i am thinking of getting a power wrapper and i am looking at all of them. i am intrigued with the custom wrapper offered by angler's workshop. i would appreciate any feedback on people that have them and use them. i want one to be able to tweak some handles that are already on a rod. so i am looking for one with a good chuck and one that can easily hold up to turning cork and soft materials. i am familiar with the renzetti and pac bay models, just not with the one at anglers workshop.

This is as un-biased as it gets, because I sell tons of PB's. I've got a number of customers & friends with CPW's and they won't part with them. I've never heard a bad thing about them. it's all been positive. I'd stock them, but they don't really have any kind of "dealer' program as far as I know. I think you'd get the same price I would.

Drop Doc Ski or Jose Moreno a note and ask. If there's a weak link, I'm sure they've found it, but I don't think there is one.

Mark Griffin
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C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

thanks mark i appreciate the honest opinion.

The Pac Bay is a great machine. I don't think you would be disappointed. Go with the upgrade chuck model, and you'll still have money left over for a bunch of blanks compared to most other wrappers.

Good Luck,
Marc

I have the Angler's Workshop custom power wrapper with upgraded chuck, and dryer motor. I don't have anything to compare to as I have not owned the others, but I love it. Sure made my wrapping go to the next level that's for sure.....

Hi John
The Custom Power Wrap is IMHO one of the best lathes on the market I am about to purchase another one. But they also cost a lot more then the others (Pac Bay, Amtak, Forecast ect) but it is a lot better and made in the USA. I know full time rod builders with the Pac Bay type lathe that are turning out over four hundred rods a year that havent had to replace anything on them for years except a drive belt a couple of times a year. If you are really serious about rod building, building a ton of rods or like to own nothing but the best and can justify spending that on a lathe by all means by one. But if your not sure you will stick with rod building or only build a couple of rods a year I wouldn't by one. I would by the Pac Bay type and if you discover you do really like rod building you can buy the Custom Power Wrap and keep the other for all your messy work like grip sanding ect. If you do buy a Pac Bay type lathe I think it is worth paying a little extra and getting the heavy duty chuck and the same goes for the Custom Power Wrap if you buy it get the heavy duty chuck.

We did a fell product test and review on the CPW several years back. Let me see if I can find a copy of that issue. Next time you're by here I'll try to have it waiting on you. I'm pretty sure it was in Volume 2 somewhere. It's a good machine.

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

Simon;
Thats pretty funny, evidently you have never seen any of John's rods or handles. He sets a new standard when it comes to custom wood work on rods!
Her are few, But some of his best work which is not shown here was at the show on display
[www.rodbuilding.org]

John, been using one for about 4 yrs. No problems, Still going strong.I'm sold on it.

If you decide to go with the CPW, by all means ,upgrade to the "rod lathe "as it comes with the 3jaw chuck and reduction drive pulley system . This gives more torque when shaping grips. The "L" at the end of the model number means it's a rod lathe. I've had the 189L for a while now and really do like it. Since this is the first ready made wrapper I've owned, I can't comment on any others. My old homemade setup worked very well for many years. I just never had decent rod supports with it and I liked the ones on the cpw. One thing I have noticed and haven't worked out yet is some sort of brake or drag system. When it comes to handwork(crosswraps etc.) I remove the drive belt(s) Removing 1belt is still too much drag ang removing both is too much freewheel to maintain tension but I'll work it out. As posted earlier, there are less expensive machines , so maybe give some thought to your rodbuilding future and whether you feel that you'll stay with it...... Good machine. Extremely smooth starts when using power. Would'nt recommend the lathe /dryer combo (289L) unless you're cramped for space. Drying should be a separate motor and stand(s) IMO.. Good luck,,,,Jim

Hi Steve
Sorry John I saw the name I thought it was JP then I thought that he was registered on here as "JP Timberlake" and he would already own and use a lathe like that again sorry John. Remember I live half way around the world. At least someone that is pretty new to rod building or is considering getting serious and was looking at the Custom Power Wrap might get something from that post.

simon you gave good advice and i appreciate the opinion. i am trying to educate myself to get the wrapper that will best meet my needs. i am sure the pac bay would do fine and it is a nice machine. i just am undecided so far and want to see if the cpw is worth the extra money. i like the dial and foot control on the pac bay, i dont believe the cpw has both

John,
A couple of thoughts:

1. If possible, have a separate lathe for doing "dirty work" and another one for "clean work"
i.e. if you are doing handle shping with flying cork dust - keep it in an area that is separate from the lathe that is used for rod wrapping.
It is so tough to keep dust out of a guide wrapping area; if you are grinding cork in the same area.

2. For doing cok, it is nice to have two or possibly threee lathes.
a. It is nice to have a mini, or midi lathe - with variable speed for those times that you want to turn handles on a manderal. The fixed industrial machinest lathe work much much better than any sort of "rod building laht".
b. It is also nice to have a high , single speed lathe to turn handles on a rod - with no guides on the rod. This lathe must have a good set of steady rests, and then you can do your handle shping very quickly.
c. Finally, it is nice to have a heavy duty variable speed lathe - to be able to shape handles, for completed rods. If you try to shape handles on a high speed single speed lathe, it is very likely that you will blow up the rod due to imbalance.

Yes, some of the "rod building lathes" on the market will do all of these jobs all right. -- but as is generally the case --- if you get a dedicated tool for each job, the final result will be better.

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For the lathes that I use for doing handle turning on the bare blank - I prefer to use a simple 1/2 inch keyless key chuck to hold the blank. I use a solid manderal of some sort - steel, fiberglass, etc. and either grind it to size or add tape to build up the diameter to fit inside the blank. By running a nice stiff manderal up the blank, it is possible to have an excellent grip on the blank, when turning those handles on the high speed blank.

When dowing power wrapping on new rods, I also use a similar chuck setup. i.e. a 1/2 inch chuck - with a manderal added to fit inside the blank. I wait until the wrapping is complete before adding the butt cap.

I also have a 3 inch chuck setup available for power wrapping for those rods which already have a butt cap attached. One advantage of using the manderal up inside the butt of the rod, is that you never put any marks on the handle from the pressure of the chuck.

For the Variable speed lathe to turn completed rods, I use a 4 inch machinest chuck, which does a nice job of gripping the rod. If I happen across a handle that needs a great amount of work, I will normally remove the butt cap, and then use a manderal up the butt.
This allows me to easily modify the entire handle without having to worry about chuck interference when turning.

Take care
Roger

I have the Custom Power Wraper from Anglers. Great machine . Speed control good. You can Sand turn grips with no problems. I even turned some wood last week. Only drawback when turning belts heat up and stretch, if you go with this machine order some extra belts