I've recently started turning grips.

I want to know that I understand best way to proceed once it's built on a mandrel.
You simply drill out the cork grip to the smallest diameter of the rod it's going on. Where the top of the grip will fit on the blank.
Then proceed to ream from there? I have learned the hard way to turn the tenon after reaming. Broke my first one that way.

Robert - I pretty much do all the things you mentioned in your post. Knock on wood (cork), I have been turning down tenons at the same time as turning the rest of the grip and not had any issues. When the cork thickness is going to be small after drilling/reaming I generally just wrap some masking tape around outside of grip/tenon to protect prior to drilling/reaming. If you haven't done so already suggest you check out all the Grip related videos on the Flexcoat Learning Center page @ [flexcoat.com]

Those videos give lots of great tips on turning grips and also on drilling and/or reaming out grips and keeping centered and protecting grips during the process.

Thus far I have just been turning grips on a mandrel. Going to start experimenting with glueing up cork rings directly on the blank and turning right on the blank. Early on was a little scared to do it this way but can definitely see the benefits (exact grip fit-up to seat, etc...). Still a little leery about messing something up (turning on blank) and then creating a bunch more work having to remove and redo. Will see how that goes...

I just use a piece of a 20 mm polyurethane foam arbor as a tenon. They work great are the right size and saves a cork ring for use on a future grip.
Norm

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just use a piece of a 20 mm polyurethane foam
> arbor as a tenon. They work great are the right
> size and saves a cork ring for use on a future
> grip.
> Norm
You just glue that to the cork ?

You can glue it to the cork, or glue it to the blank and then slide the grip into place. Either way works. Hate taking a perfectly good high quality cork ring and wasting it under a butt cap. I’ve also used pieces of turned down wine corks as tenons.
Norm

One way of eliminating worrying about a tenon, is not using a butt cap. Build the grip the length you want it, and use either chips of cork that come off while turning the cork to size, or cork dust from sanding, and make a paste with it using glue or epoxy, then fill the hole in the end of the grip with it. If that description makes sense.

I bought a set of plug cutters from Harbor freight. The set goes up to 5/8". I'll cut a plug out of either a cork strip, or a cork ring itself, and glue it into the end of the grip. If I need to make the plug a little less noticeable, I'll use the above described paste and smear it on the end of the grip and just blend it in with sandpaper.

Here is a link to a picture of two of my rods with grips I made. No butt cap needed. And if you really wanted say a rubber butt cap, they make small rubber caps with a round dowel like protrusion. You can epoxy one of those in to protect the end of the grip if you like. I don't use those as my rods only get used while on my, or someone else's boat. But if you shore fish or wade, the rubber butt cap would probably be a good idea.

Anyhow ...... here is a link to the picture I mentioned [www.rodbuilding.org]

David,
I do the same thing as you do.
I build a full length grip including any contrasting material that I may use for a butt cap.
I use material with a hole in the middle - including the material that I use for the butt cap.
Then, I can put the full length grip on the lathe and turn all of the grip - including the butt cap.

Thank as you do, I will cut a plug, using a plug cutter.

Then, I simply glue the plug into the end of the grip when it is on the rod.

To get a 100% square end on the end of the rod blank, I use my cross vise that is mounted on the front of my disk sander to get the perfect end on the grip.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Note:
The motor for my disk sander came from a neighbor who had a discared shallow well pump motor. I milled off the motor to pump interface that was on the end of the motor housing. Then, I replaced both bearings in the motor that were noisy.
Then I picked up an electric motor mount from an electric motor rebuilding shop. This motor had a 1/2x20 thread on the end. Thus, I was able to simply screw on a keyless chuck onto the end of the motor. Then, I have a friend that owns a machine shop and he made an 8 inch disk with a 1/2 inch mounting shaft on the center of the back of the disk. Thus, I was able to simply put the disk into the chuck and have a solid quiet running disk sander. I had used it for other uses for a few years, but then it was sitting idle when I wanted to have a device that would give me a perfect 90 degree end on the ends of amy rods that I built. So, I picked up a cross vise and mounted it at 90 degrees to the face of the disk. Now, the disk sander is a dedicated machine to do one task very well and than is to sand the ends of material of any sort at perfect 90 degrees to the shaft being sanded.

Best wishes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2023 11:48AM by roger wilson.

If one is looking for a good way to finish the open end of the blank at a butt knob or butt of a full grip, another way is to buy rubber bumpers at an auto parts store. There are some that have a barb which accepts gel epoxy nicely and about a 3/4 inch flat end on the outside. Very unobtrusive, protective of the butt, a soft hit when the rod is placed anywhere butt down. I sand the barb surface and the inside of the flat to remove any mold release that might be there and interfere with the epoxy bonding. Never had an issue.