Rod/reel combo with fishing kit as an emergency setup ru-vid.comUgkxntWMOZsO1Zfv-pdn_XuffEtNkTYAYu4Z recommend but started to use this every day. The rod is thick and seems durable. I keep it neatly tucked into a regular backpack all the time with my fishing gear, and can grab it anytime, put it on my back and go anywhere. I just read in another review that the rod length below the reel is adjustable as well, so I will try that too for even more portability. Probably the best setup I've ever owned. I lost the cap for the eyelets, but no big deal since I still have the black cloth sheath that came for the pole and I use that. Very portable and high quality.
Thanks Paul. The variety of bamboo is named Arundinaria amabilis. Sometimes it is referred to as Tonkin Cane, and occasionally, Tea Stick bamboo. It grows in a very temperate southeastern part of China along the Sui River in the Guangdong Province. The highly informative video, "Trout Grass" by Andy Royer, relates much information about this species of bamboo. Andy describes it as growing as much as three feet at night during the growing season - and says if you put your ear to it you can sometimes hear it growing! Previous to Tonkin Cane another bamboo called Calcutta Cane was generally used, but it was inferior to Tonkin. Antique rods may be made of Calcutta. My wife has a bamboo patch in our yard, but the cane is nowhere strong enough for rodmaking. She said to me recently that it was amazing to think that rods I build come from bamboo imported from China. Thinking about that for a moment I replied, "likely so does everything I am wearing" :) , but it is kinda neat. The reason Tonkin Cane is superior is its thickness and density of 'power fibers', and that is the meat of what you trying to get to when you create a split cane rod after removing the inner 'pith' and outer 'enamel'. The power fibers look like dark dots when you look at a cross section of a cut bamboo culm. Makers prize unblemished culms that are relatively straight, with good distance between leaf nodes, and tightly clustered power fibers. The final result is a strong, but flexible material.
@@dariuswhite227 For initial taper (or rough beveling) to the 60° necessary I use one Stanley plane. I might plane three strips or so doing thus, and occasionally up to six. For final planing I use two planes. One is fitted with the standard Stanley blade, and the other a Hock blade. Since this is the final taper I am *much* more careful about the angles and cautious of chips or tear outs. I'll use the first plane to get close to the form, usually within a few thousandths. Because I don't use a scraper, I want the second plane to be fresh and sharp. So I'll use that plane to take off the last remnants of bamboo. It may take longer, but I'll sharpen both planes for each of the strips, so if I'm building a butt and two tip sections that would mean sharpening both planes 18x for final planing, or the three 6 strip sections. Because I'm sharpening for every strip, it doesn't take too long as I'm not allowing the planes to get too dull. At the point of final planing you want to be very careful. It might be possible to sharpen less, but don't push it. You workmanship really shows with strips that have no chips, or open seams. Check the planes for sharpness on the edge of a piece of paper after each honing. This can be a little challenging at first, but you'll find a groove that works for you. Hope that helps!
Thanks silverfox. Best of luck straightening and flattening your nodes. Heat is the easiest way to straighten the strips and you will feel the bamboo becoming more pliable as it heats. There can be too much or too little heat, but over time you will get the feel of it. Gloves help to protect your hands and proper safety measures are important when using a heat gun or the open flame of an alcohol lamp. It is advisable to keep a fire extinguisher handy in the workroom. The strips have the tendency to hold the straightness you impart as they cool. Nodal areas should be straight and lie flat in the planing form before you begin final planing. If not, they will frequently cause problems. There are a few good "how to" split cane rodmaking books that go into detail about flattening and straightening nodes. There are also a number of "rod gatherings" throughout the U.S. (other countries too). These events include established rodmakers of various levels, as well as folks interested in learning the craft. Many of the 'makers' are generous to share information.
Hello I really liked the video .. you have golden hands .. such a question you make fishing rods for sale .. I would buy a couple of pieces from you ..
Great video! So good to see the traditions kept alive! I half made a split cane Mark 1V carp rod in about 1974! I regret not finishing it! Got to say, was the over loud music necessary, or am I just old! Just saying!
Other rodmakers do this too, as well as thin the varnish to aid flow to get a finer coat, although some manufacturers do not recommend thinning the varnish and you can increase VOC's. As I do not have a window for ventilation in my space in the basement, I installed an exhaust fan to draw out vapors.
