Those of you who turn your own reel inserts, where do you buy the best highly figured wood for this purpose? I'm looking for some highly figured wood or burl for several very special fly rods. I wish to make fighting butt - reelseat insert - winding check out of the same piece of wood for these fly rods. The places that I know to look have nothing that looks good enough to suit these projects. Ralph

Look at the site: Classic Custom Wood on the left for a start. There are others among the sponsors who also may have what you need.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

I have been lucky to find what I need at a local Woodcraft store. It's nice to look at the wood before you buy it. I know that you can find the wood on line but every blank has a caracter all it's own. I just like to look at the wood and get a feel of the blank, you may want to look in the yellow pages and see if there is someone close to you so you can see the blank in person. Mark

Another option might be to check with anyone you know that cuts trees - loggers, tree trimmers, wood burners. A small sized burl or piece of crotch wood can produce some nice rod parts.

Some of the prettiest stuff I've picked up recently has come from unique wood world (www.uniquewoodworld.com). I like being able to look at the web-site and hand-pick the individual piece of wood.

I buys lots of wood from @#$%&, Look under {Exotic turning wood} {exotic wood, Large pen Blanks} {exotic, wood Game call blanks} You can see what you are buying. With a vary large selection? Read their feedback. I have yet to be disappointed. If u see something you like but is to Big Email them lots of time they will have some scrap when they cut it into a Bowl blank. Jay

[www.bellforestproducts.com]

It seems inevitable that I will try turning reel seat inserts at some point. So my question is around the diameter of square stock required to turn a somewhat small reel seat insert – something like a Struble U20/U24. The U20 insert is turned to around 5/8”, so if the finished diameter is 5/8”, about what size raw stock is recommended?

Jeff Shafer

My local woodcraft store has a good bit of straight grain wood and not much else. I'm looking for Highly figured wood and maybe burl not straight grained. Also, I want to use the wood soon, not in a few years from now after it has Finally dried out enough to use. I have Cherry & Plum that will be mighty fine in a year or two or three, but, I need these rods done by this Spring. Too, if I wanted to buy 'ready made' I'd have done so already. I need a source for what I asked for, which is what I need to find. Stan, I looked on the left, extensively, so, who in particular? Ralph.

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

Neil Toland's post was the last one when I started my reply, you others got in while I was answering the phone & typing. Bell & Unique look like what I need. Thanks. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2007 06:47PM by Ralph Jones.

If Your still looking ,I have had good luck with a couple of @#$%& sellers,they sell mostly guitar backs and pool cue peices of very pretty big leaf maple from west coast.Some burl and some nice curly or tiger stripe stuff. I usually start with a peice 1.5x1.5 inch by length I want for a handle. If you can drill hole accuaretly,you can get smaller sized reel seat from3\4 x3\4 pen blank,but no much room for error on drilling on center. The pool cue blanks are usually 2 inch sguare so can be ripped for reel seats ,or just cut to lenght for handles. If you want names email me as there not sponsers so I wont post on board. Daryl

www.woodturnerscatalogue.com, I get most of my insert blanks from them, they have a nice selection of burls and exotic woods plus many different synthetic and dyed laminate pen blanks.
john

If you cant find anything from sponsers....Ive got some sweet stuff from the burl source. Skip seems like a good guy.

[www.xmission.com]

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
- Herbert Spencer

Ralph,
I live in a rural area and do not have access to specialized wood craft
stores. I do have a small lumber companies that specializes in hardwoods.
I go there a couple times a week to browse and look for pieces. I have
found small pieces of maple burl that were trimmed from a customer and I can
usually get three or four inserts or two or three reel seats. I also find
pieces of hardwood that happen to have some character (convoluted grains,
highly contrasted layers , and other oddities that make the piece unique.
I made a walnut grip for a fly rod from a piece of walnut that had some
twisted grains that varied from dark walnut to light beige and also some
blue coloration. It is always an adventure when I go, because I never know
what I will find. Very often the pieces I buy are very inexpensive. I
bought one piece of Maple burl from which I obtained two full grips, one
insert, and enough for half of a third grip. (I added walnut ends to make
the complete grip.) My cost was $3.50 for that piece.

If you have such a lumber yard in your area, try making acquaintances with
the people and browse, you never know what you will find.

Mike Blomme

Another source would be any gunsmith in the area that specializes in custom gunstocks. Going through their scrap pile can be VERY interesting.



Derek L. McMaster
Rohnert Park, CA

Born to Fish, FORCED to Work