Ipe - it rhymes with ebay

Started by oc1, November 25, 2017, 08:18:16 AM

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alantani

as long as it's well backed up.  i'd hate to see something like that lost. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

oc1

#31
OK, this is more difficult than I though.  The second ipe rod had all the same mistakes as the first.

A 2x4 was beveled to 3/4 inches and planed straight and level.  I wish it had been left a full 1.5 inches wide after finding a better way to constrain lateral movement of the blank.  Just drill 1/8 inch holes by eye where needed, stick a piece of bamboo barbeque skewer in the hole and clip it off with side cutters.  The plane will cut down the skewer pegs as it cuts the blank.



The new plane came with a clamp-on fence.  I didn't really need a fence but it is a great platform for attaching a bubble level so you know if the plane is tilted to the side.  It was an old orphaned bubble level and the bubble lines were recalibrated.  When running the plane I focus on that bubble and adjust the tilt as needed.



I realized that the first rod has a bunch of useless wood that is just adding weight.  So, the second blank was planed from a half-inch butt to a 1/8 inch tip with a straight taper.  Again, everything went great planning the taper with a square cross-section.  



The factory chamfering groove on the foot of the plane was covered with tape so the blank could not slip into the groove and gouge the blank again.  But, again, it all went to hell when I tried to chamfer the corners to make an octagon.  The blank was pinned on edge at the butt and the corner could be planed off easily at the butt end.  But when the plan got down the line to the tip area the blank twisted and cut into the squared face instead of cutting off the corner.  One you start a swipe with the plane it is best to not stop until you get to the end because it will leave an irregularity.  I should have stopped immediately, but tried to fudge it by holding the blank.  That did not work either and the whole thing was screwed up.  After trying to smooth it out the blank was smaller diameter than planned.  Some parts are an octagon, some a hexagon or pentagon or trapezoid or rectangle but none are equilateral.  We'll try something different next time.

The blank, now very thin, waggled like a 2 wt. fly rod... maybe only 1 wt.  I was pissed.  Since it did not seem usable, I figured it would be a good blank to break.  You can learn a lot about a blank by breaking it.  The tip was tied to a spring scale with one of those little tabs to mark the maximum pull (thanks again Lee).  I pulled about 6.5 pounds on it and nothing broke then sat down to brace myself and pulled 8 pounds  I couldn't take a good photo and pull on the blank at the same tank .




It was becoming pretty clear that it was not going to break until all the load had been transferred down to the fulcrum which was my hands on the foregrip area.  If it was going to break under my hand then I needed the chain saw helmet and gloves so I just said to heck with it.

I don't know what to do with it now.  The blank is overloaded with a 1/4 ounce jig.  3/16 ounce is a little better but the conditions and terrain seldom require a jig that small and the casting distance is not much more than my zone of influence.  The blank weighs 4.2 ounces.  Much less than the first rod.  With the guides, handle wrapping and 2.5 ounce of lead in the butt cap the total weight is about 8 ounces.  

For kicks, I put on an old brass raised-pillar Hendryx reel.  I has decent free spool, considering the design, but the 2:1 gear ratio would be annoying.  Haven't tried to cast it yet but am not hopeful.



Fishing poles are impossible to photograph.  First rod on the bottom and second one on top.











-steve


mhc

Another fascinating thread Steve, you've got and use a wide range of skills - thanks for sharing.
It might not be exactly as you planned but have you accidentally made a capable solid timber ultralight rod?
Mike
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Crow

I'm enjoying the heck out of this thread !!
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

Dominick

Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

conchydong

Quote from: Dominick on November 28, 2017, 06:03:10 PM
Quote from: Crow on November 28, 2017, 01:58:58 PM
I'm enjoying the heck out of this thread !!
Me too.  Dominick

Me three.
I wonder what kind of cue sticks Ipe would make?

Scott

Dominick

I was thinking baseball bats.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

oc1

#37
Ipe has been used for cue sticks and bows Scott.  

