Rod Building Tools

[Gaerith]

I am wondering if I could get some advice on where to (and not to) spend money on rod building tools. I plan on getting a hand wrapper, dryer and reamers; is there any other tool I'm missing that I should get? Are you able to go cheap on any of them or should I invest cash in a good dryer (flexcoat?) and reamers? How many reamers should I get to start?

I'm mainly asking because I don't want to have to buy 'upgrades' after a little while because I went too cheap.

Bonus question: anyone that makes their own cork handles, is it expensive to tool up for it? I don't like many of the handle options offered and I'd really like to get into this eventually.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

[papajoe222]

I made my own hand wrapper from 1X6. One 24in. and two 6in pieces.  I cut a V in each of the smaller pieces and attached them to the ends of the longer piece after adding some padding to the V sections.  I purchased a 5rpm motor and handle chuck from e-bay along with most of the supplies you find in a start up kit. I spent under $80 and that included a cork reamer.  I've built five rods with those tools and the only items I purchased were the components and specific thread colors.

You can purchase cork handle components separate rather than buying a kit.  You can add colored rings in front and behind  the reel seat and at the butt cap. You can even add a custom cap and winding checks to dress things up.  A cork jig, saw and components will set you back more than what I think it's worth, but if you plan on builing a dozen or so rods, or you just don't care about the expense to build your own dream rod, go for it.

[A-Jay]

Here's everything you always wanted to know (and need) about rod building, but were afraid to ask.

 

 

A-Jay

 

http://www.mudhole.com/Rod-Building

[Gaerith]

Papajoe how do you keep thread tension on the one you made? Did you buy an aftermarket one from like mud hole?

Also, I was wondering if getting a dryer with a slip clutch is worth it?

I have been planning out a 5' ultra light rod for my son and am currently going with components rather than a handle kit. I am still not 100% happy with my options. I really wanted to have a 4" slim handle (aluminum butt cap) with a 1" tapered foregrip, but I think I'm going to do a split handle with a 1.25" rear grip and a 2" foregrip. My pinky is the only finger behind the reel, and I think the munchkin could hold it past the reel, kind of like how Aaron Martens holds his rod.

[Jrob78]

I built my own wrapper.  I wanted something that was longer than the cheaper store bought ones.  Mine is 48" long and fully adjustable.  I use springs to keep tension on the thread.  It's actually the 2nd wrapper I built, I made some changes for this one.  It's built from 1/2" plywood.  

 

As far as making your own cork grips, I do.  I buy cork rings and glue them up.  I made a cork vice with 2 threaded handles and a piece of all thread.  I don't have a lathe but I do have a drill press that I can turn the grips on.  It isn't perfect but it works for me.  I don't have the cork jigs or any special tools and haven't had any need for them.  I use a mix of regular cork and burnt/burl cork for my grips.  Just be aware that good cork is very expensive.  The cork I buy is about $5 an inch.  Cheap cork is full of pits and will require filler.  I can post some pics tomorrow if you want to see any of my tools or grips.

 

 

[EvanT123]

Jrob,

I'd like to see your grips and tools.

Gareith,

I don't think you will have EVERY tool you will need when you sit down and start. A trip to the hardware store is going to be inevitable. I would take my time with the build. I started with the handle and I glued up my rings on an all thread rod like jrob. I used titebond3 to bond them you can find that at Home Depot.

I turned the handle on a lathe that me and my co-worker build basically a corded power drill turned upside down with a 1/4 steel rod chucked into it. Used sandpaper to form the grip and a vernier calipers to measure the diameter.

For reamers I used some pieces of a rod blank with plumbers tape wrapped around them and round files chucked into a power drill again a corded drill the battery powered ones didn't have the power to do the job. It's important wether it's reamers or files to try and get something that closely matches the taper of the blank.

There's a bunch of guys with a lot of experience on here and are very helpful. So you don't have to go it along. Good luck!!

[Jrob78]

I should add that I do use reamers.  I have a set of the Batson reamers and they are worth every penny.  I chock them in a drill and use them that way.   If you're going to work with cork you really need reamers of some kind.  You could probably do it with files but it would be a pain.

 

I know several guys who use drill lathes just like Evan posted.  That's a great way to turn grips without having to buy a real lathe.  There's a company called Grizzly that makes a lathe that works with a drill.  A lot of guys use it and it doesn't cost a fortune.   

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Hobby-Lathe-Disc-Sander/H2669

[Gaerith]

Jrob, I too would like to see your grips and tools!   Thanks for bringing up the Batson reamers, I was debating on getting the dream reamer set, but it seemed kind of much to spend 70 bucks on just reamers.
 
