Has anyone come up with a good method of cutting cork rings, customgrip II, and other grip materials to make checkerboard inlays?

I've been doing it "free-hand", with a jeweler's saw, and.....well, let's just say, the pie sections are not equal sizes.

Is there a home made jig or other device that I can fabricate that will do a decent job?

Thanks !

Steve:

I do not do these type of EVA inlays, but if you check the Clemens catalog you will find jigs for that exact purpose.

Doug Weber

Custom Tackle Supply has the Jigs you want i have one they work great.if you are into that sort of thing i got mine just for one job. have never used it sense.regards John

Clemens Tackle has 2 types. JJ's looks to me like a butt cap with slits cut out. I suggest getting the other one which has 2 thick "washers" at each end of a screw. These washers have 8 slits cut into them.

To use it you put a piece of grip material into the jig, line up the slits and cut the material lengthwise. Now you will have longer pieces of grip to work with. Cut out another color, glue the long pieces together, alternating them when doing so. After the glue (contact cement) dries put the grip on a mandrel, turn it and cut rings off the grip. These rings will already have the checkerboard pattern. Much easier than glueing small pieces togeteher, and less messy.

Make sure when you start out that you have two grips with the same OD, this way when you glue them together the checkers wil come out even. I've only done this on 2 rods, and you do need some patience, but the results are worthwhile.

As a side note: I did one of my rods with 3 sets of 3 checkerboard trim rings, and was damn proud. Then I walk on the Flamingo (fishing boat in Brooklyn), and see some guy with a 16 inch butt grip, and an 8 inch forgrip - the whole grip was red & black checkerboard trim rings about 1/4 inch. Welcome to the wonderful world of Bernie Cohen!!!

Billy

hey billy after you contact cement pie pieces together and put om mandrel how do you cut rings so that they are all the same thickness hpoe to see you on the Flem one of these days thx izzy