Im new to this craft having built only 3 rods --- however Im hooked!!!!! Looking to get start making my own handles etc... I have been hand wrapping and turning by hand to dry. Is there 1 piece of equipment I can buy that will allow me to shape handles (wood , cork & eva ) as well as wrap and dry without completely breaking the bank ? ($1000.00 or less) or should i just keep going as i am and wait for this ? Thanks for the input!!
This site is awesome!!!!

For $875 it looks like you can get the complete Renzetti setup [www.renzetti.com]. I have a much older model and cant imagine anything better. There's a RM article for mounting a dryer motor to it. This with an extra belt and a check attached to the 'accessory attachment' end of the small turning motor, and you have yourself a dual dryer setup as well.

The Renzetti, and the Custom Power Wrap, are both machines that are pretty much complete rod building packages. But both would be considered very light duty when it comes to turning wood. I've turned a bit of wood on mine and while it does okay, it's not a substitute for a dedicated wood lathe which is going to be much heavier and more powerful. But, either will be fine for tuning cork, EVA or Hypalon and you can turn them on the rod if you wish.

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

I would buy an inexpensive American Tackle Power Wrapper/Dryer along WITH a small Jet or Rikon lathe - total output $600 or so. Put the lathe FAR away from the wrapper. The dust and debris from cork and wood turning IMO shouldn't be ANYWHERE near where rod finish and/or thread work is to be done. This two-piece combo will cost less in more ways than one. Trying to keep your finish room clean of contaminants with all that dust flying around is 100% impossible.

I was gonna say something along the lines of what Jim said.

my lathe is in the garage - I do all my finish work in a dedicated room in the basement where my rod dryer is

For 20 years I turned cork and EVA on the very same lathe that I wrapped and finished on. No dust problem, ever.

However, I'm not downplaying what these gentlemen just told you - you certainly don't want dust in your thread and finish. But unless you're finishing at the exact same time you're turning cork, this isn't a problem. Take a look on the photo page under tools and see some of the various dust collection devices that take care of 95+ of the dust and debris any turning will generate. The next issue of RodMaker also takes this one step further. And remember, it's not dust per se that's a problem - it's airborne dust that can cause the headaches.

You can wrap, turn, sand, etc., all on the same lathe in the same place and not have dust problems. You just have to use your head about it.

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

If you are going to be in this for a long time then a mini lathe will be a great addition to your shop. Plan for it. The Renzetti Rod Lathe is one extraordinary too. Even using one section with a couple of rod supports and thread carriage is sweet. If you are willing to invest about $1000 you can get the Renzetti and a Turncrafter Pro lathe (see Penn State Industries or Amazon.com). There are less expensive ways to go but these two machines will pay for themselves in the long run in reliability and ease of use. Of course there will be other expenses once you start turning wood. A decent chuck, sharpening equipment, turning tools, dust collection.. etc. The fact is that I enjoy saving up for these purchases.

I strongly suggest you attend the ICRBE ( the Rod Expo) in High Point, NC in Feb. 2008. Check the link at the top of the list of sponsors in the left margin. Heck, you might even win a Renzetti Lathe. If not, they will probably be selling at a discount at their booth. Also Woodcraft will have a booth and their own discounts. But the real benefit to you will be all you can learn in the seminars and all the friends you'll make. Be sure to say hello if you get there.

Dave Gilberg

I have to go along with David Gilberg on this post...I feel that if you are wanting to invest that sort of money and be able to do all the projects you speak of then the Renzetti is the tool and the Pro Lathe [ or similar] can handle the heavier work . I think that if you need any assistance David would probably be more than happy to help you out Carl ,as he has the full set up to do all your required ,projects once you get the tools. That is what this forum is all about...helping our fellow crafters as much as we can.

Edit....I looked back on this post and forgot to mention as Tom did about the dust....between Tom and myself we probably have close to 50 years of not having a dust problem as long as you keep your H/D lathe a ways from your Renzetti and keep the station neat and tidy.

Tight Lines
Tight Wraps
Fishin'Stix by Fred



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2007 04:42PM by fred schoenduby.

