What is your preferred method to align guides on the blank. Do you just eye ball them, Laser them?
Thanks

Eyeball-I like to place the Tip Top first, aligning it with the reel seat. Then, line up each guide, using the TT as a reference.

The old "eyeball" method is the best IMO. There are two ways to get it done, I combine both. 1) Holding the rod butt at your nose and sighting down the rod and; 2) Turning the rod guides downward on your wrapper and standing over the top and looking at the amount of frame protruding from each side of the blank. Between the two, you should achieve the final result of good alignment.

One thing to add: make sure you're building on the straightest axis. If the blank "curves" to the right or left, you'll have a harder time getting the guides to run in a straight line.
That being said, I recently refinished a 1940's casting rod which had a bend to the right. I could not free up the ferrule at the seat to rotate the blank (my grandfather had done his own repair on the thing, 30 years ago, and I figured I would destroy everything by trying to unscrew the ferrule). In order to achieve the straightest line path, I purposely placed two of the guides slightly off-axis.

I use Jim's methods above and build on the straightest axis like George. Every once in a while I'll get a blank with no discernable bend and then I'll build on the spine. I do have a question to add to Mark's...

There have been a few instances, usually multi-section blanks, where I've got my guides all lined up and when I do the static test there appears to be a twisting in the blank that rotates the center guides a little to the left or right. Adding tension to the line running through the guides does little to straighten out this twist. As I adjust the guide positions I realign them but when I take the anchor line off the tip and relax the blank it will twist back. It appears to be slight enough that I've considered it negligible. Has anyone else seen this and what would your recommendations be for the alignments?

Like Jim said..........

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!!

Ditto what Jim said. I will add this little thing I do that helps me.
I have a little plastic pocket level that I attach to the flat area on top of the reel seat ( I do this with a rubber band ) when I start wrapping guides. With the bubble centered, I look straight down on the guide and adjust it to where I have equal amounts of guide frame protruding from each side of the blank. I do this with every guide wrap ( the Tip is put on first as mentioned above). My wrapping rack has a "T" track centered directly under the rod so that helps in eyeballing straight down on the rod when aligning the guides. In other words , I am using 3 points of reference when aligning the guides, the level, the "T" track groove, and the equal amount of guide frame protrusion. The alignment is extremely fast by just moving your eye from the level to the guide while holding your head still.
When I'm finished wrapping, there is very little tweaking to do. I have wrapped a complete rod and never have to tweak any guides.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

Jay-
I've put together something similar to what you are using. I mounted the bubble level to a foot removed from an old casting reel. The foot has holes made into it apparently lighten the frame. I put a small diameter bolt up through the bottom of the foot to make a "sighting pin" of sorts. After guide placement and static testing I mount the1 piece foot, level and pin in the reel seat and run a piece of yellow flourescent line from the pin through the guides and tip. I attach a 1 oz. sinker to 3-4" of line hanging from the tip. I can use the pin and the level as references as well as being able to view the line from above to see if it and the guide's feet are top dead center along the blank's length. If a guide is "out" the line contacts it at some point other than dead center and does not align with the foot. The 1st time I tried it I was surprised at how well it worked. Aligning guides has always taken me way too long-every time I look at them they look different.

Chris

For alignment I eyeball as others. Two other things help, as -- - - -
1.- I have two pcs. of small dia. rod. One is 3 ft.; the other 4 ft.. Both determined to be straight.
With the guides "up" or "down" (rod held stationary) a pc. of small rod is fed thru guides.
Any guide out of line shows easily.
2.- A reel "stand" has holes in it so as a clamp (like U-bolt) can be used to attach reel to rod. Through these holes I put two 2 in. long threaded bolts (3/16" dia.) and attached with nuts. Place reel stand
on reel seat and lock in place. With the bolts vertical, the stand (with bolts) is another sighting
accessary. - - - - -

jocko

Casting rods are easy to do by the method I use ,but a spinning seat doesn't have enough flat area to hold the level ,not very well anyway. I am looking at an old fly reel that has a removable foot, via 2 screws. I will make something to mount in the seat with a flat surface for the level.
I strive for a method that does not require any rigging. So far , the little level has been the simplest method I have found. If I can keep the seat and tip top level and plumb, the rest is gravy. Each guide is plumbed then wrapped . I don't plumb all the guides then wrap, I do them one at a time. As I said , I have wrapped a couple of rods that have 8 to 9 guides and never have to nudge a guide into place. The level stays on the seat til all the guides are wrapped in place, it spins with the rod. I surprised myself with the last Micro Bass Rod I built which was a CB70H with 9 guides ,7 of them being #4's. Didn't have to tweak any of them. Of course I was extra careful in the alignment , knowing that the little #4's would be hard to move.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2009 07:16PM by Jay Hunt.

Mark,
Don't make the easy mistake of aliging the guides on a reel seat which doesn't hold the reel in the same place as you align the guides.

ie. to be sure that the guides are aligned properly, be SURE to place a reel on the reel seat and double check the guide alignment, after you think everything is all right.

It is suprising how often you will thing that you had the reel seat position aligned correctly with the perfect actual reel position, to find that it is actually different.

Always place a reel on the reel seat and tighten it down, run the line through the guides and run some line down and back through the guides before shipping every reel.
If you have any issues with guide placement or alignment, this quick and easy test shows it up right away.

Always do this , before you do the final wrap coating and permenant placement and alignment of the guides.

Take care
Roger

I use the line through the guide method. Tighten up the line until the rod is in a slight bow. Check to see where and how the line contacts the guides. Use a brightly colored fly line for this. It makes it so much easier.

I got this from Tom Kirkman many years ago. C2

I use the post and foot section from an old reel seat. painted the cut end white to see it better.
The colored fly line works well for static testing also. I like the yellow.

Bill - willierods.com

Everyone has done a nice job answering the question posed.

Often the gimbal (on a saltwater rod at least) is the last thing to get lined up with the reelseat and the guides.

One method is to place a sharpened pencil vertically accross the slots of the gimbal once it is glued in, and then just use the point to align (by rotating the gimbal clockwise or counterclockwise) the gimbal up with the guides.

Whit

Thanks everyone for the replies. A lot more ideas than I imagined. This will help. I built (2) 13 foot surf rods and noticed that some of the guides are out of alignment. Not a lot but I want them aligned.