Im going to make a spinning rod handle and foregrip out of raw cedar. the rear grip im makin out of a cedar limb about 6 inches long and 1.25 in diameter. the foregrip is probably 2.5 inches by 3/4 inch diameter. since i will need to drill out a bore for the rod, im wondering if cutting the wood into 1/2 inch rings beforehand and then drilling individually and epoxying them back together then shaping will work better than trying to drill through the whole thing since its is curved. also, will flexcoat epoxy work on wood?

two things - Is the wood dried?? If not dried (which can take many months) the wood will be prone to warping, splitting and who knows what else. Rod Bond or wood working glues such as Titebond will work fine but need to be tightly clamped. Will you be turning it round on a lathe??? If so, turn the piece rond on the lathe first and then bore it out right on the lathe.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

yes, the wood has been dryin for a few months. No, unfortunately i dont have a lathe. im going to attempt the shaping by hand and possibly a rasp bit
in a rotary drill. might try rigging up an electric drill to serve as a lathe. since the grip has a natural curve that i want to keep, i was thinkin of cutting the limb in 1/2 inch rings like cork, boring them individually and then glueing back together and shaping. its just a project for myself, so if it works it works, if not, then maybe ill hit the lotto n can get the right tools for the job, lol. Thanks for the tips, keep em comin.

Daniel,

That would probably work!! Sounds cool! Keep us posted and post some pix on your progress. Have Fun and Enjoy!!!!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

We have been making some wood handles recently by cutting the wood into 3/16 inch rings, drilling a hole in each ring and then gluing the rings together on a mandrel before turning. It works pretty well and if you mix a couple of woods in patterns, it makes an attractive grip.

Joe Douglas

Yeah, it will probably work to cut it into rings and glue it back together. But not well. There is little stength glueing end grain to end grain and the joints are all gonna show pretty markedly. I would get a long bit and just try drilling it by hand. Get it lined up as best you can and go. A drill press that you could mount a center on to hold the other end would help. But you might be able to make a 6 inch or so shot right straight through with just a portable drill and a long bit. Drill or file the hole a little over sized and use a string or wall board arbor to center it on the rod blank.
One problem no matter how you drill it is going to be splitting the wood with the drill. you have to go real slow and back the drill out every half inch or so and clean out the flutes. If not, the expansion of the shavings will split the section. Done that many times. Even on the lathe.

Daniel,

If you are trying to preserve the curve of the wood then I would not cut the piece into rings prior to drilling. I agree with Bill, that clamping the piece and using a long (and very sharp) bit is your best bet. Use a slightly undersized bit, mark the line that you are trying to hit in all dimensions on the outside of the piece, and go very slowly. The smaller bit diameter will allow you the luxury of making slight adjustments along the way without ruining the piece. Also, I recommend drilling from the back forward, since any adjustments will inevitably widen the entry hole.

Only drying a limb for a few months is risky. Limbs have what is known as compression wood on one side (imagine that gravity is "pulling" on the wood along the top and "compressing" the wood along the bottom), meaning that the tendency for limbs to warp as they dry is very high. In woodworking the yield of useable wood out of limbs is considerably less than the trunk for this reason. The smaller the piece the smaller the problem, but splitting is still a risk. When making high-end staffs the general rule is 1 year of seasoning per inch in diameter for wood shanks cut in the winter (when the moisture content is at its lowest point). Now, these are longer pieces than yours, but if the wood has only been seasoning for a few months then that means that you cut it in the summer when the moisture content of the wood was significantly higher.

I have used an eastern red cedar sapling (juniperus virginiana) before and found it prone to splitting as much as 10 months after cutting, which really screwed-up the 80 hours or so of carving. Western red cedar has different properties, so if that is what you are using I have no first-hand experience. Do you have access to a moisture meter? That will tell you if the wood is ready to work. Another option would be to take it to a local lumber mill or distributor and ask them to check the moisture content of the wood for you. I recommend caution when the tortion of the wood could conceivably damage the blank. Of course, recommendations are worth what you pay for them...

Either way, it should be beautiful and I, too, am looking forward to pictures.

Erik



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2006 06:13PM by Erik Godwin.

I don't claim to know much about wood but I have dried some wood via a microwave method that I have seen on woodworking sites and was recommended to me by Gerry Rhoades (I think) that seems to work pretty well. I weigh the wood and write it down, microwave at Defrost for 2 minutes, let it sit for 10 min and re-weigh, mark down weight. Keep doing this until the weights don't change. I've done about a dozen pieces like this and appears to be fine. I guess only time will tell.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

thanks for all the great tips. I have an ample supply of cedar and will probably try it several ways.
i also have some chinaberry wood that looks real pretty. dunno what kind of chinaberry exactly, but most seem to grow
around here alongside creeks n rivers.

Daniel, I've done several grips by using a hole saw to cut plugs from boards and gluing them up on a mandrel and then putting them on the lathe for finishing. Red cedar was the first I tried, and it worked well. It is brittle and you may lose a few rings but you can just glue new ones up. I have used Tite Bond III and Rod Bond, either one works. One advantage of using a hole saw is that you have a pilot hole dead center on each ring. It' easy to mix different woods, try mixing walnut and maple for a neat handle. Yes you can see the glue marks but make that part of the design of the grip. Good luck.