Forum: rodboard

Ok watched too many youtube videos and got confused again. Looking for thoughts on spine location of a blank and how to orientate guides to the spine. I have always used a spine finder that holds the blank horizontal. I roll the blank as I bend the the tip to the floor. Now is the spine on the top of the blank or the bottom? Inside the bend or outside? Been awhile since I have built rods.
Forum: rodboard

I've decided to attempt to become a fly fisherman, and I'm going to build my own rod. I'm going to focus initially on bluegills and trout. I've built a lot of rods, but never a fly rod. I have a NFC 9' two piece, 5wt. blank that I'm going to use for the build. I see manufactured rods that have either snake or single foot running guides and I'm curious which is the best way to go. I'm under the im
Forum: rodboard

I just received two rod blanks that concern me a little .These are 3 piece IM 6 2wts . Granted they are not Sage or Winston but still have been good blanks for me . The first one has a tip with a bend in it . I can see it when sighting down the blank . The second one has two bends in it . They are not as pronounced as the tip on the first one . My question is , should I spine these blanks an
Forum: rodboard

Ok, so i have a understanding.. Sorta.. The first question is about the process setup.. I understand the ccs is primarly based on fly rods, which explains why you would place your rod in the holder with the guides facing up.. In fly fishing you load your line primarily on the back cast.. Over your head.. And behind you.. The system can be used for spin fishing rods too, but i primarily cast f
Forum: rodboard

A few years back every other post on this site seemed to be about the spine or "spline" of a rod blank. Today this topic has been abandoned in favor of the best guide spacing, right down to the millimeter. I have never seen any credible, objective tests comparing the distance or accuracy or ANY performance feature of completed rods with differing spine alinements or guide spacing? Are
Forum: rodboard

To All......Is there a generally accepted +/- tolerance in degrees off the spline centerline when mounting the reel seat? I realize that 0° off center is the goal, but how much off-center, (left or right), would be acceptable?
Forum: rodboard

I am building a 13', 7/8 wt. spey rod and want to be sure to find the spine. I have a spine finder (2 ball bearing raceway, one in each end of finder) and according to Dale Clemens (in Advanced Custom Rod Building) when you push down on the tip the blank will roll to point where effective spine will be on top. Is this accurate in your experience? A friend says no... the spine is heavier
Forum: rodboard

Greetings gang. I'm new here. I built a heavy duty boat rod, in the early 80's, using a Fenwick blank. I thought that it turned out well, until I used it and the tip wanted to go sideways. I then learned about the spine. I'm now retired and want to build more rods, but build them correctly. I have several blanks, including a couple of Ugly Stiks. The markings are: Shakespeare 12-0586 and 1
Forum: rodboard

FIRST HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE FERRULE AND NOW JUST RUINED A BLANK I AM JUST SORRY I EVER DID A COURSE AND TRIED TO GET INTO THIS SICK AND TIRED, AND WALLET IS FEELING VERY SORRY FOR ITSELF, AND GOODBYE
Forum: rodboard

I am loathe to use the term ''epoxy'' Because I am not familiar with it Is araldite the best thing to fix a reel seat on, or not? Or what is? Ideally something that may be rebuilt later fairly easily??
Forum: rodboard

The trouble with reading through the forums on this topic is that no proper solid explanation is given as to what ''spine'' we are talking about Please let's sort out what it is we are actually discussing! Let's talk about a standard tip section from a freshly cut blank, as on these sections the spine is very apparent as opposed to the thicker butt section where not only is the spine harder
Forum: rodboard

Thought I would resurrect this old chestnut just to check up. Blanks are obviously made to tight specifications more than ever now with better technology and under enormous machine pressure (hence very uniform). Even though has and always will be a spine where the roll is folded over and the blank slightly harder in one place, is the spine ever straight down the blank, and is it of any cons
Forum: rodboard

The way my brain works, I like to make everything mathematical. But, the more I get into building rods, the more it "feels" like art. I am not talking about decorative wraps, inlays and alike, that is no doubt art. I am talking about picking out the right blank for the right application or fisherman. Ratings of power depend often on saltwater or freshwater. Action is usually consisten
Forum: rodboard

I keep seeing videos of people that made a spiral wrap on their rods. Why do they use like 6 guides real close to each other to move the line 180?
Forum: rodboard

Read with interest what people are saying about the spine I have trained as a rod builder and spent a lot of time thinking about this topic as I like to get things right and have an appreciation of fine details A well made blank will have very tight tolerances in terms of the uniformity and thickness of the material.. this is obviously because blanks are rolled (manufactured) under extreme
Forum: rodboard