What I currently have is called Smooth On EA-40 Epoxy. It is a clear adhesive and comes in two separate cans. Part A is the Resin and Part B is the hardener. This epoxy is used to make bows, which are also able to withstand a lot of stress. The mix is 50/50. The reccommendation following application is to heat cure at 180 degrees in a heat oven (which I have) for a minimum of 4 hours. Good luck!
interesting that after months of waiting for the culms to cure you immediately soak them in water - if you're burning them with a heat gun maybe the technique needs altered?
That's a valid question. Many rod makers do it this way. Essentially you're straightening the nodes and strips. Water helps to decrease drying out the strips and burning them. It does take a bit of heat to straighten the strips and with a little effort you can get them surprisingly straight. Sometimes a culm is 'flamed' and sometimes left alone to make blonde rods. I have heard others say that oven baked cane 'prior' to planing is just too dry to plane well. After final planing I heat treat in an oven which likely removes any excess moisture and theoretically tempers the cane. Does it truly do this? I cannot be certain, but that is how my instructor taught me and many other builders do this as well. I will say the strips 'feel stiffer' following heat treating. How much moisture re-enters a finished rod after it is glued up and varnished is a topic of some debate among rodmakers.
thanks for your response, I'm as new as it gets on this subject but the books and videos I'm taking in all seem to point to encouraging the bamboo to cure/dry as much as possible and this is the only example where I've heard of someone essentially eradicating that time/effort by saturating them in water just to then immediately turn around and dry them. it's especially odd when it seems like a heat gun and some pressure is all that is needed to accomplish this efficiently without risk of scorching (I can see how an alcohol lamp could be risky) anyway, there's usually more than one way to do something , cheers@@alfredeneuman6966
Really good video, I'm about to start on my first rod and was wondering if i could build some kind of smoker to heat treat? Really appreciate the video
I followed the advice of Frank Neunemann. If you type and search for 'Heat Treating Oven - Frank Neunemann,' you should find the description for a vertical heat treating oven powered by a heat gun. Although this is a relatively simple design, I've personally had good results heat treating the strips.
If you are referring to the forms there are at least four sources that I am aware of and possibly more. Search for "planing forms" and add any of the following four and you should get some hits: Swearingen, J.D. Wagner, Bellinger, and Peak fishing. Most makers begin with a standard Hex form, but you may find forms for swelled butts, quads, penta's, and so on. These suppliers also have other tools helpful for rodmaking. If you are so inclined you might even craft your own forms. Check out Thomas Penrose's Bamboo Fly Rod Pages. Hope that helps.
I built a Garrison 8 foot 6 weight rod. My reason for choosing that taper is because Garrison was a structural and electrical engineer and was careful with his measurements and plotted out his tapers with an engineers mind using stress curves, etc. Longer rods tend to be heavier and that is another reason I like the 8ft 6wt. If you are maker and thinking of that taper it is a good one. I seem to get out a decent bit of line with it.
That is a good question. Everett Garrison treated his bamboo inside a metal tube with a torch for a short period of time. That probably makes sense given the cane is laying on bare metal with a torch waved over it. Assuming you are using some sort of oven it would be different. Jack Howell in "The Lovely Reed," recommends 375° for 20 minutes (a little more if you want darker). George Maurer in Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly Rod recommends up to 350°. Wayne Cattanach in "Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods," recommends 375° for 7 minutes, then flips end to end for 3-1/2 minutes. I personally warm the oven first, then put the strips in at 350° for about 25 minutes in most cases, maybe 20 minutes for a blonde rod if I want it a bit lighter. Since I straighten the nodes wet I want to make sure the moisture is drawn out. Heat treating does temper the cane, and you can feel additional stiffness after the strips are cooled and removed from the oven. As oven types differ you will want to determine what works best for you.
@@astrafaro5274 In the U.S., but one of my great grandmothers was italian (Therese Verderame), and her husband was also Italian (Giovanni Solia), so my grandmother was Antoinette (Netty) Solia.
Hi Justin. I did not make my own planing form, but purchased a metal form from Larry Swearingen. I had first used a wooden form that was given me by another rodmaker, but when I looked at it more closely in thousandths, I found it was off :( Jeff Wagner and Bellinger make some good metal forms too. If you are handy you can indeed make your own forms of hard wood, or even metal. I've known makers who have done it. I have only built hexes (6 sides), but forms come in quads (4) or pentas (5 sided) too. Regarding dial indicators a standard dial indicator is fine. You can usually find these at a reasonable cost. With the standard dial indicator the large set of numbers on top increase in a clockwise direction, and the lower smaller numbers run in a counter clockwise manner. The lower smaller numbers are the ones you actually use to set the planing form. The standard indicator works fine and many new and accomplished makers use them. There is also a reverse reading dial indicator. Here there is only one set of numbers and they run in a counter clockwise (correct) direction. My vision ain't what it used to be and one set of large numbers is easier to see and a bit less confusing. I recently found a good reverse dial indicator on Ebay at a decent price. It is a Mitutoyo model 2904S. New builders will also need a 60 degree point and a base for the dial indicator. Happy building!
