Mike
I take that statment back.
If you can cut cork with stainless leader wire like Chris Davis said, then my tool can cut cork also.
It will cut it safer because you are not holding it in your hands

Bill Marchisella

1/ "Add-on" carriage (cross-slide) for a pen lathe (Grizzly or other) that would enable use as a metal turning type lathe. I put this idea in front of Andy Renzetti a couple of years ago but it went no where.

2/ A decent three-jaw, stable, lathe chuck for the pac-bay / amtak rod lathes. While the support on the new pac-bay is stable the jaws of the chuck have such poor tolerance (wide inner spiral grooves) that the jaws impart inherent wobble as they don't close evenly. Offer one at a price under $200.00 and I'll buy two for the lathes I already have.

Another one: for the bamboo rod builders - Double (simultaneous) 60 degree bevel cutter for cane. I've had no luck finding a machine shop to implement my design. Concept is to run a split of bamboo past twin 60 degree moulding cutters with an adjustable table to account for width of the split cames to produce perfect bevels on opposing sides.

NOTE:::: Ken Finch....your address is hidden and I did not want to clutter this sight....they do make a item for a vise but the name is un-mentionable on this sight that has held my projects for many years with no damage problem.

Tight Lines
Tight Wraps
Fishin'Stix by Fred



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2008 09:05PM by fred schoenduby.

Fred, if their name is unmentionable on this site then there is probably a very good reason why and I am not sure I would want to risk doing business with them. But I'm game. Do not know how to unhide my address so reach me here--- kenfinch@mailcan.com

We would like to thank everyone for their great ideas and suggestion and their kind words.
I guess Jimi and I have our work cut out for us, all we want is to help the rod builder do what they love to do a little easier.
If you want to contact us with an idea or suggestion you are more than welcome to e-mail us anytime.

Lynn Williams
Backlash Tools
[www.backlashtools.com]

I have the hardest time setting guides onto the rod and having them stay properly. A pressure sensitive adhesive that didn't grip hard for about 20 seconds, was clean (didn't run out and make bumps and goo on the blank) even when the guide was moved, could be applied to the foot of the guide easily, would be ideal. It should grip strongly enough to stay on if the blank is load tested.

I've used tubing-need at least two sizes for each blank, not bad but still a little troublesome.

I've used the weak hot melt-either I get too much or too little, and often it's too cool by the time it hits the rod, so doesn't stick. Or it hardens too fast and I cannot adjust position of the guide. Or hardens too fast and the guide isn't really on the blank.

I've used masking tape- leaves a sticky deposit on the blank, even the blue stuff doesn't come clean. Also hard for very small guides.

Michael

The best thing I've found to hold guides on before wrapping is a loop of 6lb mono tied into a uni knot. I slip the loop over the foot & pull the uni knot tight & trim the ends close. it holds the guide foot tight but movable. Just snip them off as the wrap gets close. I use 2 or 3 of them on larger size guides.
Hope it works for you

Bill Marchisella, your e-mail address is hidden. Will you e-mail me at mbarkley@wowway.com ?

Chris, I have sliced cork with wire on the lathe but can't get uniform sized slices that way (I know it's me)

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!!

Michael Danek

Try this and I think it will solve all your issues.

Go to Lowe's or similar source and purchase some 4" nylon wire ties. Snug them up around the guide and blank and you can move the guide, test cast or anything else you want to do. Also no mess. Just snip it off when the thread reaches it.

Steven Libby posted the other day that you can get 1000 for about $13 from Uline. I haven't tried the 3" ones yet, but do intend to. [www.uline.com]

I'd like to see an upgrade chuck for the pacBay/Amtec wrapper that actualy holds the blanks. So I don't feel I wasted money on the deluxe chuck. With out the jaws opening up. Maybe an upgrade for the deluxe chuck. Anyone ever try double sided tape on the jaws ?

Chris Davis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mike-cork can be cut in very thin slices on a turning mandrel with a piece of stainless leader wire-duplicating slice thickness I have not worked
> on. Plastic over leader wire has to be removed of course. Twist in wire makes very neat cut. EVA cuts the same way just as well.
>
> Chris.

Chris - Thank-you. I have been cutting manufactured grips on my chop-saw and then grinding and filing them to 90 degs. by hand. I never even thought about using my lathe and a piece of wire to do this. What a great idea.

Harold

Harold-
I think you could use a coping saw-replacing blade with wire-a little engineering would be necessary to attach it to the ends-using the sleeves intended for that wire size to remove your hands from the "fire". The end product looking like a cheese slicer. Neat thing is you don't even have to hold it perfectly at 90 degrees-at an angle it just cuts a wider kerf. I think a chop saw type pivot could be engineered fairly easily to duplicate slice thickness if that was your aim. A series of same thickness shims could be used (washers?) to move wire saw laterally-make a cut-remove a shim-make another and so on. I made a little miter box using 2 X 2s and a flush cut saw to make individual 90 degree end cuts.

Chris

Chris..
You've planted the seed. I can see a number of options here now. The wire and mandrel were the key. Another problem I was having, was trying to keep my wood rings for accenting the cork grips , a consistant size. By first turning my stock on the lathe to the 1 1/2 in tube size and then cutting them into rings using the parting tool, I can pretty much guarantee my ring sizes and no sanding of the flat sides afterwards.

Off to the shop to experiment.

Cheers

Ya know, a segmented doohicky that could be adjusted to various widths would be cool
for measuring and possably cutting cork, foam, or any soft material into rings of exact sizes.

I used a dinner fork once for marking EVA and then cutting the rings with E thread but most
if not all dinner forks have a center space which is wider than the outside spaces so I got
2 rings of equal width and one ring a touch wider after cutting. There was some waste but
it got the job done with quite a few rings marked & cut in a short time.

Dale Clemens showed a tool in his VHS video for just such a job that he made by sandwitching
exacto blades inbetween layers of popcycle sticks. Stab the thing into a piece of turning
"Custom Grip" material and cut several rings 1/2 way thru then finish with thread or razor knife.
Perfect rings every time!

A well made & presice tool for that purpose would be very cool indeed.

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