The availability of rod building kits and components has made the art of building a fishing rod very elementary. In fact, what I thought was impossible 5 years ago, is now possible even for newbies. So, apart from classic bamboo fly rods, can the rest be recognised as a craft.

Anthony Lee

Well, I wouldn't say that having kits readily available means that there can't be craftmanship involved in the construction of a truly custom rod. The addition of "fit and finish" can show a marked difference between two rods built by two people from the same kit.

And as to rodbuilding not being considered a craft at all, I would point out that the use of custom made grips, customized seats, hand chosen guide sizes and combinations, rod configuration, quality of finish, is a big difference from just assembling a kit that someone else has provided.

I still see guide kits available, that incorporate all sizes of guides from small to large. I would no longer use this type of configuration, because my own testing has shown the advantage of dropping down to the smallest size as quick as possible, gets me the farthest casts..

I see plenty of cork grips available, but none of them are made to fit my hand. The grips that I craft myself, however do fit my hand. And I make them from material and components that I have chosen myself, and often times made myself.

Kits can be put together, or they can be crafted. The same goes with non kit rods. Custom components can be put together, or crafted together.

So yes, I would say that rod building can be considered a craft at all levels. It just depends on the amount of effort and craftiness applied by the assembler or craftperson.

I hope what I just wrote makes sense ;) It is really late!

Anthony,

My first several rods were from a kit. I learned right away that rod building is indeed a craft. It is relatively easy to assemble a kit, but to make it personal with your butt wraps, guide selection, guide placement, handles etc. takes a lot more than following directions from a kit.

Check out the photo tab and then tell me these people are not craftsman.

As for me, I am not a craftsman, I am working towards it though.

Chris..............You say it is late, I say it iis early.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

I think the availability of kits have made it easier for newbies to get started. After doing a few kits they will want to branch out to doing their own grips, handles,spacing and etcetera. I haven't used any kind of guide kits or premade grips in many a year but at one time most of us stated off the same by imitating factory rods.

I have never started from Building Kits, besides learning from you Anthony... a large part of it was the fun of riding down the learning curve and trying different stuff. It is definitely a craft, I will not understand why rod builders could build the same design over and over again without any individual flair in each production. I told myself i refuse to build any rod whom the owner request for no butt wrapp and who wants it as simple as possible... "why not just grab it from the shelf....?" was my answer to their request.

I am not in it for money and i want to be able to say that every rod made have my flair, my signature and my pride in it. I like to stare at my finish rod for days before i am willing to part with it. In fact if there is a job in rod building which would pay half as good as my day job... i would in doubt jump on it ...

I was known to be a very short temper person... my wife and my friends were amazed that i could sit hours in front of my rod fiddling with thread and coming out with those butt wrap... there is something magical abt this craft and i would consider it an unique art form.

I am thinking of transferring the know how to produce high end customized pen... my first production should be out soon...

SInce a "craft" is generally defined as a trade requiring a skill, yes rodbuilding would be considered a craft. The more one practices (typically, or should I say "hopefully") the more one becomes skilled at their craft, until earning the somewhat redundant title "skilled craftsman or skilled craftswoman)

If it isn't a craft then I'm not sure what it would be called. Simply calling it manufacturing or something like that wouldn't seem to fit with what most custom builders do. But I'm sure it would fit what some do if they're just copying factory rods.

The better question might be, "Why is rod building not a craft?" If that can be answered satisfactorily then maybe it's not. But I think you might have a hard time proving that it's not.

Compare it to wood working. Sure there are tons of kits out there. Just because kits are available doesn't mean wood working isn't a craft.

You're not going to find kits that push the envelope with things like carbon skins, flocking, micro guides, reel seat modifcations, epoxy ramps, weaves, crosswraps, locking wraps, feather inlaws, ribbon inlays, etc (man this list could get long!) - all those had to be developed somewhere and most are not for someone just picking up a kit to build a rod. Heck, even getting epoxy to level isn't easy for the guy picking up his first kit. You still have to develop technique!

That being said, I do believe there is a difference in being an inovator in the craft and being more of just a builder. There are just some folks who come up with new ideas and see things differently. Might be experience (from fishing or other occupations) that help them see new opportunities in rods, or maybe just wanting to do something different. Nothing wrong with being a builder. I'm personally not an inovator, just not my thing. Maybe one day it will be.

The one thing I really appreciate is the inovators being so open as to share their "discoveries" and not keep them locked up in a closet somewhere. It make me a better builder learning from these folks' experiments, trials, and errors.

