I have two questions on unrelated topics . Hope it's okay to combine them into a single post .

#1 In Rich Forhan's articles in the latest issue of RodMaker , he mentions using guide spacing of 5-6-7 down to the spiral wrap where he uses 6-6-6 . What does he mean by these number sequences ?

#2 I have noticed that on several spinning surf casting rods in the 10 to 11 foot range the number of guides ( not counting tip top ) is always less than the length in feet of the rod . This is more noticeable in commercial rods but also true in Mr. Batson's blueprints for some of his surf blanks . In freshwater / inshore spinning
rods , the number of guides seems to at least equal the length in feet and generally exceeds this number . Why would this be true ( other than economics with the commercial rods ) ?

Thanks .
Ron

probably means in number one to increase the spacing by an inch on your guide until you get to the spiral wrap area where he is using six inches spacing for each.
number 2, commercial rods are dictated by cost so fewer guides cost less for product as well as labor. I would only use a table to get you near the finish then you adjust. I still use the equal angle consept.

Ronald,
Rich spaces his spiral guides 6 inches apart, and his guide spacing from tip to butt is 5, 6, 7 inches apart, if you have a real fine tipped casting rod, 4.5/64th and smaller he starts the first guide from the tip at 4.5 inches and progresses in one inch increments from there like mentioned before.
Surf rods a long, powerful and durable, making them work well doesn't follow the normal techniques used on lesser blanks.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2023 03:35PM by Spencer Phipps.

Thanks for clearing up Mr Forhan's spacing terminology for me . I could see the 5-6-7 ..... being a way to get progressive spacing from the tip but was confused by the 6-6-6 .
I was fairly sure that the commercial surf rods had fewer guides in large part due to the bottom line ( please pardon the poor pun ) . But when I saw Mr. Batson's blueprint for an RX7 blank had one less guide than the length in feet I had to assume it was due to blank thickness, taper, or some other metric since the RX7 material would have been the same as that in their freshwater blanks . I assume a static load test is not as critical with these sturdier blanks .
Thanks again .
Ron

Ronald,
Look at the weight difference between like length salmon rods toe the surf rods. That's the added durability.

Ideally, guides should distribute the load to the blank in keeping with the blank's natural bend tendencies. The stouter the blank, the less it will bend in an unsupported area. Surf blanks are a good bit stronger than freshwater blanks so they don't need as many guides per foot. IFGA style saltwater rods will also have less guides for the same reason. A saltwater conventional built "live bait" rod should have more guides due to the softer top third of the blank.

So it isn't just about strength of the blank. Rather about how fast or slow, and if spinning or conventional build.

Can't comment on question one.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Again , thank yall for helping me understand this better . I assumed the difference in guides had something to do with taper and blank thickness ( and therefore weight ) but was unsure . At least now the light is on even though it is only flickering .
Ron

Ronald, this should get you get your light to "flickering" a bit brighter. It's a thread I started on static load testing. There are a couple of articles linked within the thread that I feel are great reads for anyone trying to understand proper guide placement.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Daryl Ferguson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ronald, this should get you get your light to
> "flickering" a bit brighter. It's a thread I
> started on static load testing. There are a couple
> of articles linked within the thread that I feel
> are great reads for anyone trying to understand
> proper guide placement.
>
> [www.rodbuilding.org]

Agreed . Excellent links and advice . Thanks . ( Still flickering - must be a bad filament . )