I only have a Bosch cordless drill, so I would have to buy a corded drill I'm guessing?  How do you get the raw handle onto and off the mandrel?  So far I have only seen this video on it, and he makes the handles straight on the rod.  I haven't found a video where they do the entire process of putting the glued cork onto a mandrel, sanding and taking it off; I'm curious about the details.
 

[Jrob78]

Jrob, I too would like to see your grips and tools!   Thanks for bringing up the Batson reamers, I was debating on getting the dream reamer set, but it seemed kind of much to spend 70 bucks on just reamers.

 

I only have a Bosch cordless drill, so I would have to buy a corded drill I'm guessing?  How do you get the raw handle onto and off the mandrel?  So far I have only seen this video on it, and he makes the handles straight on the rod.  I haven't found a video where they do the entire process of putting the glued cork onto a mandrel, sanding and taking it off; I'm curious about the details.

The Batson reamer set is pricey but if you plan to make a lot of grips it's worth it.  The tapers are relatively small so you need several sizes to do most casting rods.  The holes in the cork are only 1/4" and most blanks are around 3/8-5/8" where the grip is.  I've had my reamers for about 3 years and they are still going strong.  The sandpaper lasts a long time.

 

I'll get up to the shop over the weekend and take a couple of pictures of my cork clamps.  I use one that is all thread with the same black knobs that are on my wrapper.  I glue the rings, slide them on the all thread and then tighten the knobs down until everything is tight.  When the glue cures I just unscrew the knobs and slide the glued pieces off.

 

The other clamp I use is a squeeze clamp you buy at the hardware store.  I drilled holes in both sides of the clamp part and slide a 1/4" aluminum bar into the holes.  The cork rings are on the bar between the clamp, I squeeze the clamp tight and it presses the rings together.  After it's dry, the rings slide off.  When I take pictures it will all make more sense.  I use plumbers teflon tape to keep the rings from sticking to the mandrels.

 

I use a cordless Dewalt hammer drill to ream my grips.  I don't know if a standard cordless would work but I assume it would, just might take a little longer.

[Munkin]

That reamer kit is worth its weight in gold! If you wait they put them on sale as I bought mine for 50% off during a sale. Now if I can just get better at wrapping the guides? There are 3 or 4 rods in my rod rack that the handles are done but I have not been happy with any of my wraps so they are guideless for now.

Allen

[Hound_dog]

As mentioned before Mudhole has a ton of information on their website and you can order everything from them. Great people to deal with and will take time to answer any of your questions a long the way. 

[Gaerith]

Is it necesarry to use mandrels made for turning cork or can I just grab a .25" steel rod from fleet farm and use that? They're 4x cheaper that route.

[EvanT123]

Is it necesarry to use mandrels made for turning cork or can I just grab a .25" steel rod from fleet farm and use that? They're 4x cheaper that route.

Not a cork turning pro here or an everyday user of powers tools. I did research this a lot though and put it into practice. You can turn the cork grip on a steel rod without a problem; cork is much softer than wood. I don't know what you are trying to build but I would recommend a drill with a key chuck to get the mandrel secure into the chuck. You have to support the other end of the bar with something. Or at x rpms that end is going to go crazy.

Like I said I'm not a pro at this stuff but I researched a lot of it from a non rod building perspective. Research real lathes for wood and metal and homemade cork lathes. To a guy like me a lot of the lathe terms might as well have been Greek but the main idea is to reduce vibration in the tool and make it as safe and fool proof as possible. Try and find a balance, make sure you are/can find a competent tool person and always wear eye protection.

[Gaerith]

Thank you, I appreciate the response! I am making a list right now to make a drill lathe, and once I get that made I'll work on making a wrapper. Rodbuilding.org has a guide on how to make a homemade wrapper in their library if anyone else could use it.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The key with mandrels is that they need to be straight and rigid. If they flex and wobble, you'll have trouble keeping the grip concentric. I drill out the cork rings to 3/8 and use a 3/8 mandrel. This has helped a lot. It also makes final reaming even easier.

[Jrob78]

Sorry for delay in posting these pictures but these are the 2 clamps I use for gluing up cork rings.  One is a squeeze clamp from the hardware store and the other is a piece of all thread with knobs I can tighten down.  The key for the threaded clamp is using plumbers teflon tape on the threads to keep the rings from sticking.  I use Titebond III for gluing rings.  The squeeze clamp has a hole drilled in both sides of the clamp and a 1/4" piece of aluminum bar through everything to keep the rings lined up.