rod building from DIY cheap to buying the best of the best and putting it all together

[DJBerg]

I am putting together a thread of info for any one interested in rod building. I myself love three things, DIY, cheap, and repair.

So i am going to start this and as i find things add it to it so we all can have another reference point to see, or a place to start if you want to get into it. and just a side note i myself have not built a whole rod yet, merely DIY modified a broken few back to working and so far they are going well.

i'm going to make some sections and feel free to add ideas and i'll modify the list as we go(i hate digging through 34 pages of a thread looking for one thing even though i usually stumble across a new idea or two.).



PA fly shops that sell rod building supplies- i have to look into this more.



Rod Blank and Component companies- Fiberglass and graphite

Some what in a price order cheap to high end;

Batson Enterprises- great priced rods rx6-8, lifetime warranty, also everything else you will need for rod building components.

http://www.batsonenterprises.com/


Pacific Bay- also budget minded with a life time warranty, and a everything else you would need for building a rod.

http://www.fishpacbay.com


MHX Rod Blanks- a bit more pricey, but they give you a "true" measurement using the common cents system, for a far better idea of what your buying in a rod blank, for the exact rod you want.

http://www.fishmhx.com/


North Fork Composites- If you want a new real "Gary Loomis" rod this is his company, he sold G. Loomis to Shimano a while ago(don't know the date).

http://www.northforkcomposites.com/


Then there are the big name companies we all know and some love:

Lamiglas-

http://www.lamiglas.com/blanks.php


Temple Fork Outfitters-

http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/blanks.html


G. Loomis-

http://www.gloomis.com/


Orvis-

http://www.orvis.com/c/Fly-Fishing/_/N-7ps?keyword=fly%20rod%20blanks


St. Croix-

http://www.stcroixrods.com/content/blanks


R.L. Winston-

http://www.winstonrods.com/


Sage-

http://www.sageflyfish.com/


Thomas & Thomas-

http://thomasandthomas.com/



Rod Blank and Component companies- Bamboo

in the future, unless some one wants to look it up and then i'll add it.


Tools-


How to videos-


Other great places to find info on rod building-

http://rodbuildingforum.com/


DIY tools, tricks and tips-

Long shank Speed Bore spade bit modified for reaming out cork grips. Very simple, take a Irwin speed bore bit, and grind the back side of the spade to a nice taper, keeping the cutting side beveled higher than the non for a nice cut. Once finished on both sides, place new cork handle on the shank of the the bit. Put the bit in your drill chuck, and while the drill is spinning, pull the spade bit backwards through the cork, reaming the hole to your desired size, finish by sanding the proper taper, using a tapered reamer, to fit your pole and there you are!

The image below was taken from acidrod.com who can sell you a premodified bit if you are not comfortable with modifying metal.

http://www.acidrod.com/images/flex_drilcork.JPG


Tapered Reamer for rod handles(finish version)- Great use of unneeded or broken rod shafts!

http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=6386



to be continued...

 

[PENZZZ]

Nice post DJBerg, the links will be very helpful to current and prospective rod builders. I've built fly rods since the mid 1980's and I can tell you that very nice rods can be built with a very small investment in tools and materials. No one should be intimidated byrod assembly, guide wrapping and finishing.

Jeff

 

[dsmith1427]

I built my first fly rod last winter. It was from an Allen flyfishing blank (Xa). The people at Allen were very helpful. I started my second build last week and will have another one to build. My second and third build is using tiger eye blanks from sevier manufacturing. Their website is as follows:

http://store.seviermfg.com/

Be warned, it is an addicting hobby! I used the series of videos on you tube from the fly rod fanatic. The link is as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FlyrodFanatic

With basic woodworking skills and components from the hardware store you can make your own thread wrapping station. I did. Also, I used the rotisserie from my barbeque grill for a drying motor. The rod holder for the rotisserie is made from wood and epoxy. It's not pretty but works. I hope this helps.

Don

 

[Lonewolve]

this is something i have wanted to learn to do. My friend gave me his Rod Lathe. Now i have to get some $$$ together an buy a blank an componets. Really a big Gloomis fan , Especially would buy a North Fork Composites blank if they had a a few in 10' and 11' for 4, 5, 6 weights.

 

[DJBerg]

penzzz- thanks I was run over by the building rod balla few weeks ago and it realy didnt make sense to me that no one on here was talking about it. so i figured what the heck, and hereit goes, i would like to be able to edit it some more but that's not an option, so i'll work some thing up in a word program, then when i think i have it the way i want it, i'll copy and paste it into a new thread.

