 spindle dryer and had trouble finding drive belts. Building the wrapper would have been easier if I hadn’t decided a 3 wheel rod holder was better than a felt V rod holder.
  6. I haven’t done any gluing or finishing yet so it is still easy to correct any mistakes.
  7. There is a great 20 part video on fly rod building on You Tube. It cleared up a lot of stuff that wasn’t covered in the articles I read.

I thought about buying a cheap kit to practice on but eventually decided to get what I wanted. I’m glad I did because the cheap kit would have been a waste of money.

Go for it! You won’t save any money but you will have a lot of fun. Just be sure to take it real slow.