As in many other crafts, there are starter kits to get you going. After that, skill, imagination, innovation comes in, and with new ideas, better fit and finish, more beautiful and functional items can be crafted.

For anyone who's been building a while, look back at your first work. For me, it brings a smile to my face: droopy wavy epoxy, gapped thread wraps, etc. The more you do, the more you improve. And after a while, you go outside the (kit) box and get really stuck in.

I believe that it's definitely a craft and, quite possibly, could even be called an art (insert NERB's, etc here). As has been pointed out, there are different degrees of skill possessed by builders, some of who may or may not be craftsmen. For example, Mark Blabaum and I both turn wood. Woodturning is definately considered a craft, yet Mark is an artist while I am a sawdust manufacturer!!! While I am definately not a fan of rod kits, they definately have their place in the learning curve (I am still using various woodturning project kits but only once or twice to see how it's done) In my opinion, using a kit to learn from is one thing but using kits because it's easier/faster is a different story.

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!!

Rodbuilding can be anything ranging from a low-volume production assembly process all the way up to a highly refined art. It all depends on the person. Believe me, I've seen my share of 'custom' rods that are pathetic excuses for a fishing rod - they make a Wal-Mart special look good. And, I've seen rods that I simply stare in awe at the creativity and talent of the builder.

My first rod was from a kit. It was good for introducing me to the fundamentals.

Mike - I'll bet you make prettier sawdust than I do :-) LOL!

I build quite a few rods and for the customer that can't afford a high dollar rod I will use a kit. It seems that I spend less money on a kit because if I buy the components seperately I always want to up grade just a little on each component. By the time I have put a kit together I have gone over my cutomers budget and end up not making much money. Even if I used only kits to me it is still a craft because in the hands of someone that doesn't know what they are doing they end up with a rod that is not properly constructed or adorned.
Pat

I don,t how to classify rodbuilding . It is easy enough that a kid can do it or tuff enough to give me @#$%&. Selecting rod building component from the many that is available is the work of an engineer , putting it all together is the work of a skilled craftsmen , the colors and thread work is for an artist.
It takes me many hours to build a rod and it is not for sale but I will give them away to those I deem worthy. The rods I build are not any better than what can be built by any other custom rod builder but everyone I build seems to be part of me. I am often ask by fellow fishermen to build them a custom rod and often respond by offering to help them build their own. I have yet to have a taker on that proposition.

I think that when we all start building rods we just assemble them and aren't really building a "custom" rod. Once bitten by the rod building bug though, the details become more and more important. The materials and the methods we use to construct rods becomes more diverse and the quality of the finished product becomes much better in both form and function. When you add things like thread work or building a birch bark handle, the hours spent to build the finished product is greatly increased and must be considered "crafted" and not "assembled". The detail in making custom rods is what makes custom rod building a craft. Besides that, if there is going to be something revolutionary in the rod building industry you will probably see it here or in the pages of Rod Maker Magazine and not from Sage or Orvis. Heck, have you ever heard of a custom builder having to use a term like "zero-gravity" to sell their product? Thats because they don't have to.
Lynn

Thank you all for your wonderful contribution.

IMHO, the line between an assembler and a crafttman is very thin. Except a few, most of us are just assemblers simply because we do not craft the most important component of a fishing rod, which is the rod blank. Unlike my very close friend who builds his own bamboo fly rod, he takes about 3 months to produce a single rod. He decides and crafts his own blanks, their power, taper /action, from raw bamboo stumps. He even bends his own hook keeper and snake guides from very expensive metals. I just witnessed how he crafted his own brass end caps for his fly rod tubes. He is one of two bamboo fly rod builders in the whole of Malaysia and Singapore. He, IMHO, is truely a craftsman. And he can afford to do what he does as he charges thousands of dollars for each rod and there are people willing to wait, between 18 to 24 months, and pay for his rods

I have fished for more than 50 years and also build my own rods for the last 15 years. Our industry, that includes all types of rods, except fly rods, have changed so tremendously that building one of these rods is no more a mystery. I have taught beginners to assemble and finish their first rods to very high standard.

So, are we truely craftsman? Despite my doubts, I still consider myself a craftsman as I have customers and friends who treasure my work. And it's not only the butt wraps but the overall artistry in putting the different components, expecially with those that are handmade, to very very exacting standards. Over here, we call such skills "a touch of Zen" where sometimes, more is also less.

Cheers,

Anthony Lee
*My home is where the fishes are*

Simple answer: YES.

