Was looking for an easier way to consistently set guide angles on the blank when doing spiral wraps on a batch of matching rods. I’d used the “degree wheel” cutout from Acid Rod but it was a hassle to setup and fix on the blank each time.

A while back I got to thinking about the digital angle finder I have for my bandsaw and cutting grips. I grabbed that but needed a way to hold it in the right place on the reel seat. I did a couple by taping it to the top of a reel, but this was bulky and could not spin all the way.

Tripped across an old busted reel I had so I cut off the reel seat and zip tied the angle finder to that..... bingo

And before some of y’all say such is not needed, you just eyeball it, or it does not matter if it’s that accurate, etc, etc.... my OCD won’t allow it when doing a matching set of rods ????

Anybody have a 3D printer that could print a proper mount that would hold the angle finder without a zip tie? ????


[www.rodbuilding.org]

Here I thought the fly line trick was all that was needed, worked for me all these years.

Knew it wouldn’t take long for the “why do you need that when I’ve been doing it X way all these years”..... Perhaps you could share what the “fly line trick” is since it’s worked for all these years....


man I love this forum sometimes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2020 10:57PM by Michael Ward.

Think it's something picked up from Ralph O'Quinn, from his version of a spiral wrap, use a larger diameter, highly visible line to thread through the spiral, positioning the guides with the straight path the tensioned line produces. Using the guide foot to ring junction as your reference point to insure no side loads.

Mark your headstock and you'll be on the button every time.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Michael,
If you are insistent on placing your spiral-wrapped guides at precise degrees around the blank, I cannot help you. Keep in mind though such a mounting technique is not only unneeded but may not produce the best line flow for different rods. Any guide train, spiral or conventional, benefits from static load testing for guide placement and should be performed with the blank both fully loaded and partially loaded with the guides ultimately positioned at a compromise of the two; after all, we are not always hooked-up to a trophy catch, at least not me. Different rods will bend differently and in different locations along their length and the point where each rod starts to flex is constantly changing with the amount of applied load. While the reduction guides may not experience the same amount of rod flex as further up the blank, the different flexing of the blank does influence the line path to and, to a lesser degree, through them. Using a different analogy, if you were building a matching set of rods the same length but with different powers and/or actions where static load testing discovered one rod required 8 guides but the other only 7 guides, would you use one less than 8 on the first rod or one more than 7 on the other just to keep them “matching”?
Therefore, I contend the best method of guide placement for each and every guide train, spiral or conventional, is the proven 2-line static load test, again fully and partially loaded.
From your posted photo, you obviously spend a lot of time with attention to detail and produce very attractive rods and hence your concern of keeping the set “matching”. Honestly, I doubt even you would notice a difference of 5* of the spiral-wrapped guides from one rod to the other. Ultimately, you need to decide if you follow “Forms Follows Function” or Function Follows Form.

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

Let me rephrase a bit..... I’m using it two ways - own to get it “roughly in place” - which is needed less and less - but then after static testing and adjusting the guides to “read” it back off for the other blanks of the set

Mark Talmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Michael,
> If you are insistent on placing your
> spiral-wrapped guides at precise degrees around
> the blank, I cannot help you. Keep in mind though
> such a mounting technique is not only unneeded but
> may not produce the best line flow for different
> rods.

This!

> the different flexing of the
> blank does influence the line path to and, to a
> lesser degree, through them.
> Ultimately, you need to decide if you follow
> “Forms Follows Function” or Function Follows
> Form.

Function definitely follows form! If I read this right...

Michael, I sent you an email. Hope to hear back from you.

Kent - sent you a reply

Michael Ward Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kent - sent you a reply

I have not received it yet. Please resend.

Actually sent 2 - one short reply earlier today - then one this afternoon with some attachments... maybe your Hotmail spam filter snagged it? - will resend now

Michael,
Use approximate locations on the radius then make the line as straight as possible, keeping it off the blank as much as possible. I try to position the first bottom guide behind the major bend of the rod. This may lead to not having them at exact placement as posted in that the other website that can not be mentioned on this site.
Good Luck,
Lance