Has anyone ever made a butt wrap layout jig? I want to make one but I need some specs, like the groove depth and width and overall size of the jig. I can't really tell by looking at the pictures and I don't know anyone around here who has one. Also, I couldn't find one in the equipment photos here that gives any information. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David D.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

If someone has some "foolproof plans" for this I would appreciate the sharing of them. I have tried all kinds of things including using an overhead light all with no luck. I have lost the one I had been using between carting stuff back and forth for Rodbuilding therapy, I mean Gatherings......lol For the time being I just "Eyeball" and it appears I have been using my drunk eye.......Hey maybe I should have a few more beers before I try it........lol

Hi David,
Check out the @#$%& .com website on the left. Go to rodbuilding supplies then measuring and layout tools. They have two flexcoat layout jigs for sale at a reasonable price and will save you some work.
ESFNEM Col

I really wanted to make one. I have the time (disabled veteran) and the wood. I just wanted to make my own. Saves a lot on shipping costs. I don't live anywhere near a store that sells them either. Coshocton, OH is right next to nothing if you know what I mean. I think they are about 12 inches long but I need a little more info about the v notch and distance to the back board etc. I might just have to do a trial and error thing. If someone knows please share. If not, I'll make one and let you guys know how it turns out. It can't be as intricate as my wrapper was. I'll try to get a picture up of my new wrapper soon. The old one was good but I really like the one I just built.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

if you have the book by Dale Clemens, (cant rememeber which one right now), you could get the specs from there.. few years back, i got a company to make one out of acrylic using the specs in the book... it worked well except for the fact that the v-groove was out by 2 mm

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Why not make the base as a laminate? Cut the base in half,cut a 45 degree chunk equally off both sides(at the top), glue it back together and clamp it. Just make sure the angled piece that acts as your scribe,pencil,etc. line, sets directly over your glue joint. Measurements will vary depending on the width of the angled aluminum piece.

I made mine. The dimensions are 12" long x 3 1/4" wide. Distance to the center of the V groove is 2 3/4". Having written that down I find that I should have made it longer (at least 14" and better 20"). When I made it I used 1" standard hardwood stock material. I should have doubled up on the base to raise it farther from the work surface. If there is a "trick" to this rig it is that the plexiglas ruler should center over the absolute middle of the "V" in the wood block. The depth of the V is immaterial - small blanks will drop down and center large diameter blanks will sit level with or above the groove. Again the accuracy in centering the plexiglas ruler is the key.

Good idea. What would the thickness of the base be though? 1/2", 3/4" ? I think the groove depth has to be a certain size for it to work right. Any thoughts on that?

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Awesome! Thanks Ken. I will most definitely try that.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Ken, you should post a pic of yours.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

David: The one I use has a piece of aluminum angle with a clear ruler tape that serves as the straight edge over the center of the groove routed in the base. The back side of the jig has two slots that allow the piece of angle to be raised or lowered onto the blank. Mine is made from 3/4 stock. Poplar, I'm almost sure. John

Mine is "old and dirty" - it's been in use for something like 24 years. Lots of times I think I should build a new one (longer & thicker). Now that my wife has caught the bug I probably will. When I do I'll post a photo with schematics / drawings. This time I may make it out of white cutting board material ?polystyrene?; permanently attach the overlay plexiglas with a piano hinge at the back . Occasionally the plexiglas will slip a little and the scribe point will waiver. I think a permanent hinge will solve that problem...

David as Ken said that top plate has got to be absolutley centered over the groove.It cant be a 1/16 out of line on either end or your center marks will be off.Done that.lol What I did to get it right was was got my plexiglass plate cut as close to width as possible for me,and took a piece of 1in. aluminum angle and held that against the backplate with the angle edge over the edge of the plate,lined my plate up withn the groove and epoxied the angle to the plate .works like a champ.With the 1in. angle flat against the backplate makes a lot easier to hold that to the backplate square also.Of course your cutting equipment may be more accurate than mine too.

I've got one that is manufactured.

But the measurements are as followed. wood is 5/8" thick, from the center of the groove to the back stop is 2". The grove it self is 1/2" wide at the very top and 3/8" deep. The whole jig is 12" long, I would make it at least 14 or 16" inches long. 12" is ok but I always run my straight edge out past the jig on almost every layout.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Great. Thanks for all the ideas guys. I'm gonna post a picture of my new homemade wrapper today and would be happy to share specs on it if anyone wants them. It seems most everyone says that they wish their layout jig was longer than 12" so I'll make mine longer. I really like making my own stuff. That way you can add or take away things as needed. Again, thanks for all the help.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Suprised so many people use this thing. I just hold a ruler up, make the marks,do th same on th 180, and after I lay don the first pass of thread I make sure the thread crossings are perfectly straight. SOmanypeople orryabout making straight points, but forget that they have to make sure th actual thrads are on th blank straight throughout the wrap - that is where most people screw up.

WhenI did use this I had to builda table to raise the rod, trigger always got in the way, and if you do the wrap last the stripper guide might block the tool, and the guides will cause the same problem as the trigger.

Billy,

Looking at your thread work compated to mine......I need every bit of help I can get!! LOL!

My problem is that I can't seem to hold the ruler straight enough to mark the rod without the ruler moving when I mark. Billy, when you make your marks, is your rod blank sitting in your lathe or wrapper? Or do you lay the rod against something to make the marks. For me, it's pretty hard. However you do it. It seems to work great because your wraps look awesome.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

I use some thing similar to this but I can put a pointer or a pencil in one end to make marks : [ep.yimg.com]

Bill - willierods.com

I usually lock the blank with the indexing feature on my Clemens/Renzetti lathe. However, i've marked the blank without this at seminars & gatherings and the points are close enough for me. THe important part isnt havingth points marked out straight...its' making sure the THREAD ITSELF is in a sraight line once youlay them down on the blank. Lay down a pass, sight down the blank and make sure all the crosses line up with treh 0 & 180 axis, if not adjust until they are. Aftr a few passes, do this again - the points on th blank are there for reference, the thread is what people actually see focus on that more than anything else.

PS - My wraps are NOT all perfectly straight although they seem that way in photos. It's more common to have 1 pattern leaning off in one direction, usually the one furthest away from the foregrip. As much as I try to remember to keep this one straight, it often is off by a couple of degrees.