I have a question about guide spacing. I am going to be working with static distribution with my project at hand, however, with spacing charts, I never new quite new how to start the first guide. They say to measure from the tip. Ok, is that from the top of the tip top ring, from the tip top tube, or from the rod blank tip. This has always puzzeled me. Thanks for any answers. Tom

Measure from the tip of ring

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I just set the rod's tip top against a flat, immobile object and also set the tape measure up against it if that helps explain, Tom.

Putter
Williston, ND

Tom Nair - In my parlance, the distance from the tip-top is from the RING of the tip-top or from the rod blank's tip; but NOT from the mouth of the tip-top's tube.

In practice, the tip-top's RING position and the end of the ROD-TIP will be nearly co-incidental. IMO - For all practical purposes, the ring position and the rod-tip can be considered to be IDENTICAL.

Some tip-top TUBES can be as long as 2 inches on big saltwater tip-tops. So, for you, now is a good time to adopt this important distinction, and to stick with this definition: The distance is "from the tip-top's RING" (or from the rod-tip, if the tip-top has not been mounted yet), and NOT from the tube's mouth. On teeny tip-tops, the tube may only be ~ 1 centimeter long, and this distinction would have a less pronounced effect.

Other's parlance may vary, ... -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL

Hey Tom: Good question. I've always measured from the tip top ring. It might be interesting to hear from the others. The way I do static placement is tie a piece of twine to the tip top then run fishing line through the eye and tie a small weight to the fishing line. I tie on a heavy weight to the twine; enough to put a good stress to the blank. I place the rod into a piece of PVC stuck into a drawer. The pipe is at an angle about 60 degrees. I tape the fishing line so that it runs from the handle up through the tip top then I flex the top quarter of the blank and place the first guide using tape or surgical tubing. Of course first I had to feed the guide up through the fishing line. Then I un tape the fishing line and feed the second guide, re-tape the fishing line, and place the second guide. Then I arrange the heavy weight and flex point of the blank so that half of the blank is under stress and place a couple more guides. After doing this for the last section of blank the guides are usually pretty-much right on. Next I untie the twine and attach the reel I will be using with this rod. I feed line up through all of the guides and pull on the line as I hold the handle in my other hand. This way I can move the whole thing around and look at the stress points and line arc from different lighting perspectives. Sometimes I make minor adjustments to the guides after looking at it from this angle. Maybe some of this will be of use. Any suggestions anyone might have to improve my method would be welcome.

Leon

I have gotten the impression that measurements for guide placement are from the center of the ring/snake guide. Wouldn't this also hold true for the placement of the first guide from the tip top?

From any of the points Tom mentioned in his original post, would being off a 1/4" in either direction really make that much difference?

In light of some of the recent threads re: guide spacing, etc., Ralph's last question is "right on"!

Bilgee

I don't think being off 1/4" is the problem. What you do want is for the rod to look symetrical so to speak. You don't want the space between the tip ring & #1 guide ring to be 5" and the space between the #1& #2 guide rings to be 4". Equal spacing or progressive spacing...measure from the ring of all the guides.

Your eyes see the rings and the wraps...not the tip top tube.

Jay