Can someone please explain to me the meaning of "straightest axis"? I am new to rod building and have built a total of five rods. Four have been on Rainshadow Blanks and one on a Lamiglas Blank. From my untrained eye, all have been extremely straight, no dips, bumps etc. I simply put the guides on in line with the center of the reel seat. Is this o.k.? I don't want to inflame the discussion on the spline/spine thing. Just trying to find my way.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Bruce

Straightest axis is nothing more than you looking down the blank and placing the guides on the straightest looking "side" of the blank. Some blanks, like you mentioned can be very straight, but most have a slight curve to them, mostly near the tip, when you spin them around and eye down the blank.

DR

sometimes you wont see it until you rotate the rod while sighting down it. It will look straight and as you rotate you will notice its not, most are slightly curved. I am yet to find a perfectly straight blank to build on.

ok now lets clarify this when you are looking down and find the curve where do you decide to place the guides? with the curve point up or down?

Most blanks will have a curve in them. If you spin the blank so the belly of the curve is down. With the tip and the butt end curved up. When you place your guides on the blank, they will tend by their weight to slightly if not completely straighten out the curve. So that the end product looks straighter.

If you build it with the belly up then the finished product looks as if it is sagging.

If you build it with the curve to the side. The rod will always look crooked when you sight down it.

Does anyone else find a majority of GUSA's are dead straight? I've built on and sold them from 6# up to their heaviest 130# blanks, and there are very few which are not straight.

The GUSA's are fairly straight. However, they do have a curve. Lock the butt in two rod supports spaced just about 6 inches apart. Put another support out just past the tip. Now rotate the blank and watch the eliptical pattern the tip traces on the outboard rod support.

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Tom, is this with the newer blanks they've been hanging with weights?

I just picked a GUSA up last week and it is as Tom described. Very slight at the tip, not nearly as off as the Calstar and Shikari I have here. I have no Idea if it's new or old inventory.

If it is pretty straight overall, How would you guys build it? Spine or on the straight axis? It does have a very strong spine effect. It snaps really hard to one spot. Well harder then others I have spined.

-JOHN

I'd build on the straightest axis which is usually also the stiffest axis (this is not 180 degrees opposite of the spine).

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Right. Spin it around while gunsighting it to see where the least amount of bend/deflection is. Usually, any deflection is in the first two feet of the tip. I like to put the bend pointing down because (1) it is easier for me to see a downward bend and (2) I personally like to put the natural position of the blank towards the fish. I have no scientific reasoning other than "feel" and what I was taught a long time ago. Does it matter? I don't know, but I have never had a rod I built break in my own hands, and have never had one returned to me for repair.

If I have a blank that is basically straight as an arrow, only then will I spine the rod. At that point, I put the "weak" side towards the fish.