This question is probably a little embarrassing, but quite honestly, I'm getting too old to care. But in the interest of trying to learn something new every day, I will ask.

I see that the "standard" way of assembling a rod is to mount the tip top after your reel seat is in its proper place, and mounting the remainder of the guides from the butt end forward. Why?

I have always mounted the tip top last, and the stripping guide first, working my way to the top. The reason for this has been that it seems a whole lot easier for me to align two components that are less than two feet from each other than it is to align two components that are eight feet from each other. But my mind is open. What is it that I don't know?

IMHO the quick and easy way to answer is the following. A longer sight radius gives you better accuracy.

But hey, do what works for you.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

First my disclaimer... I am working on my 1st custom build so take my comments as such. Most everything I have learned has been from here or from YouTube videos. What I did after seat assembly was cured out was to "dry fit" all my intermediate guides using rubber bands (or something else strong enough to temporarily hold guides) and then to place the tip-top on permanently using tip-top heat glue. The reason for that is so that I could static load test the rod and adjust any all of the intermediate guides before wrapping them. Made sense to me so I went with it. After load test done and any guides adjusted for better load distribution I then noted my final guide arrangement and wrapped everything. My two cents....

Agree with Russell.

Kevin , if you use a two line method for stress testing it doesn't take much to hold the guides since they don't take the load of the blank being stressed. AND, they can easily be adjusted for position without unloading the rod. See the tutorial at Anglersresource.net if not already familiar with it.

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Agree with Russell.
>
> Kevin , if you use a two line method for stress
> testing it doesn't take much to hold the guides
> since they don't take the load of the blank being
> stressed. AND, they can easily be adjusted for
> position without unloading the rod. See the
> tutorial at Anglersresource.net if not already
> familiar with it.

Sorry I didn't explain it very well. I did do the 2 line stress test. What I was thinking as the primary reason to "permanently" attach tip-top before the rest of guides was so that you could do the 2-line test. That's what I was trying to get across. Anyhow, if I put the tip-top on first and find out I didn't get it aligned correctly it is easy enough to hit top with a little heat and adjust as needed.

Like Ernie, I'm trying to learn a little something everyday so will put a check in that box for today...

Kevin I think you might have hit on an something important for Ernie. Good catch!

It never occurred to me that he might be wrapping the guides (or deciding on final placement) as he worked his way up the rod.

Can't be letting him skip that static line test.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Attaching the tip top is the first thing I do after I spine the blank and decide which way I'm going to build it and it's for visual reference more than anything else . Only after that's done do I move on to the reel seat, after the reel seat placement I move to the reduction guide decisions The static test and running guide placement is the very last thing I do.

I never readjust the tip top after setting it exactly where it should be on any particular build . I rely on the tip top to align my reel seat and guides . The first guide that goes on after the tiptop and reel seat is the collector and then the choke guide . I check alignment of the guides by running a taught piece of braid or similar line from the very bottom of the collector to the bottom of the choke to the bottom of the tip top which will instantly reveal if everything's perfectly straight . I flip the rod upside down before doing this .

I find the straightest axis, put the tip top on, then align the reel seat/grip to the tip top and glue in place. I then calculate where the guides go, tape then in position, and do a static test to fine tune. I then wrap from the butt towards the tip. Just my way of doing it, and it works for me.
Norm

Kevin is correct.
Herb

Ernie,
When placing guides, I will place a cut off spinning reel foot into the reel seat and use it for a sighting device. Then, I start with the stripper and work all of the way to the tip, putting the tip top on last.

By having the chopped off reel foot sticking up in the air, or an an angle toward me, it is very very easy to place all of the guides at that exact same angle to maintain a straight line.

Take care

Much of my building is done on blanks that wouldn't allow the grips, arbors, and reel seats to go on the rod if I put the tip top on first.

Ernie,

I do it the same as Roger. If you don't have a scrap spinning reel to cut down, you can order a similar type tool from Mud hole, item "CRB-ALNMT".