I'm with the Jim! Turning is as addictive as building and you will want to turn other things. I'm not familiar with the capability of the Renzetti as far as the exotic woods and acrylics go. Personally, my lathe is NOT in the same room that I build rods in. A wood lathe is a saw dust machine and I don't want anywhere near it. I don't know how others do it but I'm usually up to my ankles in chips/sawdust when I'm working on a lathe. There are pro's and cons to having a multiple purpose machine. If you're drying a rod, you can't be wrapping one.

I do freshwater rods and while I have an AMTACK power wrapper, I never use it for wrapping (It only gets used for sanding/cleaning grips on repair jobs). I prefer wrapping by hand as many builders do ( a power wrapper makes life faster but doesn't help build a better rod) I use a home made double dryer (3 rpm) and more often than not, I turn/dry by hand.

Not speaking against power wrappers at all but for me, there is no advantage

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 going to suggest the PacBay lathe, because out-of-the-box, for around $300 or less, it will turn, wrap, and dry. Couple this with the mini-lathe of your choice and there you have it.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Actually, you can make your own equipment to do an excellent job - for a very reasonable amount of money.

I tried drilling cork and sanding -- ONCE -- in the same room where I do my wrapping - and never again. DUST
Yes you can use dust collection systems etc. but the very best solution is to have your drilling, turning in one area and your wrapping in another area. Then there is never any issue about getting dust into your wrapping and finished rods.

1. For drilling cork - I simply use tapered round files, running backwards. This gives a nice smooth hole, and you can make it any size you want. I use cloth gloves while drilling, and let the cork ring slip a bit in my hand to keep the hole round and centered.
2. For all of my blank and cork cutting, I use a small chop saw - using a thin abrasive blade. Quick clean cuts with minimal trouble.
3. For turning cork - on a manderal - or other small turning jobs - I use a small lathe picked up from Menards for $100.
4. For turning and shaping handles built on rods - I made an 8 foot long rod lathe using a board for a base, and then made rod supports to hold the rod. Each support consists of two aluminum bars mounted on vertical rods - The bottom bar had two closely spaced roller board ball bearings. The top bar has a centered ball bearing mounted in a triangle arrangement to restrain the rod.
5. For drying, I picked up a bunch of 110 volt timing motors that turn 6 rpm. Each is mounted on a t shaped board to support the end of the rod. Each motor has a neoprene / pvc pipe chuck to slip over the rod handle and support the handle. The rod is supported by a felt lined v block, or one of the three ball bearing double bar rod supports.

6. For the full length rod turning, while chaping cork - I use a 1/2 hp 3600 rpm - 110v buffer motor - that has a 1/2 inch chuck mounted on the end. I mount a piece of rod in the chuck, and then insert the rod into the end of the blank to support the handle. I add tape to the rod as needed to make a tight friction fit on the inside of the blank - while spinning the rod at 3600 rpm.

7. For power wrapping rods, I have made several different wrapper motors / systems. All of the systems use the same board, mounting multiple double bar - ball bearing rod supports. For the power - I have used 110 volt ac sewing machine motors with pedal foot control - and single or double pulley speed reduction. However most of these systems have issues with inability to get a nice slow speed for fine turning, and the inability to reverse the direction of the wrap.

The next systems used a Daytons right angle gear drive motor - 110 volts electronic foot control speed control. Maximum rpm = 300 rpm. On the end of the drive motor - I mounted a 3 inch machinest chuck to support the rod and or handle. This works very well, has the ability of perfect speed control, the ability to reverse direction - but has the issue of being fairly noisy due to the right angle gear noise.

The current system uses 300 rpm 24 volt dc gear motors. These are coupled to 1:1 pulleys holding a 3 inch machinest chuck. The foot pedal contains a variable resistor, which varies the voltage of the power supply from 0-24 volts. This gives very exact and precise speed change from 0-300 rpm. The output of the power supply is connected to a cross wired switch to allow direction reversal at the flip of a switch. Easy, precise, and quiet.

---
These machines were built over a series of years and testing - with a small amount of money and a bit of labor and machine work.

Although many of the commerical units work fine - some experimentation, checking with other builders and yourself - can come up with systems that may or may not be less or more expensive, but may work less well or better than what is on the market.

Take care
REW