I just cracked open the new MudHole catalog and American Tackle has done it again with a new guide. This time solid titanium frame and another new composition ring to go with it. I've been redoing my entire workshop (overdue). I've been drywalling, painting, installing new cabinets and counter tops. I planned out about how much shelf room I'd need for guides. I separate them by style and finish and keep them in plastic utility boxes from Bass Pro so I know how many of which style to reorder. I had the shelf length all eyeballed out -- Now I have to squeeze in room for another set of boxes.
Overall the shop is looking pretty good. Because it had grown through accretion of equipment it was getting pretty crowded & I had to shuffle lathes, the drill press and a band saw around from place to place it was becoming very inconvenient. This time I remembered all the things I saw in other folks' layouts and incorporated all kinds of nifty ideas from posts/ photos that were put up last year (walk around benches / roll arounds from Tom Kirkman's shop photos for one). Increased ventilation, enhanced lighting (combination of flourescent overheads plus halogen task lights). Lots of drawers and pull out extensions at the ends of the new benches. It's going to take me another week of "down time" still but it will be a 'clean' look with lots more open work surfaces, suspended drying racks, overhead storage for long rod blanks as well as upright 6" PVC tubes to sort blanks into.
I'll post some photos when I have a chance.

I'll be building my workshop soon. Building a house now, & I'll have the entire upstairs (800+ sq ft) for my workshop. Got it all planned out in my head, but I'm sure it'll change a zillion times between now & then.

BTW, those Amtak guides look great!

Ken, just open a good bottle of Aussie red or two, I bet you will come up with more great ideas for the shop by the finish of the 2nd bottle.
If you get back to Oz and you get up to Brisbane I'm sure we can polish off a few.

Myles

Where is this beast? I downloaded the catalog and can't see any Titanium fromes other than the Fuji's.

Is this the one promised to be 1/4 of Fuji's price?

Ted,
They are in the printed catalog from MudHole on the inside cover and they are less expensive than the Fuji guides.

the prices are about the same as the Fuji SIC's. What about the ring?? New material, how much harder is it then say SIC?

Ken; You better over build it, you will probably need " more stuff "

I'm really looking forward to using the new American Tackle guides.
I do have room for another box, I guess.
By the way, I've reviewed the DVD you and American Tackle are distributing, F A B U L O U S ! ! ! I've sold five of them to beginners in building classes I've sponored.

thanks,
David A. Fuller
Great Basin Fishing Rods

Thanks for the nice words Dave. I hope that the new one is also well received.