Trophyhusband

I decided that I want to try building my own rods so today I began building that thing the rod rolls around on. I'm not sure exactly what it's called but as far as I can tell I'll need it. So far I've only used stuff I had laying around the garage. There may be a couple things I'll need for it, but not much.

Hopefully I can get a little input here. What makes one of these tools high quality? What features does it need to have? Constructive criticism is welcome, just keep in mind that I started it today so there will be improvements to what is in these pics.

amarcafina

Fine looking rig. wish I had one that neat looking . Mine looks like a scrape yard compared to yours !!

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osborne311

You found one of the few things I know absolutely nothing about. lol

Fascinated by the idea of building your own rod though. I want to come over and bug you when you are trying to concentrate. I will bring beer.

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Trophyhusband

I do like beer.

osborne311

what kind of rods are you going to attempt? I really do want to see how this project progresses.

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Trophyhusband

Probably something for AJ. I'm moving back west this summer so it will get used for halibut and albacore as well.

osborne311

This is going to be cool to follow.

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Starlifter

I built a Batson Rainshadow Composite Jigging Rod last year, and it's really easy to build rods, and the only tough part is getting all the guides centered with your centerline of your reel seat. If you wanna do a cool build if your going to build a conventional rod is a "spiral wrap" which is how I wrapped my rod. It's also called an acid wrap. The patent for the technique is about 100 years old.

"The Rod Room" in Orange Beach is a great place to get all that you need to build a rod all under one roof.

Trophyhusband

Thanks for the info. I have almost zero knowledge of rod building, but I had to replace the eye on a rod last week. I also have a couple rods that need several eyes replaced so I figured I would build the roller thing to make it easier. From there it was an easy leap to deciding to build my own rod.

I've ordered a book to learn how, but I'm not sure I'll get too fancy with the wraps just yet. Then again, I may go all out on my first rod.

Trophyhusband

I spent today making the knobs, routing and sanding the parts, and cutting the carriage bolts to size. The wood used for the knobs was so hard that I used cutting oil while drilling it. I used a tap to put threads into the wood itself instead of having to put a nut into it. I rubbed paste wax into the standoffs and knobs and rubbed the base with paraffin wax. Everything moves smoother than I expected. I did have to spend money today. I got $10 worth of nylock nuts and nylon washers. The next project will be some sort of carriage for the thread.