Have a chance to build my own wrapper. The main bed rail I wish to use is 9' long. I have the provision to create four upright supports with wheels. From what I see in photos and read in various publications, I figure this is a good start. Do you agree?

Also, how close to the drive chuck would you say the first upright should be capable of being place?

Are the lower rollers of your uprights adjustable for height? Not all rod blanks have the same diameter so I assume that this would be a good feature. The point of lower roller contact with a blank measuring 3/4" vs one at 1/2" will be 1/8" different in height. I do not see a huge problem, the closer you get to the tip of the blank because of flexability but I see some concern closer to the butt.

Comments?

.

Dan: I agree that the system you are proposing is more than adequate. I have a Clemens lathe system and the bed can be made fourteen feet long in two foot increments. I also have five supports that can be used. The supports have two rollers on the bottom and one on the top. Both the top and bottom rollers are height adjustable. The rod supports can also be moved along the lathe bed. Sometimes I will work on just a tip section and want a support up close to the lathe chuck and other times I will be working on a surf rod and the first support will need to be 36 - 40 inches from the chuck. John

Don't know how far back you went, but this may give you some ideas: [www.rodbuilding.org]

Every thing is fully adjustable. Got to make the tray wider though.

I have the top of the line Renzeti lathe and bought 3 4foot sections so I can work up to 12 foot 1 pc surf rods. My supports will go all the way up to the headstock.

I think you need more supports on lighter and more limber rods and fewer supports on heavier and stiffer rods even if they\'re longer.

Dan,
If your going to shape or build cork grips and use your wrapper headstock and one of your uprights than it needs to get around 15 inches from the headstock if you use an 18 inch mandrel.

Dan,
I built mine 9' long in interconnecting sections (4', 3', & 2') for versitility and transportability. The 4' section has the powerhead with a 1/10 HP Dayton Universal motor that rotates counter clockwise - like a real lathe. The thread carrier was designed to route the thread from the top of the blank. I built 5 rod supports for it, probably overkill.

Be sure to make the supports adjustible for height. The supports should also be top -loading on the wrapper base, moveable, easily repositioned & securely fixed in position when moved about.

Hope this helps a litle. Good luck with the project. Stan







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2006 10:37PM by Stan Gregory.