How do you build a rod with these blanks like Cape Fear? It seems to me they would be more difficult.

George,
I am sure that you are right that they are more difficult to build and frankly I must be missing something because I do not see the point. A cone is quite a bit stronger than a tapered hexagon of the same diameter and wall thickness so for comparable power the hexagon has to weigh more.

I do not really know but I suspect that the only reason that bamboo rods are hex in shape rather than the corners being rounded off is because the strongest fibers are at the surface of the bamboo and you would be removing too many of these stronger fibers but this is not the case with graphite or glass.

Aligning guides actually becomes easier because you're working on a flat rather than a round surface. But everything else requires a bit of thought.

The handle and grip construction can be a bit tougher because you'll have a hard time boring or reaming items in any shape other than round. Obviously, this won't perfectly fit the hexagonal shape of the blank. Many builders just size for a good fit on the hex edges or corners and then use a heavier bodied epoxy such as RodBond to fill in the slight gaps.

Wrapping isn't hard, but you will tend to get that "thump-thump-thump" as you roll the rod in your wrapping jig or stand. You can aleviate this somewhat by building up masking tape bushings on the outside of the blank where it will reside in your rollers. This will smooth out the surface and make wrapping a bit easier.

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Two things to add to Tom's comments on aligning guides: Any twist in a flat-sided blank (hex, quad, or pent) will become very evident when the guides are added; and, most modern guides have cupped feet to fit closer on round blanks. I file these flat on the bottom (careful to maintain longitudinal and lateral alignment so the guides sit upright, straight, and don't rock) before tapering the tops of the guide feet. This will ensure a smooth transition for your thread.