All of the rods I have built in the last 30 or so years have been fly rods. But the other day I got a pretty good deal on two casting rod blanks. So I thought what the heck. Since I live in Nebraska I thought I would make a matched set, one spinning and one spin-casting rod. One wrapped with a Nebraska Black shirt weave and the other with the Nebraska N weave. Then I thought about putting NE tartan warp on both sides. I know pretty ambitious, but hey its just time and I have a lot of that these days.

So I have all the wrapping figured out, but as I started thinking about the handle I hit a brick wall. How does one turn the bottom handle. Fly rods are easy. Just glue them up an a mandrel, turn on the lathe and put on the rod. I can do the same thing with the front grip, but the bottom grip needs to have a cap of some kind on it. The commercial rods I have looked at all have burl caps on the end.

So here's my question. How do you turn the bottom grip if you have to have a cap on the end. My first approach is to turn the grip as normal, but now how do I turn the small burl end cap?

Logically I would expect to turn the whole handle as a single piece, but no way to mount on a mandrel.

So, I know there is a way to do this, I'm just not seeing it right off the top. I have googled it and not found a whole lot that is appropriate.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

John

John,
A few different ways to do it.

A few years ago, I would make all of my butt caps from rubber chair leg tips. I would put the chair leg tip on a stub rod that it put in the lathe. Then, I would use masking tape to build up the stub rod so that the cap was a press fit onto the stub rod.
The stub rod is just a piece of solid stock - steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or brass of a size that is smaller than the rubber cap. The length would be about 4 inche long so that 2 inches could go into the chuck and that would leave two inches extended to place the cap. Then, use a rasp and file and sandpaper to shape the rubber to be square or any shape that you want - within the constraints of the cap.

I would choose a cap size, so that when sanded to the desired shape, could be a flush fit on the main size of the rear grip. Then, after I finished shaping the rear grip, I would cut a mortise into the rear of the grip of a length and depth such that the cap would just pop into place. Then, after gluing the grip in place on the blank, I would just use a bit of 5 minute epoxy to epoxy the butt cap onto the butt of the rod in the mortise that I had made in the rear of the grip.

But, today: most of the butt caps that I make are burled or rubberized cork. In this case, I just bore that piece of cork to be the same size as the rest of the bore holes in the rest of the cork to glue up the grip. Then, the grip is glued up and shaped as desired. Then, a plug is made from another piece of cork. I just use a plug cutter to cut the plug from the cork. I prefit the plug so that it is a tight fit into the cork, leaving a bit of cork on the outside of the base cork.

When I glue the finished grip onto the rod blank, I insert the plug and glue it in at the same time. Then, I let the glue set. Then, I take the grip to my disk sander and sand the plug flush with the rest of the butt cap and normally, one can not tell that there is a plug in the butt of the rod.

In times past, I would make a separate butt cap and glue it on the butt of the rod after everything was finished, but it was just too much trouble to make the single cork cap and have it sized perfectly so that when glued on would be perfect.

It is much easier to glue on the butt cork piece and finish the grip and butt cap at the same time and then plug the hole in the bottom of the rod.

I had made a disk sander from an old pump motor and I used it mainly for doing butt caps of rubber. But when I changed to using cork for the butt caps, the sander was sitting idle. I found that often, it was tough to get a perfectly square end on the butt caps, while holding the rod. So, I purchased a cross vise to clamp the rods that I was sanding.

Here is the picture of the single use sander that I have. About the only thing that I use this sander for, is to sand the butt caps of finished rods, to level the plug with the rest of the butt cap:

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2016 12:44PM by roger wilson.

Roger,

Ok, that makes sense. Think I recognize the chuck on your sander.

John

Online retailers, such as Mudhole, offer preformed butt caps in a variety of materials. It's a bit like cheating, but there are no plugs to cut or additional sanding.

You will, however, need to reduce the butt end of the grip to a tenon of the diameter and length to fit the store bought butt cap. And of course the overall diameter of the butt grip will need to nicely join the butt cap.

Here's a couple of options that don't require a tenon

[www.mudhole.com]

[www.mudhole.com] I use the FP-1 alot

Hello John.

Just make the handle as usual, then get an undrilled burl cork ring (Mud Hole-SRCR-NH, $1.65) and glue it to the bottom of the grip.

If you want to round the bottom just leave it on the mandrill pushed up to the undrilled ring and using a rod stand with rollers to help steady it, turn the un-drilled ring to desired shape.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Thanks to everyone. I knew there were many options, I just wasn't sure where to look. Appreciate the advice.

John

You may be better using a ring you want ( with a hole ) Glue onto end and ream to fit Shape

Then when you finish any thread and guides you can put a piece of scrap blank fit into the end of the blank and use it in the chuck to hold the rod -- Or holding the handle in the chuck on the cork may just make marks in the handle
When the rod is complete just plug or fill the hole in

Bill - willierods.com