@@paflyfish I just purchase a plan from Larry too . I made a fly rod with it and I'm still a little confused about the tapers. Is the taper the size of the individual strip or is it the diameter of the finished rod.
@@dariuswhite227 That's a good question. If you look online at Hexrod tapers for example, it lists 5" taper dimensions from tip to butt and the suggested line weight for the rod. Say the final tip dimension is .060 thousandths. That dimension is the recommended diameter for the finished rod. What you want to do is half that value to .030 to set your planing form. If you're building a hex rod, two strips are seated across one another and that dimension equals .060. If you were to make each measurement .060, without halving, then your tip would measure .120. Half the values for all 5" stations for both tip and butt and set the depth of your planing form accordingly. Hope that helps.
Hi Michael. Yes, the stream is in Pennsylvania. I do make custom rods, flamed or blonde rod, nickel silver, black anodized, or blued components, rod with or without tipping, 2 piece 2 tip, or 1 tip, etc.
I have bamboo in my back yard can I use that? I would get the right size I have a lot of it too so I would have a lot to pick from if I wanted a stronger on so I could picka really tall one like 20 ft tall and cut off the top and use that or I could make a weaker one by using a 10 ft bamboo stick. Or would I have to buy some special bamboo?
The majority of cane rod makers use comes from China. We have bamboo in our yard too, but it is unsuitable for making split cane rods. The bamboo with strong enough fibers suitable for rods is arundinaria amabilis, frequently referred to as tonkin cane. The short answer is you would need special bamboo.
sir thank for share. i am from Thailand. i am really want to learn do this rod、but i can not find this tool. would you tell me where i can but that rule. thanks so much.
Shanbao, I am not sure whether or not you are referring to the "planing forms" used to make the rods. If so, here are some planing form sources I noted from a post farther down, Swearingen, J.D. Wagner, Bellinger, and Peak fishing.
Keith C thank you so much sir.planing forms is what i want. thank for your information . i will check it. if have chance、welcome to fishing at Thailand.
Hey Harry, I got a small motor from Grainger Industrial Supply. It was a few years back and the motor is in a housing I created as you see in the video. Looking at the web (I think) it was a small Dayton AC gearmotor at low RPM. Zoro Tools sells a 4 RPM for a little under 60 bucks. I fastened a fishing spool to the rotating arm filled with backing. Any slow rotating motor should do. Brasstown Creek recommends a product from Jameco - product ID: 155821 (from their website). They state they paid $22.95 in 2011, so it is even less expensive. Some makers simply spool backing onto a fly reel and raise the rod sections with a slow retrieve, but I don't know that I'm that patient or trusting in my retrieve :)
Good question. The longest split cane rod I have made thus far is 8’6”. It is a Leonard Model 50 ½ tournament taper for a 5 weight line. The tip is actually quite thin, but the rod has enough thickness in the butt section to add power. Essentially I chose the taper because of the fineness of the tip section, as typically bamboo rods above 8 feet can increase significantly in “swing weight.” To further reduce weight the rod is hollow built. It was fished on the South Holston tail water in Tennessee last spring and fall, as well as other rivers, and the action is pleasing. I will be fishing the rod again on the SoHo in early May this spring. I have various 8’6” Grangers, a Phillipson, and Heddon, (all refinished); also refinished a beautiful 8’6” Cross rod for a friend, and these are fine rods, but the swing weight is more tiresome than the Leonard model 50, especially if you are holding the rod for any length of time. I have a Heddon built “trade rod” at 9 feet and have cast a friends 9’ Granger. Again beautiful rods, but heavy to cast for any length of time. That being said there are those who don’t mind a little added weight and makers who build long bamboo spey rods for customers. There is a 9’ 5 wt. taper I have thought of building, but have not done so yet, so cannot say how it would feel or fish. I'd hollow build it and it would be a 3 piece (two ferrules). Private message me and we can discuss options further if you are interested.
