After several searches trying to find the answer to that question I've come up with this.

Roughly meaure the guide placement from the tip, Tape a guide at the final position. Take the reel (spinning) and use the edge of the table to locate where it will fit and mark that position. Wrap tape about 6" in either direction from the mark and tape the reel to the blank and locate the actual fulcrum.

This has given me a starting point as to where the reel will end up and also an idea of how much weight will needed to be added to the but of the blank effectively moving the fulcrum toward the butt.

The rod I'm building is 9.5 feet long and not wanting a 2foot plus handle the guides and reel will be moved until I find the locations that work for me.

Anybody balanced a rod this way. If so what are some tips I can use.

d

I think that this thread will offer some help.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Joe

Edit: Sorry Darby,

I just realized that you started the other thread as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2007 04:11PM by Joe Vanfossen.

I've gone the "Mighigan handle" style on my spinning rods and even retrofitted my Gloomis rod by turning the handle down on my lathe (so I could save the silkscreen logo) and installed a Fuji IPSM16 seat and BGC8512C contoured handle in reverse as a foregrip (see anglersresource.com). I have the same setup on my two float rods and I just slide my hand up the handle until the rod balances the way I like. I modified a full wells grip to 8 1/2" once to balance a 10' fly rod - I hate adding weight to the butt.

Like Tim said, you have to have a reel so why not incorporate it into the balancing system by putting it behind your hand as you grip the rod for the drift. Counterweighting a rod adds no weight.

Probably just a little bit of overkill, but... just yesterday I started playing around with a spreadsheet to calculate the center of mass (fulcrum) for a rod. I'm a bit of a math and Excel geek. What I've have so far will account for blank, handle, butt/cap, and guides (median) to get a center of mass for the "fixed" components. The reel and reel seat get counted as a single unit. So far the spreadsheet will simply tell me where the center of mass ends up as I move the reel/seat forward and back. What I plan to figure out is how to specify where I want the rods center of mass in relation to the reel/seat (this would be the distance from the spinning reel foot to my index finger as I grip the rod for casting; 2.5") and then the spreadsheet would calculate how far back from the handle tip would be the beginning of the reel seat (or how much weight needs to be added to the butt). I'm only thinking spinning rod here but I'm pertty sure it could be modified for fly rods and casting rods. I'm sure there will be things I forget to account for but I'm combining two passions :)

Center of Mass = ( d1w1 + d2w2 + d3w3 + d4w4 + ...dNwN ) / ( w1 + w2 + w3 + w4 + … wN )

1, 2, 3, 4 .. N = component 1, component 2, etc. through the Nth component
d = distance from reference point (rod butt) to the center of mass of the component
w = component weight

Notes:
1) All weights should be in the same measure (ex. ounces) and all distances in the same measure (ex. inches)
1) A 12" straight cork handle would be measured as 6" from the butt.
2) Taking out a chunk of the handle at the fulcrum (blank exposed) will have no effect on the location of the fulcrum.
3) Fore grip and rear grip can be counted as two components
4) "Distance" for the blank is a measure from the butt to its balancing point.
5) "Distance" for the guides (counted as one component) may be able to be calculated as an inverse function of the rods balancing point.

Jim Hicks

Jim,

Nice idea of a starting point. A couple trouble issues, your calculation is for a massless rod. You would need to either model the blank, or experimentally find the center of mass of the blank and include it in your calculation.

Also, as long as you are making your calculation based on holding the rod parallel to the ground, then your treatment of the reel is okay. If you want to calculate where to place the reel to have your rod balance at some predetermined angle, then you need to consider that the mass of the reel is multiple times the rod weight and the center of mass of the reel is significantly off the axis of the rod.

Good luck in your endeavor and keep us updated on your findings. I may someday attempt a similar idea.

Joe

Joe, Il'l post the spreadsheet subject as a seperate thread.

Darby, what I've been doing is dry fitting everything, including reel, with masking tape and rubber bands. To get a near balance I'll play with reel position, shorten the handle or move it back some, ect. Eventually I finish the rod and it's "close enough". I'm trying the spreadsheet approach because the trial and error of dry fitting just to get "close enough" bothers me. I'm a newby at this so you're most likely to get better answers from the established professionals here.

Jim Hicks

Darby, I'm just about to finish a 9ft Rainshadow spinning rod with a Shamino Stradic 4000 reel with 14 to 17 # test line. The rod balanced out with a 11 1/4 inch rear cork grip which just reaches my elbow. I going to use this rod to fish for channel cat so I 'll be holding it alot. With the help of Tom K. and some others I used the New Guide Concept System. I also did a stress test and I ended up with a #30, #16, #10 and 8 #8 fly guides then tip. I'm trying to incorperate some ideas that Tom wrote on ergonomics ( RodMaker Vol 10 issue 3 ) into my rod building so I bought a lathe to make the right diameter cork grips to fit my hand. The latest issue of Rodmaker explains the NGC guide spacing on spinning rods very well.

Terry

Darby,

I too hate to add weight to the butt. So I use the reel itself as a counterweight and design my grips so that I can hold the handle a bit ahead of the reel with my pinky behind the reel foot and the rest of the fingers ahead. Lots of permutations. This may throw your split grip design off a bit as it may be too short.

Mo