Looking at getting into the Hobby and getting setup and trying to understand the difference in a dedicated finisher vs power wrapper

Does the finisher typically not have the variable speed control, etc?

Finisher, low speed and power. Wrapper, variable speed, much more power, can shape cork, EVA, etc. Not enough power to shape wood and other denser materials.

Thanks Spencer - is you have a power wrapper then why also get a finisher? Mainly for production jobs / teams to parallel the process?

Power wrapper is used at a much higher RPM, used to shape cork or fast wrapping such as underwrap. Admittedly, some can wrap a guide with the high RPM, I'm not one of them. The finisher is usually a low 6 RPM to 32 RPM. This is used to keep a slow turn after epoxy has been applied, allowing for it to level and dry without dripping. Many power wrappers are equipped with two motors and belt that is quick to change from the turning motor to the drying motor.

The same type motor won't do both. Two different things.

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

Michael,
A set up for finishing and drying requires a source of power that can run a light load in the 5-20 rpm.
A power wrapper, needs to be able to turn a light load - at speeds from 1-200 rpm.

A setup for turning grips needs to have a power source with enough power to quickly spin the grip at speeds of 1,000-3,000 rpm.

For example of lot of folks today use wood lathes with fractional hp motors to power the lathes to do the grip shaping. Also, a lot of home made shaping setups use variable speed drills. The drill has plenty of power and speed to do a nice job of grip shaping.

If fact, the best tool room setup uses 3 configurations - each with their own power source with the necessary speed change for wrapping and the necessary power to turn cork.

If space is available, it is also nice to have the setup for finish and drying work in a clean room environment. The same is true for power wrapping. i.e. the setup in a clean room environment. '

On the other hand the area for grip shaping is better in a different space that is completely separate from the clean room environment used for finish and wrapping work.

The reason is simple - turning grips is "DIRTY: work. i.e. dust and debris are created during the shaping and turning process.

There are folks that do everything in the same space, but it requires a lot of care and good equipment and thought to keep the dust and debris from turning and shaping out of the wrapping and finishing area.

Best wishes

Thanks guys - think I’ve got a better understand on it now....

Michael, as you enter into rod building you’ll find there are “must have” tools and materials. Power wrappers and dryers aren’t on that list. Very fine fishing rods can be assembled with very basic rod wrapping stands, and epoxy can be leveled/cured by manually rotating the rod - 180 degrees every so many seconds/minutes. Your time will be well spent learning and practicing the basic steps in rod building in advance of building your first rod. You’ll come up the learning curve quickly, and your first build outcome will reflect the patience exercised during practice thread wrapping, and thread epoxy application and curing – the very visible things in your finished product. Attention to “fit and finish” should go through your mind every step of the way.

Your rod building experiences will tell you whether/when to acquire more mechanical tooling.

Stick around here, and continue to ask questions as you prepare to build fishing rods.

Jeff

"The greatest barrier to discovery is not ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge" - Daniel J. Boorstin

the very first rods i ever built were from Herters kits..there was no such thing as epoxies back then..i think that was a good thing..

Jeff - thanks for the advice and agree on the practice makes perfect.... plan to tackle some wrapping on some old rods. Trying to understand which tools, etc really make a difference and I’ve always been a believer in buying quality tools once - the cheap route cost most in the long term :)

Oh, and since it’s less than an hour down the road, I’m planning to check out the ICRBE show in a month assuming I’m not out of the country on business.... figure I can learn and see a lot first hand there

Michael, if you can make it to the ICRBE it will give you real head start on the tools and processes of rod building.

You can build most any rod you want with this kit and it's on sale . I use it from day one and have no intention of getting anything else .
[www.mudhole.com]

I am chiming in late but think of the wrapper as a lathe and the dryer as a rotisserie.

Michael,
Contrary to what some may say, the SAME MOTOR can be used for drying, wrapping and turning if the electronics are performed properly; I employed Roger Wilson to properly design the electronics for my upgrade. The single motor is a 1/3 HP, 130 VDC and reversible. Using the speed adjust on the enclosure for turning, finish application or drying (although I have a separate curing cabinet) the speed can be adjusted from 5 to 3000 RPM. For thread wrapping the petal is used to adjust the speed from 5 to 200 RPM. All without having to change a belt!!! It is all about the correct speed control unit, potentiometers and resistors and Roger lives and breathes them. Thanks again, Roger.
Having limited space, I needed to consolidate. Being able to perform turning/sanding operations in an isolated location away from wrapping and finishing would certainly be optimum but unfortunately not an option for me.

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