What would be easier? Putting the top guide first, or the butt and the rest of the guides first? seems to me that you would get the butt, and the other guides first, then the tip, the first rod that I repalced teh guides i left the tip on since it was doing ok. just need some advice , this is my first rod starting from the beginning.

I think that most put the tip on the blank first. Makes it much easier to line up all of the other guides/

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!!

I actually install the butt guide; then put the tip top in place with hot melt by turning the rod so the tip is straight down; allow it to cool then install the remainder of the guides.

Lorenzo,
There is no easier way.
There are just different ways
You can put on the tip guide first, the butt guide first, or put on a middle guide and work in both directions. Or you can put on every 2nnd or 3rd guide and go back and fill in the blanks with guides.

Just pick a method that works for you and use it.

But generally speaking most folks likely put on the butt guide first and work toward the tip.

Some folks even put off putting on the tip until everything else if finished. They reason that it is too easy to have the tip get in the way for some of their work on the rod.

So, just try what every system that you want, if you don't like it use a different system and continue until you get something that works best for your particular rod building style.

There is no right or wrong ways to put on guides and there is no best or worst order to put on guides.
Just get the right sized guide tied on the right spot on the blank in what every order that works for your style.

Roger

Good advice from Roger. I always put the tip on first then the butt guide and work toward the tip, lining up as I go. That's the way I started and I'm very comfortable with that process. I also mount a small level in the reel seat before I start ,( a little line-up jig I made) to assist in getting them all plumb.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

Thank You, for all the help. i think its just what method you feel you are going to be better at. I hope I get it on my first try!lol!

The reel seat is fixed and everything else has to line up on that. I get the tip top lined up with the reel seat first. Then I start with the butt guide and work towards the tip.

If it is 2-piece you can just work on the tip section first.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Tip top very last thing for me. Makes it easier to work with the rod without the tip top in the way.

DR

Lorenzo,

After I glue up the handle, I put the rod in my wrapping jig. For a spinning rod or conventional casting rod, I put a spinning reel on the rod with the handle removed. For a spiral wrapped casting rod, I lay a level across the reel seat to ensure the rod is oriented correctly for the tip top installation.

Then I take a small weight (1/16 oz.) and attach it to the tip top, like a plumb bob. This will ensure that the tip goes straight down and is aligned properly. As long as you take care to keep the rod properly aligned, you will get it right the first time.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Joe

I put the tip top on last also, but I have no idea why. It seems like it would be easier to line up the guides by putting the tip top on first and start from the butt guide and work forward.

The tip dead last for me. No particular reason why, but it works and I have never had an issue.

Very interesting -

Lorenzo your question is a very good one - thanks for saying this was your first rod from the get go!

I am sure that swim bait thing will be a hum dinger!

Roger are you a production builder that does not load test due to many repetitive builds on the same blank?

The first critical alignment issue is normally handled with a seat jig alignment tool or installing reel snugly in seat and aligning the butt guide or tip to the proper orientation - better still line up both the butt guide and tip top.

Seems like many who say they always load test for final guide placement adjustmernt do it without a tip on the rod!

How do you do that? }>



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2010 02:23PM by Bill Stevens.

Good question Bill:)

I certainly see no reason to remove the tip after I glued it on!

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I like to put the top on and then the butt, or bottom guide of each section to help me line up all my guides right

Peter Douma
Poseidon Custom Rods
N.E.R.B.s

We start at the tip and work down.
That way the measurements are between each guide and not an overall measurment.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

I have a cut-off spinning reel foot with a line level bubble piece glued to it that I screw down on the reel seat.

I put all my tiny rubber bands (+1) on the rod. For bands I use surgical tube bands on the lower half and .1" dental bands on the upper half of the rod. They really hold little guides nicely!

Then I hot melt the tip on. (Thanks Mike B for the glue gun hint!)

I space the guides out where I think they go and put the rod in my blatant copy of the Shockwave duplicator.

I thread a red length of dacron through the guides with a small weight to keep it taught and then load the rod with weight attached to the tip top and static space the guides. I use a little S-hook that I made from 12ga solid copper wire to hold the weight bag to the tip top ring.

Once things are spaced correctly I put a wrap of 1/4" blue painters tape on each guide (razor knife+lathe=1/4" tape).

Test cast! I skipped this step once when in a hurry on a blank I was familiar with and had to do a recall on it to add a guide. Duh!

I wrap from the butt guide towards the tip. It makes it easier to line things up for me.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2010 05:06PM by Chuck Mills.

I do the tip first and then work from the butt to tip.

The important thing is to have the proper guide in the right spot.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Lorenzo, as you can see from the many replies there are differing ways to set up the guides. MY advice is to try both methods and see what works for you. As for me, well I start at the tip-top, measure for each guide from that point and set them in place. I align as best I can by eye from the butt
guide to the first guide back from the tip-top. Wrap and then tweak the guides to their finally resting point .

I build only fly rods and most are 3 or 4 piece. I align all pieces on straightest axis, mark them for alignment and spacing with a china marker, mount the tip top and static test and adjust spacing using surgical tubing to hold the guides in place. I then remove all the guides (not the tip top) and start at the first guide and wrap towards the butt. As I am mounting guides on individual sections it is quite easy to keep them in alignment. On some builds there is not a guide on the butt section, so only need to align it with the other sections. I apply alignment dots on each section for the customers ease of aligning the sections when assembling the rod to fish. I started out wrapping butt to tip and have switched to tip to butt and don't know why!

Bill,
To answer your question, I generally do the first guide placement with a load test on the bare blank. Then, I place tape where I feel that the guides need to be for the initial setup. I then tape the guides in place for a quick load test with a reel and line through the guides and tip. If necessary I will readjust none, one or all of the guides as needed.

Once I have the setup for this particular blank, I note and log in the spacing and will continue to use that setup on that particular blank.

When I am on a different blank, I will simply repeat the procedure. It generally only takes a few minutes to get the correct spacing on a new blank.

Take care
Roger