Hi All,

I recently purchased a Sage 890-4 blank. It came with white dots on each end of each section, which I assume should lined up when joining the sections.

I don't believe that these dots have anything to do with the spine of the rod, rather the relative position of each section to its adjacent section.

My question to all of you is, can I assume that if I put the rod together with those dots lined up, the spine will be consistant throughout the rod? Otherwise, I suppose I would have to find the spine of each section.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks
Craig

You needn't worry about the spine, it really doesn't have any effect on the rod under practical fishing situations.

Sage marks the straightest axis by use of those dots, which is what they build on, instead of the spine.

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Build the handle on the butt section dots. Tape up the guides on the tip section on the spine and then on the dot. Try it both ways, I think you'll like the dot!

Sage has a great reputation worldwide. They're not custom builders but they do produce a fine product. Trust them to know what they're doing in regard to rod set up. Trust those dots!

The dots are great. It also lines you up with the SAGE logo in the correct place. Just remeber to scratch the dots off before wrapping and epoxy! The dots will show through after epoxy is applied!

Calvin

I have found that most blanks with factory applied dots or line marks at the ferrules represent the spine.

In you case, it would be easy to see,, put the rod together and put pressure on it. That will tell you where the dots are or what they represent. Or call Sage and ask customer service and get the infor straight from the horse's mouth,,, so to speak.

Sage is going to tell you that the dots represent the straightest axis. This has been their standard practice for many, many years now.

By all means call them if you wish, but they are going to tell you that they build on the straightest axis of the blank. They disregard the spine.

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Wow, thanks for all the replies. Just for the learning experience, I will test the dot location and try the guides on the dot and on the spine(if they differ). Sounds like I will end up using the dots, but it will be a good exercise for me.

Thanks,
Craig

You don't have to do what they do - the rod is going to work regardless. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.

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Ye olde spine bugaboo. Years ago, one of the few reference books available at the time (Fiberglass Rod Making, Don McClain), made no mention of the "S" word. All he did was eyeball down the blank, and put the guides along the "belly" of the blank.
Which just happened to be the straightest axis.
'when I ordered my blanks (Fenwick, and Lamiglas), all I had to tell the supplier was: that any 'dog leg' blank would be refused, but "bellies"
were OK. Glass or graphite.
In the beginning, all I seemed to get was dog-leg blanks ! Great training for guide alignment tactics.
Anyone who's not yet read the above book, can pick up as used copy for about 6.00 USD, plus postage, using bookfinder dot com's search engine. [www.bookfinder.com]
It's actually a great little read, showing how he approached rodmaking back in the day.