Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Spinning Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => General Spinning Reel Questions => Topic started by: paal on November 25, 2011, 07:13:20 PM

Title: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: paal on November 25, 2011, 07:13:20 PM
After becoming a regular customer of this site, I've become pretty messed up. I can no longer purchase a reel without first going through the schematics, and searching for tutorials or rebuilds :D
I feel that conventional reels have been very well covered in here. Spinners however represent a bit more uncharted territory for me.
I have a few spinners, and I've noticed that the oscillation system that takes care of the line lay mostly come in two different forms, I guess one could call them "worm-shaft" and "oscillation gear/traverse cam" systems. See schematics at the bottom. The expensive spinners seem to all use the worm shaft system, while more inexpensive reels dominantly use the other. I'm not a mechanical designer, so it would be very interesting to hear from someone a bit more knowledgeable than myself what the advantages of the worm shaft are.

As a personal experience, I've noticed that reels having the simpler traverse cam system can have a very nice line lay. If I were to guess, I would say that longevity is the difference. However, for my relatively light spinners, I have not been able to wear out the traverse cam system, so it might not be an issue unless the reel is used under heavy loads..?

(http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab2/palkr/spinner_oscillator.jpg)
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Tile on November 25, 2011, 09:21:36 PM
The transverse cam system is much simpler and sturdier that the wormshaft one. The transverse cam system is the preferred choice for powerful spinning reels like the Penn SS series and Fin-Nor OFS series. The wormshaft system is used for big pit reels and large baitrunner ones. The advantage of the wormshaft system is the increased capacity of the spool, assist in better line lay and improve casting distance.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Alto Mare on November 25, 2011, 09:33:27 PM
I personally wouldn't trust a wormshaft system in a spinner, but then again I'm also not crazy about level wind reels. I guess it would be ok for light duty fresh water fishing  :-\.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Tile on November 25, 2011, 09:42:57 PM
The pawl on the wormshaft system can be sheared off with ease and make a big mess and render the reel useless. The transverse cam system can take a lot of abuse before it will give way.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Alto Mare on November 25, 2011, 09:51:56 PM
Quote from: Tile on November 25, 2011, 09:42:57 PM
The pawl on the wormshaft system can be sheared off with ease and make a big mess and render the reel useless. The transverse cam system can take a lot of abuse before it will give way.

Unless is made in china ;).
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Tile on November 25, 2011, 10:25:29 PM
And most of the spinning reels are made in China. Some of them are examples of craptastic quality (and in my native country there are loads of them) while others are ok in terms of quality.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: paal on November 26, 2011, 07:22:55 AM
Makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing :) I've always been a fan of the Keep It Simple priniciple. Plus, less moving parts means easier breakdown of the reel, which increases the likelihood that I will service the reel often. Also, I can easily imagine the worm shaft system become useless if you drop a reel and it hits the deck with spool first. Thinking about it, I think I've read about this happening.

Speaking of insides of spinners, I came across a site that has some very interesting spinner reviews: http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/reviews.html
This gentleman highlights the problems that many cheap Chinese spinners have, and why they probably won't last long. I really enjoyed reading these reviews.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Alto Mare on November 26, 2011, 02:04:47 PM
Nice find Paal. I have seen Alan Hawk's review on the Tourque, but didn't know about the other reels...That man i great!
I'm not sure if you've seen my custom cabinet here, there are about 30 spinners in there and I probably have just as many in  new condition in their boxes. Can you tell that I really like the older Penn ss models? Even Penn was using the cast aluminum gears in their US made reels towards the end, but that's not a problem for me, I  have replacement parts for when I run into one or two ;)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/pescatore1/Picture1581.jpg)