Have fun

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ernie,
> When placing guides, I will place a cut off
> spinning reel foot into the reel seat and use it
> for a sighting device. Then, I start with the
> stripper and work all of the way to the tip,
> putting the tip top on last.
>
> By having the chopped off reel foot sticking up in
> the air, or an an angle toward me, it is very very
> easy to place all of the guides at that exact same
> angle to maintain a straight line.
>
> Take care

I do the exact same thing as Roger and the cutoff spinning reel foot works great and was FREE.

Tom

I might give gluing tip top first to see how it works for me.

@SPENCER why wouldn't gluing tip top first work for your builds? Do you still do it after the grips/seat and static test after that?

@CHRIS how do you do your braid guide alignment check? do you attach a reel and a light weight to the end of the line?

I have an old Shakespeare ultra light spinning that busted - I'm going to try to find a way to chop the reel off, I think I have a little hack saw somewhere.

I saw a video of a guy using a laser to line up the guides - any thoughts on that?

El Bolinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I might give gluing tip top first to see how it
> works for me.
>
> @SPENCER why wouldn't gluing tip top first work
> for your builds? Do you still do it after the
> grips/seat and static test after that?
>
> @CHRIS how do you do your braid guide alignment
> check? do you attach a reel and a light weight to
> the end of the line?
>
> I have an old Shakespeare ultra light spinning
> that busted - I'm going to try to find a way to
> chop the reel off, I think I have a little hack
> saw somewhere.
>
> I saw a video of a guy using a laser to line up
> the guides - any thoughts on that?


Ed
I don't put the tip on first , because I attach the guides to the rod using 1/8 in and !/16 dental ligatures , the smaller ones won't fit over the tip top. You just slide them in place and put the guide under the rubber band. It is so easy and no glue to contend with so its cleaner.

Another advantage of the cutoff reel seat is that if you have a power wrapper you can wrap a rubber band around it and attach to one of the jaws on the lathe and it will never come out of the chuck.

The plastic laser tool is junk. Its been mentioned on the forum many times. I threw mine in the trash.

Tom



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2023 02:12PM by Tom Wewerka.

Here is an alignment tool that some use. Saves you from destroying a reel.
[mudhole.com]
I use my wife as a guide alignment tool. She sights down the blank and tells me how to move the guides to get them in perfect alignment. She done thousands of rods since we have been married.

Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2023 04:21PM by Norman Miller.

El Bolinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> @CHRIS how do you do your braid guide alignment
> check? do you attach a reel and a light weight to
> the end of the line?



I attach my spinning reel with the spool removed to the reel seat and flip the blank over so it's upside down on the rod wrapper and secure it like that . I then tie braided line to the spool axle end of the reel and then take the other end of that braid and thread that piece over the middle of the tip top ring and through the ring underneath taping the braid to the blank . You then just pull the taped end of the braid until it's nice and taught and you will end up with a perfectly straight line from the spinning reel spool shaft to the middle of the tip top ring . That taught piece of braided line not only reveals what the exact height your guides should be for that particular spinning reel but also where they need to be located to have perfectly straight alignment . The only thing the builder needs to figure out now is what size guide rings to use and that will be determined by what type and size of line you plan on using . The exact height of the guides and alignment of the guides is already known .



I forgot one important point , You need to decide where the choke guide goes first . You run that taught piece of braid to the choke NOT the tip top first . Only tie the braid to the tip top for perfect alignment of the runners . The transition guide heights are shown when you run the taught braided line to the choke .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2023 05:09PM by chris c nash.

One of the neat things about doing multi piece rods, is that you are working with short sections, that only have to have guides aligned on that section! I only build fly rods, and usually the butt section does not have guide on it, so no issue aligning with the reel seat. The last section, I do the tip top last. After all the sections are finished, I add alignment dot to the sections to make the assembly easy. My clients love the alignment ease, and often ask me to add the dots to their commercial rods. I do it for a modest fee.