Category Archives: Bamboo Rod Building

Videos and postings about bamboo rod building

New Switch Rod

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I’ve just added a new light Switch Rod to my set of Bamboo Fly Rods that I build and offer for sale.  This one is a 10′  6″ – 3 piece/2 tip – 5 wt rod.  I had a great time designing the progressive taper and the cork grip section…got some great help from Chet and Bill at Bellingers with some design ideas and some custom machined reel seat hardware.  This rod casts a light line amazingly well.

This rod went to Paul from Idaho. Here is a short little video of Paul trying out his new Switch Rod. By the way…very nice casting stroke, Paul!

Rod Wrapping Stand

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After seeing my wrapping video, William (from Tennesee) ask me for a few more details on my rod wrapping stand. I built an oak support stand 36″ long and 12″ high that support the rod sections when I wrap guides. The center support can be moved laterally by loostening a wing nut and sliding the support to one side or another. This helps to accommodate the cork/grip on a butt section or to give additional support near the tip-tops on tip sections.

I put groves into the upright supports that can hold two rod pieces and covered them with painter’s tape to prevent any scratching of the bamboo. I hand wrap everything using just a Dr. Slick Bobbin to hold the thread, holding the bobbin in my left hand and turning the rod with my right hand. I wrap all rods with Pearsalls Gossimer silk thread.

When wrapping a guide, my typical wrapping process is to wrap 6 times, then pack the thread with a plastic packing tool (used for modeling clay) that I bought at a crafts store for less than $1, then repeat.  It’s the yellow tool you see in the pictures above.  The video pretty much shows it all.

Making wood reel seats for bamboo fly rods

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I make all my own reel seat inserts for my bamboo fly rods. You don’t need an expensive lathe, I just use an old craftsman lathe. But, if you’re going to put a mortise on your reel seat, I’ve found that you need a good router table. The precision of the mortise cut is very important or you’ll ruin the insert. I make my cut on a Rockler Router Table with a convex edging bit, sometimes called a finger nail bit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5713). After final sanding, I put two coats of shellac, followed by 8 coats of a high quality tung oil finish, and then a couple of coats of wax. Here a little video of my building process..I hope you enjoy it:

Hand wrapping guides on bamboo fly rods

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Here is a little video showing how I hand wrap guides on my bamboo fly rods. I don’t use a standard rod wrapper with a tensioner. Instead, I hand wrap using a fly tying bobbin to hold the thread. I use Pearsall’s Gossimer 6/0 Silk Thread on all my rods. Going slow and packing thread frequently is the key to getting great wraps. I spend about 30 to 40 minutes on each guide. So, I’ve sped up the video in the middle to shorten it up. Enjoy!

Rod Building – Gluing Strips with the Bellinger Binder.

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I’m working on a new rod right now and thought I would shoot a short video showing how the bamboo strips are glued together. I use a binder from Bellingers to accomplish this. Check it out! Oh, and by the way, how about my nice wallpaper in my rod finishing room. This room in my house was used as a boy’s bedroom by the previous homeowners. I have never felt the need to take it down.