this may sound silly, but just what is the center of a reel seat? im using steve volkers formula
for guide placing and seems like a 1/2 inch one way or another would make a difference, so i wanna be exact with the formula.
so when measuring to find the center of reel seat, do i just take the length of the entire reel seat (bottom of foregrip to top of butt grip) n divide in half, or put the reel on and measure the center at where the reel actually fits on the rod?

I must be missing something. What would the center of the reel seat have to do with guide placement!! Don't understand what that would tell you. Depending on the particular reel size, the point where the line comes off the reel could be very different. Let the rod/reel tell you wher to place your guides and their size, not a formula. You might want to read the articles in the Library above on guide placement

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!!

I'm with Mike on this one. The starting point for measuring guide placement is the place where the line comes off the face of the reel. I don't know of Steve Volkers but his rods will be better if he uses the method outlined in the Library article; and so will yours. There is no place in custom rod building for generalities other than as "guestimates". Every set up is unique although many will come in very close to one another and a few may be identical. The critical aspect is to let the blank and reel determine guide placement. This way you will have a better fishing rod.

Dave

the formula calls for placing the butt guide on 1st and plugging that measurement (center reel seat to butt guide)into the formula to get placement of other guides. the formula is not intended to calculate final placement of guides, but does create a starting point. if interested, I am reading from dale clemens book advanced custom rod building page 96.

I think that's the old guide spacing formula where they added 1.25-1.5 times the distance, depending on the rod, to the measurment of the next guide to get your next guides spacing. Way to much work for me. Static distribution only takes maybe 5-10 minutes and a little eyeballing to do.

Keep in mind that that book was written, I believe, in the 70's. Not to take anything away from the book, it's a very good book, but many things, theories, practices have since been shown to not have much substantiating them and are often actually detrimental to performance.

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!!

daniel burney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the formula calls for placing the butt guide on
> 1st and plugging that measurement (center reel
> seat to butt guide)into the formula to get
> placement of other guides. the formula is not
> intended to calculate final placement of guides,
> but does create a starting point. if interested, I
> am reading from dale clemens book advanced custom
> rod building page 96.


if you wanna go with this as a starting point...that 1/2 inch one way or the next isn't really going to matter.

in light of that, I'd go as Mike has suggested

1/2 inch can't make much difference. Just measure the seat and half it. Or put the reel on it and locate the center of reel. I don't think it will matter much if at all.

I'm with Mike on this one. The face of the reel is where we start, especially with the variability in reel design. Not only that, but we sell the fact that our rods are built for the customer's specific reel of choice and then he also gets to pick his reel seat, grip length, etc, (because it's a custom rod, not built to a formula) so the variables end up centering around the face of the reel as a constant for laying up the stripper.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

I think for someone just starting out, having such a formula might help them figur eout what should go where. All the other stuff mentioned here is valid, but if you think back to your first rod, remember how lost you were. HAving a guide spacing chart/formula imo stinks, but it's a great way to get started and give you the confidance to know you are headed in teh right direction. Once you build a rod or 2 you can tweak teh spacing and start to actually learn WHY guides should be sized teh way you want, placed where you want, and teh number you need to use.

Daniel,

Obviously you're giving this a lot of thought. For the time being, and until you move to other guide spacing systems, just put the reel in the seat and measure to the point on the seat which coincides with the center of the reel. Just eyeball it, that'll get you close enough for the formula you're using.

........................

I agree with all the above especially Billy V's. post Someone starting out can get pretty perplexed
at setting guides. What with all the different "systems" and all. I have a couple different "guide
calculator" programs that were sent to me and I pass them along to help beginners. I absolutely
explaine that one should not rely soley on them but if they do the rod aint gonna break or not cast
very well either. It just won't perform as best it can.

My opinion on "guide placement systems". I have taken rods and test casted them using several
different "guide systems" and in some cases I was not able to deserne much difference at all with
how the rod casted or felt while in other cases the difference was night & day! Length & weight &
action seem to be the major factors.

IMHO..

1) they all work
2) the NGC works best although I understand surf rods are different ( I've never built or fished one)

What I found by testing what I heard here was that there are a few SOLID rules that if applied, get you
the most bang for your buck, so to speak.

1) throw out those intermediate sizes. ya dont need them. 3 or 4 sizes MAX
2) butt guide ring size normally should be as close to 1/2 reel spool diameter as possible
3)use the smallest sizes possible
4)get to the smallest size as fast as possible (usually 3rd guide from reel seat forward)
5) 1 guide for each foot of total rod length plus 1 usually will be right on the money needed and
good stress testing will be the deciding factor here.
6) distance from reel face to butt guide make all the difference in the world.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..