Hi All,
I’m new to the forum and have some experience building rods, but it was a long time ago. I remember resting the rods on my legs to wrap them when I was a kid. Now I’m ready to move forward and am looking to buy a power wrapper.
I don’t plan to get one of the high end machines like the Renzetti or Custom Power Wrap, but rather the next step down. It seems to me the machines sold by Batson (ALPS Power Wrapper/Dryer), PacBay (RodSmith XL) and Mud Hole (American Tackle PBWD-Ultimate) are very similar both in appearance and price. The Flexcoat DL713 Power Wrapper is close, but wood instead of aluminum.
Would any one of these be better than the other, or is it just preference? I want to get the upgraded chuck and tail stock for turning grips.
I would like to hear your comments before moving forward with my purchase.
Thanks in advance for your input.
I look forward to being a part of this group.
Steve

First, how many rods do you plan to make? Just for yourself, a few relatives, or go into business? If just for yourself and a few for friends, I would stick with a simple setup that supports the rod, has a thread carriage for a couple spools of thread, and maybe a dryer motor set up. You don't need to invest a lot of money just to make a few rods. IMHO Power wrappers can also be used to turn your handles unless you plan to use pre-form grips. Then it can be a dual purpose machine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2013 08:53PM by Randolph Ruwe.

If you are only planning to turn a few grips with these units, you may be okay. You will definitely want the upgraded chuck. I assume you will be using the same unit for wrapping as well so you'll have to take some extra steps to keep your wrapping area clean from all the cork dust. You are right, in that all the models you listed are very similar. Good for wrapping and finishing, marginal for doing much grip turning.

Depending on your budget and space available, you might consider a couple of other options.

Personally, I prefer to keep my turning area and wrapping/finishing area separate. So, grips get turned in the garage on the lathe, wrapping and finishing upstairs in the rod room. I accomplished this by purchasing a midi wood lathe after my power wrapper. If you have a smaller budget and are only going to make a few rods, you can purchase a grizzly lathe (your drill provides the power), a drying motor and stick with a hand wrapper. This would upgrade your turning capabilities, stabilize your wrapping station, provide a drying station, all for about the same money.

Of course there are many ways to accomplish your goals, depending on what they are. These are just a few suggestions to get you thinking.

Terry

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I have retired so I was planning to start a small custom rod business so I feel a power wrapper is the way to go. I have a woodworking shop in my basement and I can turn cork there without the worry of generating dust in the wrapping area. I looked at the Grizzly Hobby lathe and feel this would be a good option for turning handles. I already have a drying motor/machine. I looked at the RodSmith XL today and liked the unit for the most part. I wasn't very impressed with the aluminum tube rail base though. I like the base on the American Tackle unit better. Plus the American Tackle unit would accept a tail stock unit.

I plan to keep looking to see what else is out there. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Thanks,

Steve

you will wrap rods about 3-5 times faster with a Flexcoat rod lathe. It's the best on the market.

if you are handy you can make one like the FlexCoat
I made one that fits on my wrapper / dryer unit

Bill - willierods.com

Power wrappers are really only useful to people who build rods at least on a somewhat regular basis. Of course, I should come clean and say that I don't follow my own advice because I build more than a few rods and I probably have one of the nicer custom power wrappers around...

So here's my advice:

A home made hand-turn wrapper with good thread tensioning device and a mini or midi sized variable-speed lathe (for turning handles) will cost you about the same money as a mid-priced power wrapper and probably will be more useful to the casual rodbuilder. Lathes with a 1/4-1/2 hp motor are much better at turning grips than a wrapper with a 1/10 hp motor. An additional bonus is that in having two tools, you can separate dirty and clean areas to reduce the chances of finish contamination on your rods. Also, with the lathe, you can try some wood turning projects if your so inclined.

Turning grips on a steel mandrel on a lathe, and transferring them to a rod blank, generally produces nicer handles than if you turn a grip on a flexible blank in a wrapper. Centripetal force causes the blank to spin slightly off round, and under close inspection you will notice your grips are not symmetrical around the axis. This is not as big a problem with cork turned at moderate speeds, but when you have to run at or near full speed to shape foam it will be more noticeable.

Of course, if you plan to just purchase premade grips (and other components) and mount them to your blank, there's no need for the lathe at all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2013 12:35PM by John E Powell.

There is a builder here that is into building equipment ( Roger Wilson ) hflier@comcast.net
He can build you some thing

Bill - willierods.com