When doing a spiral wrap do you put the spine on the bottom or top of the rod? I would think bottom but just wanted some good opinions from use guys. Also when when installing the stripper guide would it still be about 18 to 20 inches from the reel or would you move it closer so you have more room for the transition? I keep hearing about people's line building up on one side of the reel just curi
Forum: rodboard

Hi everyone , and happy holidays, ok so I have a guy who wants a spinning rod built with guides that I have never used before. He wants Amtac A frame ring lock ( wants holo/holo color). Will be using a size 35 pflueger patriarch with 6-8# braid. Don't know if I should start with a 20 or a 25 and what size to go to next. Would like to go to a size 5 runner as the third guide and run those to the t
Forum: rodboard

Saw this in the Newest RodMaker, Been using this for Years!
Forum: rodboard

Is the Spine Finder (ex. MudHole) really a helpful tool or a hype? The reason I ask is bc I have used the traditional method on my fly rods and some pieces has been hard to locate the spine on. If this tool is accurate and a time saver I won't hesitate adding one to my setup.
Forum: rodboard

I have conducted a respectable amount of research on my own, but I ended up determining that I needed to join a forum to get useful opinions and facts from people with real-world experience. I have fished for a over two decades now, and I have experience ranging from salt water and fresh water, from ponds, to trout streams, the Great Lakes, to the Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. I want to find out
Forum: rodboard

I recently ran across this rod whereby it is stated that the rod is a hybrid and can be used as a spinning or casting rod. I'm a little perplexed since it is my understanding that the guides should be placed on the "belly" of the spine of a spinning rod and on the "back" of the spine for a bait casting rod. How can a rod serve two masters? The only thing I can think of is if
Forum: rodboard

This is my first fly rod build, after several other rod builds which I am very pleased with. This is on a Sage One blank, 9' 4 pc, 5wt, that I picked up for a really good price ($250 shipped) The blank is straight, seems very good. The spine is marked with alignment dots, and it feels accurate. When the rod is flexed, the dots are on top. Am I correct, that this is the top of
Forum: rodboard

I hope nothing. I hope it was good. I know I messed up a bit on the epoxy, but yeah. Let me know if there is anything else I missed? I haven't ever built a fly rod before, and this turned out pretty good. I thought I would give it a try. Let me know what you guys think. I know already of a few mistakes I made, but the rod came out looking great anyway! In the video I show the unboxing
Forum: rodboard

I'm just undertaking my first rod building project. I'm building a 9' #4 fly rod using MHX blanks. I have read a variety of articles about how to find the spine in the blank, however I am really struggling as the blank sections appears to deflect similarly in each direction. How critical is it to spine a rod? I understand at least one prestigious American tackle manufacturer doesn't spine their r
Forum: rodboard

I have a basic question that I can't seem to get a good answer to. I presume it is a matter of opinion, so I'll ask for opinions. Supposedly the proper way to cast a casting rod is at a 90 degree angle to the typical guide placement so that the spool spindle will be straight up and down for less friction and a longer cast. But if you do that, shouldn't the spine be oriented 90 degrees from the g
Forum: rodboard

I have purchased a Rainshadow XST1383F blank to build a steelhead rod for my brother, he generally river fishes for late run steelhead in Michigan, which often includes icy conditions. I have built a few rods and experimented with different methods for guide spacing, including the Morton Micro Guide Graph. I am definitely a novice and this being my first steelhead rod I would appreciate guide and
Forum: rodboard

How do you determine the spine of a 4 piece rod. Do you determine the spine of each segment, which is what I would expect, or is there another way. What about the lower sections. I have not had too much luck finding the spine on these sections, but I feel it probably isn't too significant for these sections since most flex is in the upper half. Thanks.
Forum: rodboard

Hi. This is my first post on this forum; I've been lurking in the corner for a while and figure its about time I sign up. I'm building a couple bunker spoon rods on Seeker BA 1153M 9' blanks. I will be using All American Spiral Roller guides, ATC aluminum seat and gimbal, slick butt grip and a EVA foam foregrip. OK. I have the components that I feel will do the job the best. I have spined
Forum: rodboard

I generally go with the straightest axis on rods. Someone recently mentioned building on the spine of a high modulus blank with a very distinct spine as important. What do you guys do on blanks like this? Mostly looking at bass-walleye type spinning rods.
Forum: rodboard