Bamboo Fly Rod Project

[EB Newfarm]

I have been making some blunders due to over-enthusiasm, so after some advice I am going to slow down, read the books more and try to take it strip by strip.

 

[gadabout]

Looking forward to watching your progress. I made the attempt 24 years ago (gasp!) but got frustrated early on and put it aside. I will pick it up again at some point I hope. The good thing is that my bamboo culms are now well aged, LOL

 

[ackvil]

Looking forward to watching your progress. I made the attempt 24 years ago (gasp!) but got frustrated early on and put it aside. I will pick it up again at some point I hope. The good thing is that my bamboo culms are now well aged, LOL

When I saw your username it reminded me of a fishing show I used to enjoy when I was younger: Gadabout Gaddis: The Flying Fisherman."

 

[gadabout]

That was intentional ackvil. He was a huge hero of mine growing up.

 

[EB Newfarm]

A while back I thought I was done with the rough planing stage. I now know how wrong I was. There have been some setback, and 2 ruined strips from being to enthusiastic and fishing things. Working on one strip a night now and being far more careful with measuring! Using this gauge a lot, and you can tell that this strip is still not a perfect isosceles.

 

[ackvil]

That was intentional ackvil. He was a huge hero of mine growing up.

Glad to hear it. I loved his TV show.

 

[gadabout]

Great story.

By the way, how are you planning to heat treat the strips?

 

[EB Newfarm]

Gadabout, you should start making a rod! Those culms are probably ready to go.
I hope to heat treat my strips in an oven that the guy who is teaching me has that he ordered from the Boyd company using the star forms. They are designed to keep the strips straight while heat treating. I have an oven made to use with a heat gun, but I'm not sure if I trust it. It is just stove pipe with holes for the heat gun, exhaust and temp readings. Seems iffy.

 

[ShaverAZ]

My Dad's Dad was a High School teacher in Detroit, back when teachers actually knew something, and Detroit Schools were regarded as among the finest in the world.
On occasion he'd offer night school classes on building a split bamboo fly rod. He had quite a collection of them, and there were a couple of them he let me fish with when we'd meet up in Yellowstone in the 60's.
I've since tried some really spendy graphite rods, but none Grandpa's Bamboo.

 

[EB Newfarm]

Man, what I'd give to fish Yellowstone in the 60s!

 

[EB Newfarm]

A whole lot of planing, Making thinner and thinner strips...

 

[EB Newfarm]

Moving to the steel planing forms and caliper measurements. Measurements taken to a thousandth of an inch. 1 strip out of 18 done. More sharpening the planing blades and more measuring. 18 strips will be planed down to the butt measurements, and then 12 of those will be cut down to tip measurements.
A very long way still to go.

 

[EB Newfarm]

 

[FarmerTan]

Speaking of R.L. Winston progeny, I met Glenn Brackett and saw his shop in Montana and was seriously inspired. He is such nice guy, and skilled beyond belief! The Sweetgrass company is amazing in its mission, community involvement, and service that if I ever have the money to buy a rod, it will be from them.
My mentor(not just in rod building and fly fishing) is also someone I get inspired by. He makes bamboo rods, but does not sell them. He gives then to his friends. One night last summer a few of us were leaving the river after dark and chatting when we realized we were all using one of his rods, but that he was using some old fiberglass rod because he did not even keep one of his builds for himself! You can see his happiness when someone is enjoying his creation.

Easy explanation: your Mentor loves what he does and who he mentors. You are blessed my friend.

 

[EB Newfarm]

 

[ouchyfoot]

This thread just blows me away!

 

[Merle]

nice, nice consistent ribbons and I'm starting to have difficulty seeing which edges are backs and which part of the isosceles is fitting in. I know it's blood sweat and tears, but it's also friggen magic!

 

[EB Newfarm]

Still more to be done, but I can start to see it coming together! Working on the triangles... Each strip probable needs another hour or so.

 

[EB Newfarm]

Some setbacks, yesterday, working on the second set of six strips, I was done with 4 when on the fifth, I found a crack and had to discard the strip. I had already used up my spares, so I guess I am back to square one. Because the strips have to match, the five remaining will be useless, unless I ever build a rod with bamboo that has the same node spacing as the one I started with which is unlikely. So deep breath, and start over.

 

[EB Newfarm]

Starting over by flaming the culm with a blowtorch, and then splitting the strips into ever thinner ones.