These are great reels, they're not Stella, but I challenge anyone to come up with a better reel FOR THE MONEY!
Oh , I do install an additional anti reverse dog on my reels and all of that good stuff that I learned from Alan. I'm also not a fan of anti-reverse bearings.
Thanks again for the link. Sal
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Irish Jigger on November 26, 2011, 02:48:15 PM
You're  a man after my own heart Alto Mare, those SS models are great reels which have endured the test of time which is more than I can say of AR bearings. We differ in that you have many more reels and spares than I have.  ;) ;D
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: paal on November 26, 2011, 09:26:27 PM
Quote from: Alto Mare on November 26, 2011, 02:04:47 PM
Nice find Paal. I have seen Alan Hawk's review on the Tourque, but didn't know about the other reels...That man i great!
I'm not sure if you've seen my custom cabinet here, there are about 30 spinners in there and I probably have just as many in  new condition in their boxes. Can you tell that I really like the older Penn ss models? Even Penn was using the cast aluminum gears in their US made reels towards the end, but that's not a problem for me, I  have replacement parts for when I run into one or two ;)
These are great reels, they're not Stella, but I challenge anyone to come up with a better reel FOR THE MONEY!
Oh , I do install an additional anti reverse dog on my reels and all of that good stuff that I learned from Alan. I'm also not a fan of anti-reverse bearings.
Thanks again for the link. Sal
Yes, it was hard not to notice that cabinet. I was very impressed. By the content too, and the way it was organized! Now that it has been published, I guess you have invested in a pretty fancy security system too ;)
I curse myself for not purchasing any Penn spinners while they were made in the USA. They're not exactly easy to come by on eBay either. But then there's the Torque. It looks fantastic, and the review by Alan Hawk got me sold on that reel. Just too bad that it has such a high gear ratio. It seems to be made more for surface fishing than deep jigging with heavy jigs, which is the technique to use here in Norway. So I'm not yet convinced that I should get one yet. Maybe there will be a future version with lower retrieve?

By the way, I agree with you on the Stella. It is an awsome reel, and its fun too see the end result when someone like Shimano creates a reel with no concern about cost. But I can not imagine doing a rebuild of that thing. I'd rather use that time on the water :D
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Alto Mare on November 26, 2011, 09:32:25 PM
Quote from: paal on November 26, 2011, 09:26:27 PM
[

By the way, I agree with you on the Stella. It is an awsome reel, and its fun too see the end result when someone like Shimano creates a reel with no concern about cost. But I can not imagine doing a rebuild of that thing. I'd rather use that time on the water :D[/quote]

I'm with you on that one ;).
I could probably service those Penn's ss in the dark by now ;D.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Tile on November 26, 2011, 09:56:13 PM
Honestly I don't like the Stella because it has way too many parts and loads of possibilities to fail. For me a power spinning reel should have: a body and rotor made from aluminium, stainless or high grade bronze gear train, dual antireverse system, a fully supported spool shaft to prevent placing of twist on the oscillating mechanism (like the Penn SS, Torque and Fin-Nor OFS) and a transverse cam oscillating system made from bronze or stainless steel. A reel that has all these features is going to last a very long time with the proper maintenance and use serve its owner for many trips. The features that makers constantly bring into the market don't mean much to me - all I want is a reel that works.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: Alto Mare on November 26, 2011, 10:15:03 PM
Tile, I could never justify spending that much money for a spinning reel. The most expensive spinner that I have is around $160. I know what you mean, I've been fishing with these reels for a while now and they never let me down. I must admit though, I would love to give the stella a try...if someone would give it to me as a gift ;D.
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: basto on February 20, 2012, 05:36:55 AM
Quote from: Tile on November 25, 2011, 09:42:57 PM
The pawl on the wormshaft system can be sheared off with ease and make a big mess and render the reel useless. The transverse cam system can take a lot of abuse before it will give way.
Shimano`s Stella uses a wormshaft oscilating system. They can`t be too weak. Stellas are made for very heavy duty and are considered by many to be "the best"
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: alantani on February 20, 2012, 08:23:43 AM
stellas, uggghhhh!  you guys are on your'e own.....   ;D
Title: Re: Spinner "oscillation system"
Post by: basto on February 20, 2012, 09:36:42 AM
Alan..Just to prove that I like simple reel design just as much as I can appreciate Stellas, have a read of the post I just did on a reel that has not basicly changed for 30 years and is still in production... The BANAX SX5000
Cheers
Basto
Oh sorry, I forgot , you don`t like spinners......I share your enthusiasm for conventionals. My favourite reels are my Jigging Masters and Penn Torque, but I just can`t resist the build of a Spinfisher or DAM 5000 or SAUVERAN or....................................................