I may have been fooled. I recently sent away thru @#$%& for a pair of ball bearing horizontal spine finders (large) from custom tackle. When they arrived they came with no directions but seem to be a sturdy ball bearing set in there own housings. Does anyone know how to use them? thank you

billy B-Rod custom rod building and rod repair located in Naples Marco Island Florida

Check out a photo of a horizontal spine finder for reference...The ball bearing roller housings are fitted into a length of PVC pipe. Use the photo as a guide to forming the rest of the finder. Too bad you weren't told that you were buying only the rollers and not the whole contraption. I haven't built one but have used one, so I'm not sure how the bearings are centered /secured in the pipe (Rod Bond/Epoxy?). Get your $$ back? No harm in asking.
Good luck,

Tim

Buying rod building stuff on @#$%& is a crap shoot. I've done it a few times but won't do it anymore.

Billy,
You can get the ball bearings at any store that sells ball bearings for trailers. anyway here is what you will need to do. Take your bearing to either Home Depot or a sprinkler store that sells PVC pipe and parts. Before you can get the pipe you will need to take the bearing and see which reducer it will fit in. Now the bearing I got is a R-14 Z and it will fit into a 2'' x 1-1/2'' once you figure out the size then you can obtain the PVC pipe now the PVC pipe only needs to be no more than 12'' long. Now you also don't need to glue the bearings in. Also if you are going to mount this to your bench you will need to drill four holes into the PVC pipe make sure they line up. The two holes need to fit the screws that you will mount to your bench and the other two holes need to be big enough for the screw driver to fit into to tighten the other two screws. I have about $20 into the whole spine finder, My bearings were a little more as I got the sealed kind as the one on my bench isn't and saw that I got a lot of dirt into it and the manufacture of that one glued the reducer together so I can't get them out to clean them. I have two one that I mounted to my bench at my shop and the other one I have loose as I teach classes and take it with me. I hope this is of help to you and anyone else?

Neal Cissel
Neal's Fishing Products

Billy,
The ideas provided are all good ones, but here is something really simple if you own a Black & Decker workmate. I own three sleeve bearings, two of which are the same size. I mount the same size pair into the jaws of the workmate about eight inches from each other and parallel to each other so the rod blank sections can individually be inserted down through the two bearings. I lever the rod section downward and the spine comes right to the top. This idea is the same as the idea where you mount the sleeve bearings into a PVC tube, but the workmate jaws take the place of the tube. Otherwise, same idea. The third bearing is larger than my matched pair and is used to lever down heavy blank sections that won't spin due to friction from your hand.

Do make sure that any sleeve bearings that you obtained have been polished somewhat on the inside, as any burrs will scratch your blank surface. If my explanation isn't clear get back to me and I'll take an image of my setup and post on the board.

Jeff Shafer

Tom K has an artical on the Library page with a picture

Billy, your email address is "blocked". We have an illustrated page that I can email you on using "pillow block" bearlings like that.

Those housings are bolted or clamped to your bench 10"-12" inches apart. the tip of the blank is inserted into them and when you push down on the butt of the blank it will "roll" leaving the spine "up".

Mark Griffin
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C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

I think seemily or I hope it is a mistake that Custom Tackle Supply is not being referred to as you mentioned "Custom Tackle". We do not even do business on @#$%& and would just like to set the record straight, that Custom Tackle Supply might be associated with this matter.

Thank You -- Bob McKamey
Custom Tackle Supply

To custom tackle First of all let me appoligize to you whole heartedly for any undo "bad advertising" this may have given you. I have done business with custom tackle before and had nothing but good experience. This time was no exception. I recieved an email from a member of your staff today and in it was directions on how to use the spine finder. Thank you to everyone who tried to help me with my problem and just to let you all know this model does not in fact work with a length of pvc pipe. It is bolted to the bench. I have not yet tried it using the illustrated directions custom tackle sent me but it does make more sence now that i see the directions. Mark you were exactly right it is the "pillow block" bearings that i purchased. Once again I am sorry custom tackle and the posting I wrote was done at a very late hour of the morning after a late night rod binging session.

The name of the company on @#$%& is "C&M custom tackle"

C & M Custom Tackle is the same as www.@#$%&. One of this sites sponsors. I have dealt several times with Collen and Mark without a single problem. Highly recommended! Suggest you check their site before going to @#$%&. They do sell alot on @#$%&. They are not a "crap shoot".

Ed Smith

That was my point ed! They inadvertntly did not include the directions in the box. They fixed the problem when i told them about it without delay. I agree that i was very satisfied with the service. No crap shoot there. Just a minor insight.