just looking for feedback on some rod wrapper 's that you all have. no hand one's. i have one of them. just a lil info that you may like or dislike about them and where you got them.

The Renzetti Rod Lathe is the best commercial unit I have yet to see.
It costs a lot more than most of the others but that's the one I like best.
The rod supports provide a lot of working room around the blank. I like that.
All parts are built to last a lifetime.

You can buy one directly from Renzetti or from Mudhole and perhaps other dealers listed on the Sponsor Menu.
Occasionally a used Renzetti or Clemens lathe will come up for sale on the Buy/Sell page but they go fast.

Be aware that some of the Clemens lathes have unusual thread carriages. Some are good.. some not very good.
Otherwise the two systems are almost identical and parts are interchangeable.

Hi,

My first factory power wrapper was a Pac Bay RodSmith. I used it very successfully for 5 years and then I needed a more powerful lathe. Pac Bay has improved their lathe immensely, the chuck, thread carriage and rod supports. Now it is a very good rod wrapper. The ability to not only wrap a rod but to also use it as a dryer is a big bonus. The price of this unit is also very attractive to a buyer.

I chose the Clemens lathe as the replacement. I have two of them in use daily. These lathes are very important to my business. They perform, are strong and dependable. When I purchased these the Renzetti was not available. Now the Clemens are not available but the Renzetti is and now the power lathe of choice for serious users.

Any of these products will give exceptional service. Just depends upon your budget.

Capt Neil Faulkner

X1000 on the Renzetti. I have 4 of them in my shop and they will last a lifetime.

I have:

1 Renzetti
1 Pac Bay
1 AmTak
1 Home-made

Renzetti is the top of the line - and appropriately priced. Total cost for mine (with extras) as just below $1,000. I like it & use it for lots of turning, trimming, setting ferrules on bamboo because it has a through feed in the chuck. The chuck is outstanding. I have two thread carriages (basic and 8 thread). Honestly I don't like it very much for wrapping because it's rather difficult to set up / change thread spools on. What you can do to overcome this is spin your most used threads onto sewing machine bobbins and stack multiple bobbins onto each thread feed rod.

PacBay / AmTak are basically the same machine (I have the "flat track" model PacBay). IMO you NEED to buy the ALPS chuck for these machines to get the most out of them and I would opt for the 4 spool carriage over the two spool - only because I sometimes use the large 4oz spools. On the plus side changing thread spools is easy with all the feed in front of you rather than on the opposite side of the bed. They also have a magnet on the thread carriage to hold razor blades so you don't have to keep looking for them. They can (especially with the ALPS chuck) be used to shape foam (EVA / HYPALON / MOOSESKIN) as well as cork but NOT wood.

The home-made I did is a combination set up that I made using heavy track / bed; flat aluminum bar stock & ball bearing rollers / neoprene washers and a spring loaded attachment so I could wrap and back up multiple threads I made this one up more for heavier shaping than thread work. now - due to physical shop space it doesn't get used much at all. Especially with the addition of a wood lathe in the shop

In between the Renzetti and the PacBay/AmTak/Batson machines are the Angler's Workshop machines. The nice thing about these is that it's possible to start with a hand wrapper and add power later. I'd like one of these but I'm already in lathe overload.

Hi Greg, a lot of good info above. I've had my Pac Bay Wrappers in use for 10yrs and they haven't skipped a beat. The ALPS chuck is a great addition as Ken mentioned. Very economical, reliable, and versatile. We are offering 20% off the prices listed on our wrappers to kick off the fall rod building season. [www.getbitoutdoors.com]

Tight Lines and Bull's-eyes,

Get Bit Outdoors
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