Chi, I looked up the product I have been using from Bingham's Archery and noticed it was missing. I wrote to them and this is their reply, "The Versamid 140 was discontinued by the manufacturer and we decided to discontinue rather than replace it with something untested. The Smooth-On was our most popular epoxy." This was a two part epoxy and worked well. I will also need to try something else and am considering Titebond III. The set time is shorter and therefore the glue up time will need to move more quickly.
Thanks Sharyar! Bamboo in and of itself isn't too expensive compared to graphite. It must be imported from China, and right now there is one major importer. A bundle of 10 standard culms is about $240. each. Shipping is a bit expensive however as these are imported to the west coast then shipped from there. After that you need cork for grips, probably at least 25.00 or so (if you buy the best Flor grade 'rings' maybe something like 90. per hundred), a reel seat - maybe 25. to 65. depending on quality (natural woods and nickel silver fittings cost most). Nickel silver ferrules (you wouldn't fool with brass) close to 50. to 85. or so depending on quality and supplier. Glues, marine grade varnish, guides, NS winding check, tip top, agate stripping guide, silk threads, etc.. all add up. Not to mention binder, dip tank, heat treating oven, metal planing forms, etc.. So I would say an average rod could be $150. to $250. in parts (even more if you do engraving or go really crazy). Oh, almost forgot the rod tube and sock. Aluminum tubes are running about 40. bucks these days. The shop outlay costs and your time are really the biggest expenses, and it takes a good bit of time to build each rod, so dollars per hour if you sell isn't all that great, although those who establish a name may do fair.
I use three planes for rodmaking. One is an old Stanley 60 1/2. This plane I generally use to rough out the 60 degree strips. Because the plane as designed will scrape at a fairly low angle I set the blade to 40 degrees. I do not personally use this plane for final planing, but others do. For final planing I use two old Stanley 9 1/2 planes. The first gets close to final planing on the steel form, and the second does the final planing. The reason for two planes is that I prefer the second plane to be fresh and very sharp when the last few passes are made on the form to reduce and eliminate tear out. The angle I use on the Stanley 9 1/2 is 35 degrees. Other Rod makers may use 25 or 30 degrees, so figure out what works best for you. The reason I like a higher angle is that it reduces tear outs by possibly digging under the bamboo at low angles, but you need to keep the blade very sharp. Some makers also use a scraping plane for the final passes. To set the angles of the blades I use a Veritas deluxe honing guide. You can see pictures of this on Woodcraft for example. You can set high, standard, as well as back bevels with the guide. It helps to create consistent angles when sharpening and planing. I do not use a back bevel, but others do. For the blades I use Hock blades as do many other makers. They may be a little more difficult to sharpen than say an old Stanley blade, but keep their edge longer. Sharpening can be achieved with sandpaper, waterstones, diamond stones, or water cooled machines like Tormek or Makita, etc. You don't need to spend a fortune sharpening, but you do want to get a flat sharp edge. A flat sole is an absolute must. Take time to do this and there are videos on RU-vid for tuning up your plane. An older Stanley isn't the only plane to use either. Many makers use Records, Veritas, or Lie Nielsen to mention a few. Some of the newer planes cause me to salivate. You CAN get by with a single 9 1/2 plane. Just keep it sharp. Finally the flatter and straighter your nodes are when planing, the easier and fewer tear outs you will get. If money is no object and want to reduce the effort of planing, you can even buy a milling machine. There exist those for both roughing and final tapering.
I am not too familiar with this plane, but it is described as a low angle plane, meaning the bedding angle of the plane to the iron is at a low angle. The reason I use older Stanley 9 1/2 planes is that they come with a lateral turn wheel that makes small adjustments to the blade through the adjustable throat. The newer Stanley plane somewhat similar to the 9 1/2 I believe is the 12-920, selling at Walmart for about 31.58. It does not have the wheel, but a screw mechanism to move the blade forward and back. Stanley does now make a Stanley "Sweetheart" No. 9 1/2 plane (12-138) and it is currently selling for 71.99 at Walmart. This newest plane is a bit more expensive, but it appears to have added the lateral wheel which allows for micro adjustments to the blade. It may be possible to steepen your 12-960 blade angle to minimize chipping or tear outs. From Stanley, "the 12-960 sits at a 12 degree angle. The 12-920 sits at a 21 degree angle," so you can see the difference in angle degree you are already starting with. If at all possible you may find it easier to start with a Stanley 9 1/2. Best of luck!
Here are a few sources. Jeff Wagner planing forms, Swearingen planing forms, Peak Outdoors, Lon Blauvelt's bamboo flyrods, Bellinger planing forms. Obviously forms are heavy so it might be a good idea to check on shipping charges as well.