New to rod makeing, I had a friend make me a wood handle for a 5wt. fly rod. It looks real nice...is there any reason I shouldn't use it??? I am makeing this rod for me and I don't want to mess it up.

Only that it will be a little heavyer then cork. Some builders bore then out to make them a little lighter and then use spacers to glue onto the blank Tape it onto the blank and see if you like it, stick some guides on and test cast

Many builders are going this route. Wood actually has its own advantages in terms of grip material.

I would think you would want to give it reasonable care. What are you finishing it with?

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A friend gave me a wood lathe this summer and I have been fascinated with the possibilities of wood handles. I have done reel seats, wood split grips and full wood fly and spin handles. The choices of wood are incredible and you can buy a turning spindle 1.5 x 1.5x 12 for under five bucks. Another positive if you're selling rods is that nobody sells wood handle rods and you don't have to compete with the cork and foam handle store bought rods. I keep several types for display-once a customer sees a really nice wood handle, they usually have to have one. My prices have doubled because I have no competition for the wood handles. With the poor quality of cork out there now and the price for flor cork, the wood handle is almost half the price. I finish my handles with Glass Coat unless I use stabilized wood, then I just buff. Good Luck!!

I agree with David, wooden handles last much longer than cork. There are so many colors/grains of wood to choose from. Every handle I make is unique, therefore a custom fly rod. I have heard people say that wooden handles are too heavy and that they are slippery when water or fish slime get on them. I have had no problems gripping a wooden handle while flyfishing. Depending on the wood, the handle will only add an ounce or so the overall weight of the rod. As long as the balance point is at the handle when a reel seat is attached, I don't see the problem with wooden handles. I can't understand why manufacturers sell $600 rods with cork handles that look crummy. They eventually swell and split, requiring fill. Wooden handles are much more appealing to me.

Russ

I think most of the concerns about wood handles being slippery are unfounded. How hard it is to hang onto something is often more a matter of the shape than the material involved. Not always, of course, but very often.


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I have some experience working with wood as well as building rods, and I have not used wood on rods other than for special butt caps, skeleton handles, and the like. Perhaps it is just the persistance of tradition, but I do appreciate the firm and soft texture of cork. However, I also deplore the quality and durability of cork, so I may re-evaluating handle materials.

I would add to Mr. Kirkman's notes that the finish of the wood may be an issue to consider for slippery conditions. While it may add to the durability of woods to have a surface finish, it may make the handle feel slippery when wet. I would recommend a penetrating oil, (Tung) or using impregnated or tropical hardwoods like mahogany.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2004 11:35PM by Edward Sanborn.

I use wood handles on most every rod I build. If you are afraid of
a little weight you can use cedar or something similar. When I first
saw a wood handle I wasn't real impressed but after using wood I
won't go back to cork for myself. I turn my own handles and coat
them with two coats of classic coat and use the same on my guides.
I think wood handles make excellent custom rods and they look great.
Best of all if they get looking dinged up just lightly sand and
recoat and they look like new. Just my opinion. enjoy

Where is a good place to buy the wood blanks to turn for handles? What kinds of wood work best? Which ones look best?

Thanks

Wood also has better"feel", at least in my opinion-drift fishing for steelhead etc. and it is warm in the hand (as is cork, and foam although they don't transfer the vibrations of the bottom/bite as well). Will never go back to cork or at least without some to mostly wood for any rod I fish or recomend. Finish with Tru-oil gun stock finish. Looks beautiful and works great!

I began thinking about wood handles a couple of years ago as I watched the price of cork rise as the quality decreased. I've been buying wood inserts for my fly rod reel seats from Les Freiborg (check the "Inserts by Les" link on the left) for quite a while so on a whim I had him make me a couple of wood spinning handles. To get a fair comparison I used them to build a couple of All Star spinning rods identical to a couple of cork-handled rods I already had. I love the wood handles and feel that the slight penalty in weight is more than offset by the improvement in balance.

I'm now a convert and am using wood for an ever-increasing percentage of my rods -- spinning, casting, and fly. I haven't any woodworking abilities but Les is patient and is now building all my wood handles to my specs. If you have any questions (or maybe just want a source for some nice handles at a reasonable price) drop Les an email or give him a call. You won't find a person more open or easier to deal with.

The one very real and serious disadvantage I have with wood handles is that the variety in material and form is endless and I will never be able to exhaust the possibilities. You can mix it with cork and use it for accents to make a more traditional handle or you can make one entirely from wood - solid or cork cored. I combine wood with fiber spacers used for knife handles to make trim rings. There are a number of folks in this group who are taking wood handles to an art form - carving,inlaying and laminating them. I use my rods and have not had a problem with slipperiness. Several months ago someone mentioned checkering wood handles - imagine a rod handle that looked like a fine gunstock.

Andy Dear has a variety of stabilized wood for inserts. I've gotten walnut and cherry from my local ACE hardware. Rocklers carries wood as do many of the fine carpentry supply outfits. I live in the Atlanta area and we have an exotic wood dealer - all sorts of neat stuff there. The Dalbergia sp include kingwood, cocobolo, blackwood and a whole raft of different rosewoods. They turn pretty easily and take a good polish. I check out the handles in the photo section and see what other people are using. I've got some olive wood and arbor vitae that I've not turned yet - stuff is super hard. Also - be sure to use a mask when turning hardwoods.