I am new to rod building, and would like to know what the advantage of micro guides is compared to regular style of guides, and what is the best way to lay them out on a blank?

Using the smallest guides that will pass your line and any required connections, and still deliver the required durability and service, will result in having the lightest, most responsive and best balanced rod possible. Only you can determine how small or light you can go.

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One advantage is they are lighter which helps to balance the rod better. Lighter also increases sensitivity.

They do not hang up on you other rods as bad either in storage. There are more advantages that others will elaborate on.

To lay them out, do a static guide placement test that you can find in the library here.

Walter;
take the time to read this thread and the associated links posted towards the bottom and many of your questions will be answered along with others you have yet to think about.

[rodbuilding.org]

Walter,
The principal advantages of the micro guides are the result of the fact that they weigh less or have lower mass. Because they are smaller you can also use shorter wraps and less epoxy which will also naturally result in lower added mass. The lower mass affects the performance of a rod in several ways. First, the rod will have a higher resonant frequency with less mass hung on it or will respond more rapidly. This is especially noticeable when casting light weights. It is less important when casting heavier weights. Second, overall mass is one of the major factors determining sensitivity. The lower mass guides and wraps will result in higher sensitivity.
As far as the best way to lay them out is concerned I would use the static method just as with other guides. I think that there is a description of this method in the glossary above.
There are also some disadvantages to the micro guides that you may want to consider if you are new to rod building. They can be a real pain to wrap due their small size when you first attempt to wrap with them. Also to give your rod a straight line path I would suggest that you put your guides on the straighest axis not on the spine. Mounting your guides on the spine will probably not result in a straight line path and as a result some increased friction between the line and the guides.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2010 09:33PM by Emory Harry.

Emory,
Thanks for the information. Now, I start to show just how dumb I really am on this subject. One question answered brings 1000 more. Could you please explain to me what you mean by straight path axis instead of the spline?
Thanks
Walter

g-325180



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2010 01:45PM by David Andress.

David is talking about a thread wrap

What Emory is talking about is where the guides should be placed.
Roll the blank on a flat surface-watch the tip-if it goes up and down mark the top of the blank as the tip is in the -up- position. This is the top of the rod as it is fished.
Not many worry about spin or spline or whatever ya call it anymore.

Or you can even I take it outside and point to the sky-better light- then roll it and look for the tip.
A piece of tape on the blank and a marker to mark the top Check several times.

Or even the rollers of your wrapper will work.

Bill - willierods.com

Sorry bout that I should have wrote a little something to say you can find it in the thread , thanks for correcting me Bill ..

Did not try to bad mouth you David but I read the link

We are all human

Bill - willierods.com

it 's all good ...

Rolling the blank on a flat surface, is that as good as finding the spine like others show how to find the spine?