Hey y'all, finally getting back to this after a fw year hiatus for university, working on an aquaculture degree.

Have a couple of Seeker GTS70L's around from like '14 and want to chop em down to about 6'. What sort of advice do you have for cutting the blanks? I was gonna use either a dremel or a chop saw, but dont have any idea what sorta wheel or blade to use.

Also, should I be taking it off the ass of the blank, or the tip?

Thanks

Tyler,
The simplest way to do it is to use a chop saw that has an abrasive wheel on it. Do NOT use a saw with a blade that has teeth. If you happen to have a tile cutting saw with a diamond wheel on it, it will do an excellent job.
You can also use a dremel tool with an abrasive cut off wheel on it.

If you currently have a chop saw with a blade on it, just go to the home center and pick up a thin abrasive wheel with a size that will fit on the saw.

If you happen to have a 4 inch angle grinder, you can put an abrasive cut off wheel on it and use that grinder to trim the blank:

[www.homedepot.com]



If you are going to trim the blank you want to trim from the butt end of the blank unless you want to be using an axe handle for a fishing pole.

Just measure up from the butt of the rod and make your cut and you will be good to go.

I have cut literally hundreds of blanks this way to get rods built with the right length and the right tip section on the blank.

I assume that the tip section of this blank will give you the rod that you want when finished building the rod.

Hi Tyler,
as Roger has said, one of the easiest ways to cut a blank is to use a dremel (or other make hobby tool) with a diamond dust cutting wheel.
The cost of the tool will easily be paid back in its usefulness, cutting blanks, trimming feet on rings, removing reel seats etc.
Only cut the blank at the butt , the heavy end, and if your first cut is not straight, you can use the disc to true it up a little. (you may want to use a dust mask)
Good luck!

drywall saw, tape the blank, go slow - the teeth don't "grab" as much as say a metal hacksaw blade
4" grinder with a thin wheel works as well as mentioned above

+1 on the Dremel. Use the reinforced cutoff wheel and it will be a nice smooth cut. I used a hacksaw to cut off the label section of a Falcon rod for warranty replacement. Not something I'd want to do with a rod I plan to use.

Tyler,
Here is a picture of the first abrasive wheel chop saw that I made from a conventional small 8 inch chop saw.

Since a blade does not change diameter, it is fine to have a fixed bed height. But, if one uses an abrasive wheel, the wheel gets smaller as the disk wears away. As a result, I built up the bed using a 2/4 piece of steel channel.

I bolted it in place, and then simply dropped the cut off wheel onto the steel 2 x 4 to cut a relief cut in the steel. Then, I bolted on a piece of angle to form a back stop for the blanks when I chopped them.
I also added a light so that I would have good lighting on the cut.

I found the chop saw at a pawn shop for $15. The rest of the parts were $5 and the cut off wheel was also $15 each.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Be safe

If you don't have the room or just don't want to buy any tools just get a fine hack saw blade Mark where you want to cut Lightly cut around the blank all the way around This cuts the outer fibers Then cut the blank

Bill - willierods.com

I use a small triangular file. Place the blank on a solid surface and roll the blank as you use the file. I have a dermal but I prefer the file because the dust is not as airborne.

I use a small triangular file. Place the blank on a solid surface and roll the blank as you use the file. I have a dermal but I prefer the file because the dust is not as airborne.

I use a small triangular file. Place the blank on a solid surface and roll the blank as you use the file. I have a dermal but I prefer the file because the dust is not as airborne.

Randy,
Good point about the dust.

I do the cutting in a different building and I have a blower fan that blows across the material as it is being cut so that none of the dust gets ingested.

Be safe

Have you ever seen the Smog line when the moon goes up in the evening in south Cal You guys living in Cal watch it And you think the air you breath is Clean ??? Wake up

Bill - willierods.com

Bill, don't know what your post has to do with cutting blanks, and not sure how much time you have spent in California, but I have spent almost 80 years here and a good part of it in SoCal.

I'm still healthy, hiking, fly fishing, playing golf and drinking our fine wines! Our air is not the problem, our politics are!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2016 06:35PM by Phil Erickson.

But he did stay in a Holiday Inn once, Phil. Right after he googled where it was at.

when some one worries about dust and breathing it in Just spray some water on it as you cut
Too many worry about what they breath in smell in Has anyone ever seen the pictures of China -- Now there is some thing to worry about breathing in Cut it outside People worry about things they have NO control over Unless you are making a one piece a two piece

Bill - willierods.com