I've learned a lot in my time here and have gradually changed the way I've been doing some things on custom rods. When I started building there was a proper place to locate the spine. High for throw, low for flow, or something to that effect. Anyway I've started rebuilding some of my older rods. Some of the first ones I ever did. I stripped everything off and went back with new grips, new seats, and new guides. But on two of these I changed the guide positions to coincide with the straightest axis of the blanks. I know this is how the factories have always done it but thought it was because they didn't want to take the time to spine their rods for best performance.

Anyway, after getting them finished up I've been fishing them these past few weeks and I know how they cast and fished before and I know how they cast and fish now. Now they are better!! Something about them just seems quicker or crisper and they cast like bullets! They are definitely built off the spines but seem to work even better than before.

So my question is, have the factories been doing this correctly all along? After all we custom builders have said about them just trying to save time, could it be that they knew what they were doing all along??

I'm not sure there is an incorrect way to do it, so by equal standards, there probably is no correct way to do it. If the factories have been getting an extra ounce of performance by doing it this way, it's more likely the result of a happy accident than any sort of research or even careful reasoning.

For the most part, fishermen tend to look over a new rod purchase by sighting down through the guides to see if they're straight. When they do this, they will notice if the rod blank does not appear straight, and quickly put that one back in the rack - it must not be any good if it's "crooked." So the factories build on the straightest axis for selling purposes more than anything else.

However, the stiffest axis on any blank is usually along the natural concave warp of the blank. By positioning the guides to hang from this axis, the warp is somewhat straightened and you tend to have what in some respects resembles a pre-stressed curve (not exactly, but there is a minor bit of similarity). The end result can be a rod that feels a bit crisper (slightly) and would react and recover a bit more quickly. By a little, that is. I have done some rods both ways, on the same blank, and can detect some difference, so I won't discount what you say.

I know some builders and couple of blank makers who say they prefer a rod blank with a definite warp or curve to them. They reason that a straight blank will deflect a bit from guide weight and thus you start with a droop in your rod. But with a warped blank you can have that guide weight bring the blank back to straight. You can call this wise, or an excuse for not being able to make a straight blank, but try it for yourself and over time you can decide if it's helpful. I prefer some built in warp, if it's all along the same plane.

Also, any curve or warp outside the casting plane can indeed cause a lure to go a bit off target (a little). This is because the tip won't travel straight - it will move in an arc and the lure goes in the same direction the tip went on release. Twisting or turning around the same central axis will not cause an inaccurate cast, however, as the tip still travels in a straight line. Of course, hardly anyone casts on the same perfect plane every time so I tend to think much of this isn't really a factor unless you have a severly warped blank positioned out of the casting plane.

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Rob,

Another factor to consider is that over time, you have probably become a better rod builder. Better placement of the guides, etc. And rebuilding with all new parts, perhaps better parts than when you first started (lighter weight, better placement, better choice of size, etc.), can contribute to your newly re-built rods having better performance - even if you went for the straight axis vs aligned with the spine. And just maybe over the years, you have become a better "caster" as well :)

In the end, if you like the rods better, thats what matters the most.

Jim

Another concideration, 'I stripped everything off and went back with new grips, new seats, and new guides.' Is it possible the new guides were lighter than the origional ones? Also, did you set the rod up by the new guide concept? If so these would have a noticeable effect on how the rod performs.

James, looks like we think very much alike. You beat me to the post though. Am at work so did not get to get the whole thing typed at once...

Rob

The factories line the guides up to the curve because the average Joe when he buys a rod shakes the rod then sites down it to see how straight it is. If the the rod has a curve to the right or left it doesn't look right to the average Joe, he will put that rod down and look at a straighter one. Mr. Joe knows nothing about the spine of a blank he just wants a straight rod. When the factories spine a blank they consider the curve of the rod the spine.

Thomas F. Thornhill