I was watching a You-tube video and saw a lathe where had the cork was already attached to the rod blank. The majority of the blank went through the head stock( guides were not attached yet). Does anyone know what type of lathe this is and where I might find one---- a company not necessarily a store?

It might be helpful to provide a link to the video.

From your post it sounds like you want to buy a complete lathe. When you look at lathe specifications, look at headstock bore diameter, this is what you want to compare. Once you find the right headstock to suit your needs, the next step is to see if you can match up a chuck to work with it.

If you are open to options, I purchased a large bore headstock (did a search online) and built a custom wrapper and finish application station using one of these, but I could have just as easily used a faster motor and made a lathe from it. I think my headstock has a 2.25" bore so I can pass just about any rod handle imaginable through the headstock. However, I do all my grip shaping on a full size lathe using a mandrel. I mount a 3/4" chuck in my headstock, insert the mandrel and run a live center in my tailstock.

Most larger wood lathes allow you to pass a certain diameter thru the headstock. But if the rod is long enough, you'd still have to support it to the left of the headstock, in the same way you'd have to support it to the right of the bed if you chucked it that way.

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For ease of use and just in case you make a mistake it may be wise to make any handles off the blank This way if you don't like it you don't have to cut it off a new blank

Bill - willierods.com

If your looking at a lathe but don't want to spend the money..

You could get an ALPS power wrapper with the Upgraded chuck included. Then the new tools that ALPS just released allows for ease of use turning cork and eva.

R. McBride

Batson Enterprises
BatsonEnterprises.com | RainShadowRodBlanks.com | ALPSForeCast.com | Build2Fish.com

Thom,
Check out Flex Coat they have one and a how to video on their website. I built one very similar using a 1/2" drill.

I'll second Bills Comment,
You may want to go with a smaller "mini" lathe and build the handle off the blank.. this will limit room needed to turn the handle, plus can be managed if a slip happens. I know I've had my fiar share of mistakes that needed rebuild.

Best of luck!

Any time you are working with turning grips and grip material, it works really well to do all of the turning -- off of the blank and on a form or mandrel.

This way, your blank is never at risk, and you do not have to worry about supporting the end of the blank.

Any of the excellent mini wood lathes work much much better than any of the "rod building wrappers"

The rod wrappers can do a very nice job in wrapping rods, but they lack the precision and versatility that any of the wood lathes offer.

For example - just check out the offerings of Penn State. Nice quality lathes at attractive prices. If one has the room - it is nice to have a bed extension to make the unit more useful and able to handle a wider range of needs.

[www.pennstateind.com]

Rockler is another excellent supplier of quality equipment:

[www.rockler.com]

I build my handles on the blank and sand them on the lathe the way the OP was asking about. Yes, it is expensive if you make a mistake. Most wood lathes will pass about 7/16" to 1/2" shaft through the headstock. The size of the #2 Morse taper limits the headstock through hole and you will have to buy a small metal lathe with a #3 or larger taper to get a much larger through hole. I use a small aluminum scroll chuck with strips of bicycle around the jaws to hold the blank. I use a support that is a ring around the portion of the shaft sticking out to the left of the headstock. I use a live center in the handle end of the blank. I do not really recommend this method but am comfortable for it for myself on short sections. I have mandrels and have done handles that way usually do it on the blank. If I was gearing up for rodmaking I would probably buy a small metal lathe instead of a wood lathe but I am primarily a woodworker who sands a few handles. My rods are generally 3 and 4 piece fly or spinning rods. I can not imagine doing a long rod in this manner without whipping it to pieces.

Bill,
I have built many many rods by first gluing the cork to the blank and then putting the entire rod, handle and reel seat in my full length rod lathe.

I hold the rod by using a piece of solid tapered stock to insert into the butt end of the blank. This makes for a very secure connection.

I have up to 5 rod rests, made from aluminum and skate board ball bearings. Any place that I put a rod rest, I put a couple of wraps of masking tape on the blank to prevent marring the rod.

However, the position of the rod rests is very important to insure that you don't set up destructive oscillation.

For most rods, I start with the first rod rest about 2 feet from the butt of the rod. Then, while holding the middle of the blank loosely - I will toggle the start stop switch on the lathe for a momentary burst of power. By doing this in short bursts, I can locate and spots in the blank where it is oscillating. I also can find the "null" points, or where the blank does not oscillate. I place the next rod rest at the first null spot - past the first rod rest.
Then, I will continue testing for null spots and locating the rod rests until the full length of the blank is supported. When I make my first power on test, I hold my hand around the rod grip, so if any problem is noted - I can stop the lathe motion instantly.

After the first two or three rods have been done - the rod rest positions will tend to remain in the same location, since the null spots in many blanks will be very close to other blanks.

But, I will never assume that the new blank on the lathe will be perfect. I always start very cautiously, so that I can avoid a disaster.

By the way, I have made rods up to 9 feet in length with no issues in a one piece configuration on the full length rod lathe. Once the first 4 feet of blank is stable, it is just a matter of adding another rod rest as needed, when you go to a longer rod.

This is a picture of the rod rests that I use, when using the full length rod lathe:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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Having said that - since the wood lathe is so much more convenient, and since I do not put the blank in peril, I have not used the full length rod lathe since I purchased the wood lathe some years ago.

Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2015 02:04PM by roger wilson.