I can spline a single blank pretty easily but I have a two piece 10 ft surf rod blank. How do you spline this? The bottom segment is too stiff and the top segment does not seem to settle to the spine when rolled on the floor. I figure you should not try to spline with both segments attached, right?

Jeff

Columbia, SC

Do a Search of this site of Spining Not Splining

Bill - willierods.com

You don't need to worry about the spine unless you just want to. It doesn't have any effect on the blank one way or the other. I roll the blank in my wrapper and look for the straightest axis and build on that line. It will help you to read the articles in the Library above.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Just spine the tip section.

What do you mean by straightest axis? Less wobble on the wrapper?

The way I do it (not everybody does it this way) is I put the blank on my rod supports and roll it. I watch for the tip to move up and down and side to side. When the tip is at its straightest point in line with the rest of the blank, I mark it. It usually will mean the tip is curved slightly up or down, but not off to one side. If I'm building a spinning rod I put the guides on the side opposite of the tip up position and vice versa on a casting rod. You could also roll the blank on a flat surface I suppose. I just look down the blank, watch for movement, find the middle and go with it. That way when you hold the rod in front of you after it is built, you won't see any curve to one side or the other. I've never had one perfectly straight, so that's how I do it. I don't think it matters really. It may be just for aesthetics. Hope this makes sense.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Jeff,
Take each section of blank and sight down the blank. Use a piece of tape to mark the side on which you get any noticeable bend. It doesn't matter whether you mark the down bend, up bend or side bend. Just be consistent in your marking.
Then, take the next section and do the same thing. Finally do any additional sections of there are more than two sections.

Finally assemble the blank so that all of your tape pieces like up.

Now, you have marked the axis of the blank that has a bend on the same side. Now, it is up to you to decide to wrap with the bend pointing upward or pointing downward. There are various arguments as to which is the better way to place the handle and guides.

Bottom line - it is up to you , but do it consistently.

Don't wrap with a bend to one side or the other. If you do, then every time you make a cast, you will be sighting down the rod and the bend will pop into your line of vision. With the bend, either down or up, the sighting down the rod will make it appear as a straight rod.

Good wrapping.

Roger

Jeff Gross Wrote:
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> I can spline a single blank pretty easily but I
> have a two piece 10 ft surf rod blank. How do you
> spline this? The bottom segment is too stiff and
> the top segment does not seem to settle to the
> spine when rolled on the floor. I figure you
> should not try to spline with both segments
> attached, right?


Spine the top section and mark your spine..say on the inside of the natural arc, assemble the rod, spine the rod again, if the spine mark on the tip is 90 degrees off, twist the tip in the diection the mark needs to be and spine again, keep doing this until the tip's spine mark is on the inside of the natural arc again. This is called the effective spine. Now mark the butt section for spine location. I spine every rod but it is not the general concensus any more to do it.