I am new to building so do I have this right. I get two thumps as I rotate the rod as in garcias book.The fist bump is the soft side or the spine.The second bump really hits harder and the rod flexes into that resting point with more verve. I also did the the test wre you bounce the tip of the rod on your forearm while spinning it and it lands in the same position as I marked it with the garcia formula. Do I have it? Tom.

Not really, sort of, maybe. I don't know anything about "bumps." The softest and stiffest axis are rarely opposite each other.

The effective spine will be the outside of the curve when you have pressured the blank into a curve and allowed it to roll until it comes to rest in a fixed position. So I'd say that when you have the blank in that resting point with the most "verve" as you call it, the outside of that curve will be your effective spine.

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I dont know anything about Garcias book but it sounds like it to me. I think the simple way to explain it is picture a fish pulling down on the tip, the rod will naturally(usually) want to spin and settle in one spot - let it. Then just put the guides appropriately. There are some other factors but not a big issue for you right now. Hope it helps

It took me a long time to figure out the spine thing. All of the explanations I read left me a bit confused. I think that what Doc just said is probably the best description I have seen. I wish I had read that in the begining! Thanks Doc :)

Peter

Doc...does that mean if it is a casting rod as opposed to a spinning rod you would turn it over to place the guides?

Let me remind you that what happens when a fish pulls on a rod and what happens when you load by hand it are two entirely different things. The fish is loading it via a line that is strung through guides.

Regardless of where you put the spine, if the rod has the guides located on top, then it will want to flip over when a fish is pulling on it. You cannot defeat this by spine orientation. All rods with guides on top are inherently unstable. This is the whole point of a spiral wrap - guides must be on the bottom of the rod if you want a stable rod that will not flip or spine. And this is true whether you put the effective spine on top, bottom or to the side. Put the guides on the bottom and the rod will be stable and will not spin. Put the guides on top and the rod will want to spin, flip and/or twist. That's just the nature of the beast.



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I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere and it may be unimportant or just a routine exercise for experienced rod builders. What are the pros or cons of plugging the end of the male ferrule on tip-over-butt ferrules? How is it done and with what? Some blanks have it and some don't? What's the word on this? Thanks.