I had a great group of area bamboo rod builders get together at my shop today, Randy Beard, Skip Hosfield, Claude Darden, and Jeff Smith. We had a great time casting bamboo fly rods, sharing techniques, and “Talking Bamboo”. We don’t get the chance to do this very often, so we’re all hoping to have more of these get-togethers in the future.
Bamboo Rod Builder Get-Together
What do rod builders do when they get together….cast each other’s rods!
I just finished a new rod for Shawn from Portland. He’s a great angler, and this is the third bamboo fly rod I’ve built for him. He already has a 3 wt and a 4 wt rod, and this time he chose a 7′ 6″ 5 wt Signature Series Rod. I really enjoyed building this for him, and this week I joined him on the Metolius River to present the new rod to him….and fish a few hours. Lots of bugs were hatching and we were able to find quite a few rising fish, but, matching their dinner choice was difficult. We managed to tempt a few fish to our flies and had an absolutely great afternoon on the river. Here is Shawn with his new rod.
Getting ready to fish our 5 wt bamboo rods.
Shawn concentrating on a rising trout.
I spent some time this week with Charlotte, my newest rod building class student. She’s making great progress, and keeps proclaiming “This is way too much fun!”. Here she is running bamboo strips through the Bellinger Hand Planers Friend. Next up for her…straightening strips and starting the hand planing process. Here is Charlotte in action:
Running the Bellinger Beveler
Several members of the Central Oregon Fly Fishers Wild Women of the Water visited my rod building shop earlier this week as one of their monthly outings. I got the chance to show them the different aspects of building bamboo fly rods. We had a great interactive time, with everyone getting the chance to try out a few of the building steps. I was quite impressed with their interest and skills in the workshop. These women really know their stuff when it comes to fly fishing, and it was fun having them here. Here are a few fun photos of the event.
Discussing Splitting and heat treating
Jan trying her hand at flaming cane.
Susan starting a split.
Renee getting the perfect split.
Kari trying her hand with the power beveller
Lynn demonstrating her expertise at hand planing.
Examining finished rods.
1-4-2016 – I’ve been moving into my new rod building shop for the past 2 weeks. It’s still a mess but I’m able to get most things done. The first order of the day was to build a wall rack for my raw bamboo. I’m pretty happy with how it came out.
My new rod building shop
Wall rack for raw bamboo
12-13-2015 – WooHoo, the new rod shop has been completed and I start moving in tomorrow. It looks a little empty right now but after I get things moved in this week, I’ll post more photos. Here is what it looks like today:
My new bamboo rod shop
My new bamboo rod shop
My new bamboo rod shop
11-23-2015 – Last week, all the sheet rock got hung in my new rod shop. With the cold weather and snow we’re having, I’m not expecting any work to happen this week. Next week, hoping for the final finish work on the walls, and possibly get the heating system installed. Here are a few photos:
My new rod shop.
This is the “Clean and Dry” side of my shop. I’ll be doing all rod wrapping and finishing in here.
The Varnishing/Dipping Room with 12′ ceilings.
11-5-2015 – More work on the shop this past week. The exterior walls were finished, the roof/shingles were completed, and the interior wall insulation was put in place. This coming week, the sheet rock guys will start their work. My garage is packed with stuff right now….can’t wait for the shop to get completed so I can move most of it in.
My New Rod Building Shop
10-23-2015 – More progress on my rod shop this past week. The roof has been covered (shingles to go on this week), the doors and windows were installed, and the exterior walls are getting finished. Inside, more of the electrical work was completed. The inside photo might not look like much yet but I’m petty excited with how it’s shaping up. I’ll have one “Clean and Dry” side to the shop that is 16′ x 20′ for finish work and rod wrapping, which will include a dipping room…gotta make sure I have space for a beer fridge also! The Dirtier side of the shop will house all the rest of my tools and operations, as well as Mary Ann’s Drift Boat. The entire shop is fully insulated and will be climate controlled.
My Rod Shop
My Rod Shop
10-9-2015 – This past week the electrical was run in the shop and the skylights were installed. And, the county finally approved the water and sewage lines so the trench could be filled in. So, my driveway is getting back to normal.
My Rod Shop
9-27-2015 – Some good work went into the shop this week. The roof trusses were delivered and I now have a roof on my shop.
The roof is now on.
9-15-2015 – The guys spent the day finishing up the back wall and getting most of the interior walls framed up.
The New Rod Shop
9-14-2015 – Things are starting to take shape on the new shop. The concrete is all in, the sewer and water lines are in, and the framing has started.
The new shop.
Well, after an 8 week delay in getting inspections and permits approved, we’re finally back on track with the construction of my new rod shop. A concrete retaining wall was pored this past week. The remaining concrete floor will get pored this week and the framing will start.
Constructing the concrete retaining wall.
Things are pretty exciting here. We broke ground this week on my new bamboo rod shop. I’ve been stuck into several corners of the house/garage since we moved in here to Sisters, Oregon 8 months ago. I’ve been able to build rods, but I always seem to be climbing over my tools and equipment to get things done. So, it’s time for a new workshop. We’re adding a 1200 square ft. expansion to the garage that will house my entire rod building operation, as well as our drift boat. Our contractor started the excavation work this week, taking out a few trees and digging down for the new foundation. Over the next several weeks, I’ll keep posting progress photos of my shop, so check back occasionally to see how things are going. Here is what things look like now:
Starting the excavation work next to our current garage.
Trees are gone and dirt/rocks are being removed to make way for the foundation.