i am going to be building a rod for a friend. the length and action he wants isn't offered by the manufacturer he has chosen. he wants a 6' 2" M/H Rod and the closest i can find is a 6' 6" M-H blank. what would it do to the action if i were to trim 4" off? which end would you guys suggest i me trim or would trimming the blank have a bad affect on the action of the rod?

Take the 4" off the butt end only and it will work out well. Trimming a blank always slows the action a bit, but 4" wont effect it drastically on a MH power rodif done from the butt end.

DR

Richard IMO this will not hurt the blank at all, you will not be able to tell that you even did it. I cut 3 blanks off on saturday to make three. 6'2" rods just like you would like to do. Just try to make them nice clean cuts, I put masking tape around where am going to cut and that helps alot. Then when done cutting sand them nice on the end. I would take it all off the butt of the rod.

Bill@midwestrodandreel.com
www.midwestrodandreel.com

If he has chosen the manufacturer and has asked you to shorten it by four inches. It may be best at this point to ask him which end he prefers to have the four inches removed. If he says the tip end ask him to find another rod builder before you loose a friend. What manufacturer and blank number do you have in your possesion? The MH relates to power - to make any kind of a SWAG on the information you are seeking any one would need to know the action of the original.

Richard,
To make nice clean cuts on rod blanks, I might suggest the following:

[www.harborfreight.com]


If you get this saw, remove the blade and replace it with an abrasive cut off wheel:

[www.harborfreight.com]

The abrasive cut off wheel makes a velvet smooth cut in all kinds of materials.
There are no teeth to catch and leave a jagged edge, or worse, catch and tear out a piece of the blank.

Also, with no teeth on the wheel, if you do have the misadventure to get a finger too close to the wheel, there are no teeth to tear up a fingerf. You might get a blade burn from contacting the wheel, but it won't tear up a finger as a blade would.

This cut off wheel and associated saw is my tool of choice in the shop for any type blank trimming chores, chopping cork etc.

It works very well and it takes up very little space.

After getting mine, I did modify it by removing all of the angle making bracketry. I also milled off the number that were etched into the base. I then put a small angled aluminum at 90 degrees to the wheel at the center line of the wheel. I wanted to only chop at 90 degrees, and I wanted the maximum bed available. I lowered the spinning wheel, and made a clean cut through the attached aluminum angle to have a perfect - tight - 90 degree backing bar for the wheel.

Give one a try, I think you will like it.

Take care
Roger

p.s.
I also agree - trim only the butt of the rod.
If you trim 4 inches off the tip, you will be able to swap this rod blank for a 2X4.

Trimming from either end will create a slower action.

Trimming from the tip will increase the casting lure range without affecting fish fighting power.

Trimming from the butt will not alter the casting lure range (unless you remove a drastic amount) but will reduce the fish fighting power somewhat.

Nowhere is it said that you have to cut 4" from the butt or the tip. Try cutting an inch from the tip and an inch from the butt. If that doesn't work out cut a little more from each end until you get it right.

A diamond cut off wheel is the best thing I've found to cut any blank inexpensively, just throw one in a dremal and try it : [www.harborfreight.com]


DR

Tom-
Making sure I understand....You said cutting from tip will increase casting lure range-would that only be an increase on the upper end of the range?

Chris

Sorry to hyjack the thread, but I have a question for you Roger. How do you account for the rod taper with that saw to get a perfectly straight cut? You can email the answer direct if you like so we don't hyjack this thread any more than I already have, unless everyone else is wondering the same. Right now, I also use the tape wrap and diamond cut-off wheel on a Dremel.

Bill in WV

It would result in an increase in both minimum and maximum, i.e shift the range a bit higher. Removing some tip will hinder it with the lighter side of things.
Another thing I have found with abrasive wheels is that the area being cut can get quite hot. The taper of a rod, although it is there and does have an effect, doesn't have that much of an effect on squaring a cut. If you really want to get a square cut that way, use the tape as well, and rotate the blank as you cut.

I try hard not to shorten a blank but when I have to , I will shorten from each end as Lance suggested. I figure by doing that I am not jeopardizing either spectrum very much.

Ive cut a lot of blanks, both ends is fine, one end is fine, and it all depends on WHAT you're trying to acomplish. If you are only wanting THAT VERY rod shorter, cutting from the butt is best. You could take off an inch from the tip and 3 from the butt IF you're trying to get a higher weight lure rating, if you are fine with the starting lure weight of the rod then cut from butt.

Cutting from the butt rarely changes a rod very much at all, but it can slow the action and take away some of the power of the rod if cut too much.

Cutting form the tip gives you a heavier lure rating, the more you cut the heavier the lure rating can be, but it also slows the blanks action, the more you cut the slower the action will be.

DR

There is one custom builder who is probably looking at this and seriously considering posting. He probably will decline due to the fact that he makes a living by chopping! If you take an extra fast blank and go to whacking on it you can either create a gem of a fishing rod or a piece of graphite that will be called a breakfast cereal fishing rod - snap, crackle and pop - morning John B. in North Carolina.

I am Gon Fishn

Bill,
To get a straight cut is trivial with the chop saw.
As I said in the post, I have mounted a 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch angled aluminum bar on the saw bed at 90 degrees to the cut off wheel.

I simply place the blank, on the saw bed, holding the blank tight to the 1/4 inch backing plate that is at 90 degrees to the wheel.
I drop the spinning wheel that is solidly mounted on the bearings and I have a cut that is perfectly square to the blank.

If you have a radically tapered blank, you could have a tiny bit of tilt to the cut, but it would be only equal to the amount of taper on the blank. If I do happen to have a radically tapered rod that I am trimming, I will simply hold the blank slightly away from the backing angle and up from the bed that is equal to the taper of the rod. Very simple and very easy.

---------
Furthermore, I am not that concerened about the butt of the rod being trimmed 100% square, although it normally is. The reason for that in the bulk of my rods that I build with cork grips are built with the cork rings on the rod. I drill the cork, glue up the handle and then spin the entire rod and handle while turning the handle. The last thing that I do after turning the handle is to place the butt section of the rod against my disk sander which has a 90 degree miter gauge attached. I place the rod against the 90 degree miter bar to insure that the butt of the rod is at 90 degrees and has perfect square edges to glue on the similar butt cap. Thus, the rod will always have a perfect 90 degree end on the butt of the rod.

Take care
Roger

Roger I was not referring to the quality of the cut - I was talking about taking a blanks designed to perform a task and creating either a specialty rod that performs satisfactorily or cutting it improperly and ending up with a very fragile blank. Example take a extra fast blank properly designed - cut too much off of butt - install a rear grip that is too long - install a foregrip - hook a big one - let the fisherperson high reach and you will see why I referred to breakfast cereal.

Can someone explain WHY a perfectly square cut off is relevant. I'm not saying it's not but no one has ever said why. Is it just being anal or does it have some sort of structural impact?? I have never seen a rod where the end of the blank was exposed so if a trim cut is angled by a couole degrees and then encased in a grip or butt cap, what is the downside??

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!!

Bill S.

He was answering my question. Thanks Roger for the clarification on your procedure.

Bill in WV

Trying hard to get a perfectly square cut is probably just being a bit anal. Sure a few of use are guilty of it sometimes, even though it'll be covered up later down the line.

I'd think a 6 ft blank with the characteristics you want, extended 2 inches would be the best move. Really hard to screw that combo up.