Can someone tell me whether power wrappers are really as simple to use as they look. just bung the rod in the chuck leval up the roller guides set the thread set tension hit foot pedal bosh wrap done

how easy are they to set up?? do they track the threads very well (I hate burnishing lonnnnnng wraps) are there any downfalls??
im looking at either making one or the pacbay model (rodsmith )
has any one got any drawings they could email me for making one

thanks for any advice or help
Allen

It's easy, but not that easy. You stil have to manage to move the thread carriage so that the oncoming thread lies nicely on the blank and guide/s. The "tracking" of the thread is up to you. There is a learning curve but you can surely manage it after a bit of practice. Once you do, you'll find that a power wrapper does indeed make short work of long wraps.


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Allen look in the photo section, Equipment and Tools. Lots of ideas there. You just have a hand wrapper with a variable speed sewing machine motor when you have a basic powerwrapper.

thats basicly what i thought spencer just bung the wife sewing machine on the back...(LOL cant use it anyway dont know how same as kettle iron etc thats why I married her )
BUT its mainly the thread tensioner that im having an issue with. what heights do I need for the guides to be for a standard size spool (100yds) plus what is the best angle etc My rods sit on rollers with 5 inches clearance its 9 foot long and 6 inches wide .. is it better to have a high carriage and hence a low angle of feed or a low carriage and a steep angle this seems critical to me but am i getting hung up on something silly
plus where do i put the thread guides i have the flexcoat tensioners but dont use them for mettalics i use a jury rigged spring device for them
thanks
allen

One other thing i got a 6000rpm motor............mmmmm naaaaaaa way too fast me thinks
what is the max spees i should step down to??
mind you 6000rpm would mean i could do a 200mm wrap in `A` in 4.5 seconds mmmmmm naaaaaaaaaaaa to fast have nothing to do then

You can go to the @#$%& thread tensioner from All American guides for the metallics and everything else, or go to metallics like Sulky thread that are not bothered by your tensioners. The foil is woven into the thread in such a way as to take more abuse, they pass through a similar tensioner on an embroidery sewing machine. If you run the thread through your tensioner than though one or two eyes or rod guides, all on a flat surface before going to the blank, I don't think the angle of the thread to the carriage ( high and horizontal or low and vertical) or the angle of the carriage to blank matters much. I imagine it would be hard to wrap guide feet with your motor after you just threw the guides off the blank at 6000 rpm. The lower to the work it seems to me would be better from a production (out of your way) point of view. I have however been wrong before, as I'm told regularly.

its an old sewing machine moter the ratio on the sewing machine was 1/4" drive up to 4" pully i make that 16:1which would give me a speed of 375 rpm max but this is variable (i may stick another potetiometer in line to limit the speed enven morebut what is the "normal max speed "i can make the pulley whatever size i need to give the right ratio

Allen

I wrap rods for a living so I have to be fast, I average 100 to 150 rods a week. My wrapper has the chuck mounted directly to the motor, no pully and no potentiometer, only a foot pedal. I use a bobbin to hold my thread so the spool is in my hand. There was a learning curve to it but it was short. If you only do a few rods a month then go as slow as you want but I get paid by the piece and speed is nessesary to make any money at all. About a month ago I gave a demonstration on rod wrapping people were amazed at how easy I made it look. I hope it looked so easy that a few will start to build their own rods.

Thomas F. Thornhill

Allan,

I cannot justify a power wrapper for the light fresh water rods that I build. They work OK for some under wraps. I have had trouble getting my PacBay slowed down enought to wrap thread. What I have done is take my hand wrapper and rigided it up with a 40 rpm motor and a pedal switch. This speed is easy to handle. Most of it I built myself. On smaller guide I can wrap them faster with my hand wrapper. I think Tom said something about these a week or so ago. (I am not sure if it was on this board of in Rodmaker) A power wrapper is great for shaping/sanding grips.

As per the tensioner, I sent Bill Stevens some pictures of how I modified the tensioning device on both my power wrapper and my hand wrapper. I put a 1/4 inch bolt about 4" long thru the thread carriage/holder. Got a small spring at the local hardware store, a few washers, and a wing nut to apply tension. Glued a guide down on the thread table with epoxy. This arrangement is similar to the Nepture but at a much lower cost. (< $2.00). I think Bill posted some pictures of his on the photos. I think I still have my pictures somewhere. If you want pictures sent me and email. I'll try to find them. IMO the sandwich things are a piece of junk.

Ed Smith

Ed most of my rods are british sea rods upwars of 22mm butts anything from 10` to 16 foot in length i use a pretty long butt wrap (the longest to date was on a 16` and came out at 300mm LOL dang thing took over a week with a grade and my hand hurt like @#$%& after wards i use the sandwich basicly because somtimes one spool isnt enough ( or raather i use a stared spool by sheer stupidity hoping it will be enough) if yo could email the pics it would be a great help
thanks
allen