My Self Made Rod Wrapping Tools

Started by Midway Tommy, January 13, 2020, 05:37:39 AM

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Midway Tommy

In 1992 I decided I wanted to build my own rods. I thought it would be fun & I could save a little money. My first couple of projects were Cabela's Fish Eagle graphite kits. I soon realized that I could upgrade my blanks & guides to make rods that weren't really available to the public, like using Fuji SIC guides, etc. Starting with my third rod I've only built two rods that didn't have SIC guides and that was because I wanted a certain look. I've always preferred Tennessee style cork handles with slip rings. In fact, I've had a couple of high end rods that had standard spinning reel handles and I switched them over to Tennessee slip ring handles. Those were challenging projects :P, fitting a two piece cork handle to a blank and sliding it on from the rear without them being too loose  ::), but I got 'er done and they turned out great.   :) It's almost impossible, now, to find new rods with slip ring cork handles unless it's an ultra-lite.

Anyway, when I started I didn't have the funds to purchase high dollar rod building equipment so I built my own. Motorized wrappers for the hobbyist were just starting to come into their own and I couldn't justify the expense. I purchased a slow RPM drying motor from Cabela's and proceeded, using their catalog as a guide, to build my own stuff. Later, I bought a second drying motor so that I could work on two rods at a time.

So, here's the stuff I made starting 28 years ago.  

I made the wrapper out of some oak I had laying around. It's kind of heavy, which I like because it doesn't move around when I'm working on a rod. It is expandable in either direction. The 1"x2" base slides into the rabbeted slot for adjust-ability and compact storage. The slot in the wrapper base is sized to a 1/4" flat headed elevator type carriage bolt so that the extension slides easily back and forth.



I made it so that I could use four different thread colors at one time. I don't do fancy decorative wrapping so four works great for me. When I made it most hand wrappers were only set up for two different spools. I used 1/4" all-thread to hold the spools. I used a brass tube over the threads to better fit the spool holes and for smoother spool rotation. Tension adjustment is a piece of dense foam sandwiched between two stainless steel washers. I used nylon wing nuts because they don't turn and are easy to adjust. I opened the eye hooks a little so it is easier to change and maneuver thread. The thread stand is easily movable and tightened by wing nuts. The extra rod stand next to the thread stand was an added function. I wrap all my tips and it helps support the rod for wrapping the tip and the next guide.


Here's my handle clamp, pretty basic. I made it out of poplar. It has couplings on the all-thread because I used a carriage bolt from the bottom side so it won't spin.


I started with one drying motor but later decided two would be much more efficient. I had a scrap of aluminum diamond plate so I made a bracket to attach the motors to. I offset/stair stepped the motors so that it would be easier to put finish on the rods. I start with the back/upper rod and then do the front/lower rod. The switches are lighted so I can easily tell whether they're on or not.


I used an ABS cap for the rod butt fitting because it's lighter than PVC. I did, though, insert a PVC cap inside the ABS cap. The ABS cap was too flat inside. The PVC cap is concave and works a lot better for automatically centering any size rod. I used a nylon bushing tube to attach the fitting to the motor shaft. There's a short lag from the back of the fitting into the nylon bushing and the bushing is held on the motor shaft with an allen set screw. I used Chicago screws and rubber bands to hold the rod in place. They actually pull the rod back into the fitting, are easy to use and work great. I've really never yet found a need for a slip clutch.


So, those are my self manufactured rod wrapping devices. I don't have a whole lot invested and they work great for what I do. I did decide that I would concentrate on building a bunch of rods this winter. I've had nine high end graphite spinning rod blanks just sitting in a tube for over 10 years, along with handles and Fuji SIC guide sets, waiting for me to get my butt in gear and build them out. I decided it was about time to get 'em done.  8)
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Sharkb8

Thanks for sharing I like your thread holders a lot better than the nails I use in my rod holder

Kim

mo65

~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Donnyboat

Looks good Tommy, thanks for showing us, very interesting, cheers Don.
Don, or donnyboat

Cor

This is really nice.   
It's great to have this kind of ingenuity.

I also have a home made rod power wrapper, not nearly as well made as yours.
I designed it, made it, changed it, modified it all with the intention of one day re building it....never happened but it has made many pretty nice rods and repaired even more for friends.


Where I live it is simply too expensive to buy the reel mccoy in the US
Cornelis

The Fishing Hobby

Very nicely done! I don't think most hobby rod builders actually need a high speed power wrapper. They would be nice to have for doing long underwraps for people who build rods that need those long underwraps. They would also be handy for people who don't own a lathe for turning grips. High speed (200 rpms or so) is nice for applying epoxy, but not necessary. Outside of those instances, I can't see a good reason for a hobby builder who may build a few rods a year to invest that much money in a power wrapper. Your setup looks very professional! If you ever want a high speed motor for applying finish, I posted a slip clutch chuck made out of a baby bottle the other day on this board. It works well! I just made a solid mount for mine today to replace the vinyl tube mount I showed in the video. I will probably do a follow-up showing the solid mount setup.

steelfish

really nice design and much better craftmanship, I really liked it, specially the expandable rod stands, pretty clever

really beautiful compared to my wood box I use to wrap rods
The Baja Guy

happyhooker

A-One--I, too, liked the rod stands a bunch--gives me some ideas.

Frank

Midway Tommy

Well I decided I would break away from my standard wrapping designs and do a couple of decorative butt wraps. I didn't feel like spending $40 with shipping and wait a week for a butt wrap alignment tool so I took 3 hours Mon. afternoon and made one from scratch. I had some 3/4" solid oak, bolts, washers & a piece of 1" aluminum angle laying around out in the shed. I ran up town to Ace Hardware & picked up a couple of plastic knobs, nylon flanged bushings & cone compression springs so I only have about $7 & my time invested, and the older I get the less my time seems to be worth.  ;D

I used pics of the CRB tool as my guide. The oak was 13" long so that's how long I made the jig instead of 12". I laid out the ruler in 1/4" increments on the oak and I also scratched grooves into the aluminum angle at the same locations and spacing. I used a router & 90° V groove bit for the blank recess. The outer edge of the angle runs right down the center of the groove for easy center alignment & marking. I coated the ruler marks and rod groove with urethane to protect them and also eliminate dust. The ink wasn't quite dry so they smeared a little with the urethane but it's really no big deal, it's just cosmetic. The bolts are 1/4"x20. I drilled 5/16" holes top & bottom for the raise & lower slots and cut & filed the area in between them. That's where the flanged bushings come into play. The flange is between the wood back and angle and the bolt goes through the bushing. Since it is a wood back the bushing slides up & down smoothly and easily. It turned out pretty well and is accurate enough for anything I plan to tackle. I plan doing a couple of short decorative diamond wraps on my next couple of builds. I don't plan on going overboard and adding too much weight. Since all my builds are spinning rods I try to keep them as light as possible.  :)   
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)