I cut an inch and a half off a graphite rod. I tried spinning the blank on the lathe while running a rotary tool cutoff wheel. It was clean until it was cut all the way through. The last connected bit separated some of the fibers on the inside of the blank because of the spinning. Not many, and only on one side. Obviously couldn't assess how far in this went because it's a pretty narrow blank; this is what bothers me the most. I went ahead and epoxied a grip on. Before putting the butt cap on, I used a q-tip to apply some epoxy to the inside of the blank to prevent further separation of fibers. This is all in the very butt end of a ML freshwater rod that won't see much stress in that area.

Do you think my patchwork will be adequate? (I know you can't truly say without seeing it).

Geez...took a brief hiatus and keep screwing things up, now that I have a few more rods to build. Don't ask why I was cutting the 1.5" off!

You should be fine. Wrap the last 1/2 inch with thread and finish to prevent splitting of the blank in the future. Probably didn't hurt it in the first place.

If this is at the butt end of the rod and covered by the grip, it isn't an issue. Next time, no need to spin in the lathe.

If this is at the butt end of the rod and covered by the grip, it isn't an issue. Next time, no need to spin in the lathe.

Yeah that's kinda what I was thinking. But the splinters are inside the blank. So covering with the grip really isn't helping (at least in my head). That's why I put epoxy on the inside of the blank before affixing the butt cap. I thought spinning while cutting would achieve a straighter cut.

I have a document that I keep adding to of "lessons learned" in rodbuilding. At least I learn from my screw ups! I also just sub'd to Tom's magazine, and am looking forward to my first issue.

I'm glad you guys are here. I drive myself crazy...I was literally thinking about this the whole day. I can't talk to the wife about things because she gets really tired of hearing me talk about rods! So on top of the advice you guys provide, you give me an outlet for stuff that would otherwise consume me!

Randy,
Being a worry-wart myself about issues other may consider trivial, please feel confident your additional epoxy inside the blank was more than required. When cutting a composite blank in the future, be it FG or CF, consider using the finest toothed (32 teeth / inch or more if you can find it) bi metal hack saw blade available. With light pressure, cut approximately 1/3 through and then rotate the blank in an attempt to keep the teeth cutting on a shallow angle to the ID and OD. Two or three slight rotations will minimize splintering of the fibers. I agree with Lynn and cannot imagine a bit of splintering at the butt end causing any problems anyway other than not looking as nice as a clean cut. None the less, it is a good idea to sand the end square and chamfer the ID and OD after cutting.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Next time, slide a good similar taper fitting piece of scrap blank inside the butt end before you cut. This will prevent "tear out" of the fibers when you cut all the way through. This happens with all sorts of materials - wood, glass, etc. You have to back the interior or bottom surface with something to prevent that tear out.

..............

Mark thanks for the comfort inspiring words and advice! Tom, great idea, will definitely consider in the future. Hopefully won't have to cut too often!

I modified this 8 inch chop saw, by raising the bed and placing a backstop on the centerline of the cutting wheel.
[www.rodbuilding.org]


The reason that I raised the bed, is that a chop saw that uses a conventional 8inch blade, will cut fine as the blade gets dull because the diameter of the blade remains constant.

But I use very thin tool makers cut off wheels on the saw, so that as the abrasive wheel wears away and gets smaller, I would not be able to cut, because the edge of the wheel would be locked up from the bed of the saw.

I give this particular saw to another rod building friend and I modified a 2nd one that I currently use.


I also did the same thing with a small chop saw that comes with a 2 inch blade. I removed the blade, added a small backstop for the rods and replace the blade with an inexpensive 3 inch thin abrasive cut off wheel.

This little saw works very well in the inside shop due to its small and convenient size.

[www.harborfreight.com]

I removed all of the miter cutting junk on the bed and replaced it with a 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch angled aluminum at the center line of the cutting wheel.

I then mounted the saw on a 2x8 board to give it some mass and put 4 rubber feet on the board to keep the saw from sliding around. This little saw is only about 5 inches by 5 inches and works just fine to cut rod blanks.

Good luck

That's a pretty cool gadget. Never knew tiny saws like that existed!

Randy, if I were you I'd feel pretty confident that your putting epoxy over the splintering is going to be fine. I wouldn't worry about it further.

When making my reamers out of an old rod, I used a Dremmel with a cutting wheel on it. It did a great job of cutting, but considering the size of the cuts, made a lot of air borne dust.

Not liking the dust, I went to using a coping saw that has a very fine tooth blade on it. I believe the blade has 32 teeth per inch. Light pressure and not being in a hurry to complete the cut has worked well for me, but I'm sure the fine tooth hacksaw blade Mark mentioned would work just as well. The key is light pressure and not trying to hurry through the cut. Wrapping the blank with a piece of masking tape prior to cutting will help with any concerns you may have with splintering the outer surface.

As far as using a hand miter box or something similar, it would be easy to make one, but as the cut it going to be covered by a butt cap, it's not a cut I personally would be overly concerned about being absolutely perfectly square. Were I cutting a ferule I'd be more concerned.

Randy,
With the small 2 inch bladed chop saw, I remove the blade and guard and replace it with one of these 3 inch wheels:

[www.northerntool.com]

They work very well.

But, as usual - when using such a saw, be sure to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes, in case something happens.

Good luck

p.s.
A picture of the modified chop saw with a 3 inch - thin - abrasive cut off wheel to cut blanks.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

p.p.s.
This system is essentially the same system used by the pro - arrow manufacturing folks that use a similar saw - mounted on a shaft base to chop arrow shafts to length. Proven design.

[www.amazon.com]

[www.amazon.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2017 07:30AM by roger wilson.

Sweet! That arrow one was pricey! Well guess its time to move one to the build. Going to do a cross wrap from the rear grip up. Should work out well with the threaded fore grip/seat hood I have for it.

Randy,

You may want to research the hazards associated with cutting both epoxy and graphite.

I use a diamond saw with water feed to prevent dust born particles. After making several cuts, the water in the reservoir turns black.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the methods and amount of cutting. What will work for you?

The more general precautions are:
Work outside (well ventilated)
Wear goggles
Wear a mask
Wear gloves

Don Becker

Donald ,
In addition, one of the things that I do, is to have a strong fan blowing over my shoulder when I do cuts of this sort. That way, any dust or other airborne items that are generated by the cutting - are blown away from me so that I do not ingest any of the junk.

Hi Roger,

Good point about the fan.

There are several health issues when working with epoxy and graphite. A lot of health related information can be found with google searches.

Don Becker

Wow...never thought of this. Didn't figure it would be all that dangerous. Our bodies filter out dust as we breath, and carbon is an element that defines life anyways. Never guessed it would be any sort of toxic. But, I'm not a biologist!!

Randy,
Fishing rods are made from fiber GLASS and graphite fibers. Both of which are tiny, fibrous and sharp.

I still suffer lung effects from spending an afternoon in the attic of my house dealing with a structural issue - breathing in the fiberglass insulation. Scans have revealed that some of the glass is still in my lungs, affecting my health and it will remain there for the rest of my life.

So, be aware!!

Roget thanks for the input, will definitely take safety precautions from here on out!

Jusf curious, have you thought about wrapping the cut location with tape?