And for the DIY rod wrapper/dryer I went with a old drill, pluged into an outlet fed by a dimmer switch with a sewing machine pedal inline for star stop control for wrapping. Though the drill can't handle low rpm start/stop, so I need to find a better motor object. And my chuck I threw together in too much of a hurry, should have taken more time on it, but its just a 2" PVC cap with 2" 1/4-20 bolts one through the center of the back for drill adaptivity and four coming into the center to hold the rod, but my tapping was not square and my center hole is off alittle bit so back to building I go...


dsmith- addicting, um well no, i'm not addicted, there is definitely no plans of a 10-12' 8wt, no i have no idea what you're speaking of... then you accuse me of planning on a 7' 4wt, are you crazy? these thoughts have never crossed my mind, not once i swear! and i definitely do not read up on building tequnies to put my self to sleep, and the common cents system of fly fishing what is this nonsense?!?!?!? there's no way i'm addicted, i swear its just a fix or a pacifier until the steelhead really start running! I SWEAR!!!!

 

[Love2fish]

Mudhole Tackle is catologe and Internet out of Florida. Prices are decent and shipping (even for 1 pc 8-9' rods) is good. All kinds of rod building supplies. They even have fly and lure building materials.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Nice. I wasn't ignoring your PM, by the way, I just wasn't sure how to respond since I literally know nothing about this subject or where to even start! Thanks for taking initiative here.

 

[DJBerg]

Sasquatch, it's cool I was more wondering if you had any local shops around you or knew any other local or site sponsors who sold rod building supplies.

With that said. There are a few shops, but I guess not that many here on the board, so ill make a list of online vendors, in the big post, ill try to get on that sat morning.

And don't worry it's not all that hard as a concept, though physically doing it is a different story. The best advice I can give is pick up some finish epoxy, if you have a fly tying set up, and a old broken pole, just wrap a few spots on the pole, and start with epoxying them. Get a feel for how the epoxy moves around, no you don't need a rod drier, just a good few hours you can dedicate to doing it, about 4, coat the threads and get rid of any excess, and turn the finished pole 90 deg about every 15 minutes for about 4 hours to give the epoxy plenty of time to set up. Then leave it alone until it completely hardens.

As for a stand right now I took a piece of 2x6. Drilled a center hole in it, cut the hole in the middle with a miter saw, added some bases, and put felt of some sort in it so you don't scratch up your rod.

Then put a drywall screw on opposite sides of the half hole on opposite sides of the stand, an stretch a hair. Band from one to the other to hold the rod still in the center of your notch if you will.

And you have a basic rod wrapper dryer stand. Use your thread bobbin for tying flies as a tensioner and wrap away. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube to show you how to start and stop a wrap, really simple and practice both wrapping and coating until you feel comferterable enough to wrap your own guides. Good luck.

 

[Love2fish]

Another method of a "tension device" you can drop the spool into a coffee cup and run the line through an old phone book or the like and add weight or pick the amount of pages to run the line through. The key is having enough tension without it being too tight. The guide should still be able to be moved after wrapping for final alignment. The epoxy finish allows plenty of time to get right. Ill look for th article that showed me how I made my first hand wrapper using a mouse trap for holding and tensioning the thread.

 

[DJBerg]

Love2fish- that makes all the sense in the world, I read about it but could not picture it in my head, very simple and effective!

 

[The_Sasquatch]

This is awesome.

I want to build my first rod from the fiberglass blanks that Kettle Creek Tackle Shop sells. Wish they had a website, but Phil rolls old school.

 

[DJBerg]

i made another post about this but i'm gonna put this in here as well, read this it could be very helpful with picking your next blank or complete rod.

http://www.common-cents.info/

 

[bikerfish]

FWIW, no machine is needed to wrap rods. lots of high end bamboo rod builders do it without even having the rod in a jig!, they sit in a chair and kinda freehand it, amazing to see! as for a drying motor and such, don't need that either. just turn the blank every 15 minutes by hand for a couple hours till the epoxy sets up, OR, go old school like I do and do several (4 or 5) coats of spar varnish and just hang each section to dry. I've found this method, while taking longer to finish, gives greater flexibility to fix problems in the finish, you can lightlyl sand out imperfections then proceed to the next coat.

I'll go through my list of places I buy from and add to the posted list when I have some more time. Good thread BTW, winter is always my building time, just love to sit, watch the snow pile up, and build rods.