It is a craft. It is an art, No less so than making anything that requires handwork skills. Most craft shops offer classes in stained glass, carving, decorative painting, and all sorts of other things; a lot o their customers continue on their own tomake gifts and maybe even sell a few items. Why are they crafters, and we're not?

And don't even try to argue the point that we use manufactured components - including blanks, cork rings, reel seats, guides, and such. Does someone who makes stained glass pieces make the glass or the lead? Does a custon car builder make the engine block from scratch? Does a custom gunsmith make the barrels or the trigger parts?

One of the finest living engravers of fine guns, Winston Churchill, is regarded worldwide as a craftsman of the highest order. The apprentices in the engraving shop and Holland and Holland are learning the craft and every last one aspires to his own shop and dreams of someday reaching half the level of respect that Churchill has. But the don't make the guns - the engrave them. Are they not crafstmen of the highest order?

So are we, in various stages and with varies levels of experience. Is not the work of Doc Ski and the other top weavers or thread-masters a craft? Does not the ability to take various pieces and parts and put them togethe in unique ways that exceed the capabilities of even the best mass manufactured rods a craft? So, are we not craftsmen?

Don't get me started.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

I'll throw in my 2 cents on the subject.

Making anything can exist on three basic levels: manufacturing, craft and art.

Manufacturing - is basically putting together components to make the same item over and over to a set minimum standard of quality.

Craft - takes it a step farther in offering a wider range of options to the consumer than a manufacturer is able to. Craftsmen usually shoot for a maximum level of quality rather than settling for a minimum standard as a manufacturer does. The craftsman can offer something a little more unique and better quality than a manufacturer can by choosing various materials and treatments and by hand fitting and finishing everything. The higher that level of quality the finer the craftsman.

Art - happens when the creative process is involved. When the maker schemes and plans and has inspiration to do something totally unique by use of creative input he has crossed into the realm of artist. Often (but not always) this involves a greater portion of the object be hand made because the creative concept goes beyond what can be achieved by pre-made parts. This goes beyond just copying something pretty you saw someone else do somewhere. Creating art is risky because you are stepping out into new and original directions others (including the potential customer) may not be willing or able to go.

So rod builders can be Manufacturers, Craftsmen, or Artist depending on the level of craftsmanship and creativity they put into their work.


My 2 cents,

Ray

Critique time for the posts so far
Joe B & Russ P come closest to the essence of the issue
Good one Guys
Yes its a craft and an art................. rodbuilding contains elements of both at every level.
Even at the kit stage!!!!!
there is craft in the bindings ( they don't come in the kit ) !!!!!...............or the finish ( & if thats not an art I dont know what is................ 14000 rodbuilders have 15000 different ways to put CP & a couple of coats of epoxy on ).
The extent of the craft & the artistry justs gets more complex the more components you apply yourself to & either create or personalise.
The skills involved in rodbuilding ultimately involve at least the following crafts & acquired skills:-
adhesives
shaping & fitment of Grip ID
Guide spacing
Eyeball skills like guide alignment
Binding basic skills
Binding art
finish coat skills
& thats just a Kit job
then it progresses to:-
grip art........... trim rings inlays etc
gripshaping & reelseat inserts ( aka woodworking skills )
blank trimming to alter blank characteristics ( some of us even reshape blanks & add stiffeners etc )
ferrule engineering & fabrication ( & I don't mean storebought ferrules here )
painting skills ( & that ranges from pressurepak grade to airbrush artistry) & product knowledge for component compatibility.
ergonomics ( grip length; butt length, blank action & power etc etc )
the artistry of marbling
& it goes on ( but some of us might not have actually realised the skills we use )
innovation of new materials for just about everything in a rod.

Even manufacturing processes frequently require and only employ craftsmen( craftswomen ) in manufacturing steps requiring skill.
Excellent question Tony L.
Actually a very philosophical question as well.

Some of you might like to add to the list of skills, arts & crafts involved in rodbuilding & Tom can keep the list somewhere to remind us all of the multiple skills & arts actually involved in the 'simple' CRAFT of rodbuilding
DenisB

Ray Cover - all well said. Especially, "Creating art is risky because you are stepping out into new and original directions others (including the potential customer) may not be willing or able to go. " Exactly!

Time and loss of vision (too many high G turns in the F-4) may be taking away my capacity to build - but what I've already done represents who I am, and has a good chance of standing the test of time. I'll be out of the loop for a few months starting Monday (operation on the right eye - detached retina, and Lazer work on the left eye). Hope to be seeing all of you at the next ICRBE in 2009 (pun intended).