Lancewood, Oxandra lancelata, is another one that is used for cue sticks, bows and fishing rods.

Dominick, bats used to be hickory but I think they've switched to rock maple now.  In another hobby I once worked with some hickory and was not impressed at all.  Now (thanks to the internet) I read that there are about a dozen species of hickory and the one I was using is the worst of the lot and was from a warm coastal area at the southern end of it's range to boot.  The slow growing trees in mountainous areas is much better and is probably what they used for big game rods.

Thaddeus Norris, in his 1864 American Anglers Book said, American hickory is used almost exclusively by English rod-makers for second and third joints; it has the recommendation of strength, and if well seasoned is elastic, though inferior in either respect to ironwood,* which appears to be scarcely known, or certainly not appreciated by rod-makers in this country or in England. This wood is found in the mountainous districts of North America, from Canada to Virginia and perhaps even further south. It grows generally in damp places, and is known under other local names, as " hornbeam," "leverwood" and "barwood".  I assume he was talking about American hornbeam, or Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana).
-steve

Decker

Great work, Steve.  Thank you.  Would be fun to see your creations in person some day.

Have you ever heard of a Brazilian wood called pernambuco?  I understand it to be a preferred material for string instrument bows.  It has a cross-grain that gives it strength.  Getting a new piece would probably be challenging.

oc1

I never heard of it Joe.  Here are the Wood Database entries for Brazilwood and Ipe. 
http://www.wood-database.com/brazilwood/
http://www.wood-database.com/ipe/
If you hover over the name of a parameter a box will appear explaining what they are measuring.  In the notes at the bottom it says Brazilwood is an endangered species because of over-exploitation.  Those darn violinist could be messing up someone's fishing.
-steve

Alto Mare

Try to find this tapering tool from 1939 Steve, it would sure make things easier. Looks like he's doing it by feel, something you could also handle  :)

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=vintage+video+on+making+wood+fishing+rods#id=1&vid=0cd53931bfeab263f3734fa8fe39acac&action=click
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

Donnyboat

Very good post Steve, interesting, keep it coming, & thanks Sal, that helped a lot, cheers Don.
Don, or donnyboat

Decker

Quote from: oc1 on November 29, 2017, 06:52:48 AM
In the notes at the bottom it says Brazilwood is an endangered species because of over-exploitation.  Those darn violinist could be messing up someone's fishing.
-steve

Steve, we'd hate to lose you to the musicians, but you're definitely eccentric enough to fit that crowd, if the cosmopolitan lifestyle appeals to you. ::) 

As for your reel issues, why not go with this one?   http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=22919.0

Shine on, brother!

/Joe

coastal_dan

Really fun thread to follow, thanks for sharing this experience with us.  :)
Dan from Philadelphia...

Where Land Ends Life Begins...

oc1

#44
Thanks Dan.  Wow, what a great video Sal.  I tried turning a piece yesterday to make a  tip section.  That was after planning a square taper.  All I had to use for cutting was some emery cloth and a file so that tapering tool would sure be nice. It's a quarter inch tapering to 1/16 over forty inches.  It will be properly spliced into a piece of Calcutta cane.





My dilemma is that to get a faster rod action for casting there will need to be a faster taper.  To get a faster taper either the tip has to get smaller or the butt has to get larger or the length of taper has to get shorter.  A wide butt section is very heavy so maybe a bamboo butt and hardwood tip will be an improvement.  It is impossible to get a nice tip in whole cane because the cane zig zags back and forth when it is very thin.  The zig zags do not impact the rod action much if they are kept in line with the spine.  But the zig zags make a place for the line to wrap around the tip and get stuck so they're really a nuisance. 

This is embarrassing Joe, but I did make a length of horsehair line like in your linked thread.  I thought horsehair line was braided but it is actually twisted.  It has incredible stretch too.  You can't use the twisting machine though because the lengths of horse hair are only a few feet long so it is all done by hand.  There is a web site where another idiot describes the process in detail.  I'll try to find that link again.
-steve