 

[PENZZZ]

Bikerfish makes a good point. It wasn't until around 6-7 year ago that I built a rod dryer using smooth ball bearings and low speed motors. I feel it turns very smoothly but I maintain that my hand turned finishes turn out smoother and more level than when I use the rod dryer. Not noticeable on the guide wraps, more noticeable on longer flat areas above the grip.

Keeping applications to a minimum amount of epoxy also helps avoid sags and ripples.

Jeff

 

[beeber2]

You don't need expensive equipment. My rod jig is a cardboard box with notches cut in it. I got a low rpm (rotisserie) motor and built my own drying station. My thread holder/tensioner is a fly tying bobbin.

I get a lot of stuff from Mudhole, the MHX rods are great. Excellent warranty too.

Rod finish, several thin coats are much better than a thick coat. I like flex coat light. Warm the mixture over a lightbulb to get rid of bubbles.

Have at it. If you can tie a fly, you can build a rod.

 

[thetonyage]

I wish i had seen this thread a few days ago. Anglers Workshop had a closeout sale on Lamiglass blanks. I picked up a few fly rod blanks and a classic glass downrigger blank (that will be my first build that is not a fly rod). I love the DIY aspect of rod building. Catching a fish on a rod you built and a fly you tied is a fantastic feeling. I've even seen kits to build your own fly reels. I turn my own reel seats and cork grips on my wood lathe and This DVD has definitely helped me out with that.

Heres some helpful links:
Custom Rod Builders Guild
Rodbuilding.org (Especially The Library)
Rod Maker Magazine

 

[DJBerg]

Well, just recieved my first rod to build up in the mail this morning!

$50 on flea-bay $14 shipping, 12' spey pole, the listing said 7.5wt(single hand weight) and barely medium action, i was kinda scared for how light thte pole was rated, but for the price and my first real build, why not, and if anything else it would be an awesome steele drifter. Got it un packed, spined it, and put the tip on. and got out the pennies...

And low and behold...

the rod actually was a 9.5wt medium action!!!!!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

Now I'm ultra anxious to get it built, i have everything except the wrapping thread, a nice orange silk for final touches, a small collection of feathers for alignment markers and accent feathers as well!

looks like i'll be off to find some wrapping thread! and i'll be a busy boy tonight!!! :hammer:

 

[salmonoid]

DJBerg - on one hand, thanks for posting this. Rod building was on the horizon for me a few years ago, but I think took a back burner when kids came into the picture. However, Batson has a blank that I've been searching for in a finished rod for a number of years, but could never really come up with anything I liked or that was somewhat cost effective (four piece spin outfit, to complement my six/seven piece fly outfits). Order was placed this week, so it looks like I just developed another time/money sink.

So on the other hand, this may not be good, as it likely will encourage me to work on filling in the niches that I don't currently have..

 

[DJBerg]

So on the other hand, this may not be good, as it likely will encourage me to work on filling in the niches that I don't currently have..

yeah it's hard not to once you some what can justify a new rod because well it's way cheaper, what you wanted, and in the end you can say, "hey I built that"

 

[springer1]

If you want to try and make your first rod w/o risk of blowing a lot of money, here's a link to Fishermans outlet. They have several seats in the $3 - $8 range, and cork handles for $8. click on ther "closeouts".

http://www.utmostenterprises.com/utmost_001.htm

If you want to make a fiberglass rod, there are quite a few people who use a Batson Forecast e-glass ultralight spinning rod blank to do so, especially the 6'6" ..... use the " SPG780" Batson blank - only @ $16.00.

Fishermans outlet DOES have them, but I can't get their link to work on their site, but if you call to order, they have them. Here's Batson's link to the blanks for their description;

http://batsonenterprises.com/trout-panfish-kokanee

These are 1-piece blanks, but if you want to make it a 2-piece, just order 2 blanks and use a section from the 2nd to make a spigot ferrule. You can also use the same 2nd blank to extend the blank under the reel seat and easily make a 6'9" rod.

These rods are called "Tadpoles" by us who make them. If you do a search for Tadpoles on the Fiberglass Flyrodders website, you can learn the details on how.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/index.php?sid=d53d14fad8e723b3a78e18f079c3ca30

You can basically make an inexpensive neat 6'6" or 6'9" 2-piece rod for about $60 plus adhesives & finish. Lots of fun and learning - especially making even the ferrule and extending the blank- for not a lot of money.