As a relative novice I am about to try out the new concept guide system for the first time. I am hoping Tom Kirkman can find the time to reply to this as I have read his book and was very interested in this theory,but if anyone else has an opinion I will be interested in their thoughts. My question regards the imaginary line used to locate the choke guide and the positioning of the other guides in relation to this line. If the line is projected from the centre of the spool or spindle I would have thought that this imaginary line should run through the centre of the guides not the outside edge of them as described. Wouldn't the funnel effect work more efficiently if the intersecting line ran through the centre of the diminishing guides. Is there a theory behind this outer edge layout or is it just to ensure the guides line up perfectly. Sorry to bring this topic up again

I think your misunderstanding something Cameron.

Here is the section from the library article New Guide Concept Primer pertaining to the choke guide
placement. (no imaginary line here)


2. "Note the point where the rod blank intersects with the table edge. Set your smallest and lowest guide against the blank in the location where it¹s outer edge just touches the table edge."

The lower guides are placed so the rings just meet the table edge also. Sence the blank is at
an angle in relation to the table edge this works.


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

Gravity pulls the line downward - therefore in actual use the line will never pass through the center of the rings. It will instead pass along the bottom edge of the ring. Thus, you can set it up so that the line path is along the bottom edge and it will work just fine.

...........

Thanks guys I think I'm getting too carried away with how the line will travel coming off the spool during casting and forgetting about rod performance in general. Im about to go and tape on a few runners and experiment a little so I'm sure it will all start to make sense. By the way Tom, I found your first book very helpful, did you ever get around to writing the follow up book you were planning on? I'm in Australia and I've only been able to find your 'rod building guide'.

It requires a lot of effort and time to write such books and I don't receive any payment in return. I have a coffee table type book on rod builders ready to go but it will require about $35,000 in order to publish it.

The book I did for Amato, Rod Building Guide, will be revised and updated next year. It will include the Smple Spiral guide system and further work on the New Guide Concept. I suspect it will be available sometime in late 2007.


...........

I take Tom's gravity effect one step further and align the bottom of the guide ring where the spool centerline points, this places the 1st guids a few more inches away fromm the spool face and allows the line spirialing off the spool more distance to expand before dropping with gravity, then being gathered in at the 1st guide and redirected via the funnel set up back toward the blank/intersect guide. This is personal choice that I have used for a long time and the Concept guide method works equally well.

Depending on that gravity thing as Tom stated, I try to use a type of concept guide and place the line path into the ring down to the chock. Guess it's a personal thing.

Greetings,

My personal philosophy is: "perfect is good....but done is better" ; A;ways: 'subject to' if product passes my tests.

My belief: It is true that there is 'variety' in the ways we all do our 'things', BUT in the final analysis 'we all test and inspect our final products'. And if our final 'tests' show our product is 'sound in its qualities', we're done and only then.
Thats my approach!

Advice: Never, never let your product out of your possession until a successful 'quality check' has been concluded and recorded (eg. if you build for somebody else to fish).

As the 'last thing' (after visuals) that I do, I make a very forceful cast and I listen for a faint but pronounced sound similar to 'pffffftt' (NGC only). Otherwise, any line rattle, etc can require (and it has!) some serious introspection if it were my product.

I'd be interested in forum practices for 'final checks' from the builders in this superb forum.

Bob Marie