I am on my 8th build and have found myself spending every bit of an hour plus trying to get the real seat just right on the . How Important is it to have the seat perfect or is there such a thing as having it perfect. What is the easiest way to mark a straight line on the blank or Should I just eyeball it. I have been using a spine finder from mudhole but lining the seat to the marks I make just dosn't seem very precise. Am I being to critical ?

H i Tony

Are you spending an hour plus after you have applied the epoxy if so i would be getting a bit worried.

If you want to build on the spine you could just use a peg on the blank and line it up to that.I highly doubt
if a millimetre here or there is going to matter.I would be more worried about getting the guides in a straight
line from the reel seat to the tip.

cheers

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

I put a piece of tape several inches from where the seat will rest Mark top on the tape Slide the seat down over the tape in place turn till the top of seat lines up with the mark
No need to bother with spine Build on the straightest access If there is a bend in the blank Make it point up

Bill - willierods.com

Tony,
a few things that may help:
A dining room table or similar flat surface and an inch of blue painters tape on the tip of your blank can make it easier to see how it curves.
Just roll the blank around and observe what its doing.

China white markers for making some reference marks.

Look up how to build a simple device with a small piece of wood, two short lengths of dowel set into it and a mid point hole for a china white marker.
This will mark a center line on your blank where and if you so desire.
That same dinning table will help when it comes to setting the first few guides to spinning rods.

I have always sight placed my reel seat with the intended line of the guides, then aligned the guides to the seat. If you are a spine finder, or are concerned with the seat alignment to a line on the blank, use a reel foot with a sighting device in the middle to align the seat to the mark on the blank. I use an old fly reel foot that is light and easy to slip in and out rather than an entire reel.

Terry

Tony,
I will take the blank and let the top half of the blank hang over the edge of the table.
Then, I will roll the blank on the table. If I see the tip moving up or down indicating a bend in the blank, I will just put a piece of tape on the side of the blank which would mark either the tip straight up or straight down.

Then, depending on preference, I put the reel seat either in line with the tape or 180 degrees away from the tape.

But as Bill suggested, I put the tape about 2 feet up the blank from where I am placing the reel seat.
I lather up the blank and arbors with epoxy, slide the reel seat down the lathered blank to insure that you have a good coating of epoxy on the inside of the blank, slid it down over the arbor, sight down the reel seat and line up the center of the reel seat with the tape on the rod. One thing that helps a great deal is that I have cut off the reel foot of an old discarded spinning reel. I install the foot into the reel seat and tighten it down. This vertical foot then acts like a rifle sight to sight over to line up with the tape on the rod.

So, slide down the reel seat, sight over the foot and line up the tape, then use an alcohol coated paper towel to remove any excess epoxy on the rod or any that might have gotten onto the reel seat.

I normally then set the rod vertical to insure that any epoxy that moves will droop vertically and further insure a better bond.

Normally, it take a minute or two to place the reel seat, align it and clean up the blank and reel seat of any excess epoxy.

Be safe
Roger

p.s.
One of the biggest reasons that I check for any sort of bend in the blank is that when casting, the full length of the rod often comes into the vision of the fisherperson. As a result, I want any rod bend to be either point straight up, or straight down. The simple reason is that the fisherperson will never see a hook the is either straight up or straight down. But, if the rod is built with the hook in the blank going right or left, the fisherperson will often see this hook in his hours casting the rod, and it is distracting.

It is really not at all unusual for rods to have anywhere from a little to more than a little hook or bend in the blank. The slight non linear appearance of the blank generally does not affect the performance of the rod, but if severe enough can detract from the appearance of the rod.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Alignment Tool

[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2012 05:21PM by Barry Thomas Sr.

Thanks everyone great info.

If using arbors -- glue them in the prepped seat first When dry ream out to fit the blank Easy that way

Bill - willierods.com