The description for Batson's Dream Reamer small size is as follows: "Small Reamer for Fly/Ultra Light Blanks". I am a hobby builder that has a need for a reamer to do fly rod blanks anywhere from a 2 weight to a 10 weight. Is this reamer suited best for all fly rod blanks, or am I better off to get the kit of four reamers? Also, are there different kits available, the descriptions all seem to match but prices on these vary widely from place to place.

thanks. Gary

Gary:
I only know of one kit of the Dream Reamers with 4 different size reamers..
The smallest one of the 4 in my kit measures @.275 (3/16) at the tip and @ .366 (3/8) at the butt.
I cannot tell you how much time this kit has saved me. I use them very carefully & gently in a drill press.
I would tell you to get the whole kit. I use my entire kit, I love cork handles on all my different types of rods.
Jon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2009 09:59AM by Jon Gold.

I concur with Jon. This is a super handy kit and although I do not have the luxury of a drill press, manual operation is quite acceptable as well. Send me an email at fenway66@gmail.com and I will share my source which was the lowest price for the kit by far. Best regards, Chris

Make your own reamers.

Very easy and cost effective.

You can have every taper that you will ever use.

Old rod blanks are ideal.

Paul

I fish therefore I am.
www.hookeduprods.com

I don't wish to criticize but you might want to check your measurements. 3/16 would be much less than .275. If in fact it is .275 then it is bigger than the 1/4 inch standard hole and would not fit.

#1 = 0.215 to 0.370
#2 = 0.335 to 0.475
#3 = 0.470 to 0.580
#4 = 0.565 to 0.680

Those figures are off one of my sets, not from a website.

I do like my Dream Reamers and they are a valued tool in my shop. However, I still use my Swampland Reamers much more. They cut better, cut straighter AND hold up better.

BTW, IMO you get much more desirable results (fit and finish) by taking your time and doing the work manually.

I seem to recall an issue of Rodmaker that had a spiral reamer you could make--can't remember which one though.

Jim, do you have measurements of the small sized swampland reamer? I read somewhere else here while searching that the dimensions listed on the mudhole site are made without the sanding medium applied. Was wondering what the approximate measurements would be of the small sized one with the sanding medium attached. Thanks!

I just got my Dream Reamer kit yesterday and it looks great. Before, I had a reamer that I tried to make that was similar to the dream reamer, but had a hard time getting the sanding strips to stay on nice and smooth, especially at the tip on the smaller diameters. I also had the grit type reamer, but really do not care for those, especially when a piece of grit comes loose and is stuck inside the grip and puts a nice scratch on the blank (I probably forgot to blow it out first).

I learned to stay away from the grit reamers. I can tap them on the cork on the counter and try to blow it out. If a piece of grit is stuck in the cork you really scratch up the blank.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Jon -

The small Swampland Reamer OD (where the abrasive is located) ranges from 0.315 to 0.465. The medium ranges from 0.410 to 0.485. Although the larger diameter, of the medium size, isn't much different, the taper is and it is useful to have.

IF you wanted to build your own, you could communicate with Lance at Swampland (vendor list to left) to see if he could possibly accommodate you with the abrasive material ... it is the best I have found to date.

Jim -

It's like drill bits, you can't have enough of them.

First to answer the question - yes, the smalles Batson reamer is pretty hood for more of the flyrods we build.

We use the Batson Dream Reamers every day. We've replaced the sandpaper several times. The only word of warning is that the instructions now specifically say don't use them in a drill, and we are living proof that if you do, the repeated heat buildup will eventually cause the fiberglass shaft to fail. If you do choose to use a drill or some sort, TAKE IT SLOW and stop every few minutes to let the reamer (and the cork or EVA) cool.

The Swampland reamers are also ecellent and have different tapers, which gets back to the point - like drill bits, more in different sizes is always better.

And then there's make your own. The grit styles defintely have a problem with grit coming off and scarring the blank. One way to avoid this is to run a nylon brush through the hole to clean it out after using one of these kinds of reamers. But a better way is to select a piece of blank or dowel with a taper you like and spiral your own sandpaper tape around it.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Mudhole is the exclusive dealer for the Professional Reamers built in the Swampland Tackle shop.

[www.mudhole.com]