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Bamboo Fly Rod Project

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
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The 18 strips keep getting thinner. The darker ones were soaking in water to ease planing. I feel like I could heat my house with the shavings- they are piling up!
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Used dark Tonkin instead?
I have a great mentor who I call many times a week in a panic about how I must have goofed up, and he talks me through the process.

The little ... very little ... I know about fly rod making includes the notion that "Tonkin cane" is better than other varieties, but it comes only from a small area in southern China, and shortly after the Communist take-over in 1949 became "unobtanium". I believe it again became available toward the end of the 20th Century, and am curious as to how available it is now, and whether the OP is using it for his rod in this thread.
 

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
I am indeed using Tonkin cane, but the bunch of culms I have are probably post-embargo. There are a few outfits that import and sell it. I think pre-embargo cane is out there, but it may be harder to track down. Everything I have read points to Tonkin cane pretty much being the standard to use. When all is said and done, though the cost of the cane is not much compared to what goes in to building a rod.
 

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
I don't know, but it does seem to have a ring to it, "This was made with pre-embargo cane..." in hushed tones.
This is a good site with interesting info about cane.

 

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
Today the butt section was glued. Stressful operation, but I am hopeful that it turned out. The small shavings shown between the strips were blown out before the glue was applied. Then the butt was bound with string under pressure.
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Wow -- this is fascinating. I appreciate your taking us along on your journey. You're going to have a great rod there.
 

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
The butt section turned out OK, fairly straight and only a few imperfections, the worst of which will be covered by the cork grip. It is nice looking after the glue and string were sanded off. On the micrometer it specs out... mostly.
The tip sections are another story, I am struggling to get them down to the specs without the plane gouging or chipping as they are so thin and fragile! All bamboo reduction from this point out will be done by scraping with a razor blade. Probably will not use any GSBs though.
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EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
Thanks Merle! More scraping with a razor blade... Each of the 6 tips sections at the tip top will measure out at .040 of an inch.
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Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Each of the 6 tips sections at the tip top will measure out at .040 of an inch.

Wow!

Do the sections taper, or is tapering achieved in a "step" format by having each section of the rod thinner than the one below it?
 

EB Newfarm

Cane? I'm Able!
It is a two section rod, and each section is made up of 6 long triangular strips that are put together and they taper. The taper is set in the steel forms so that planing them makes the taper occur. In the photo above, you can see the tape markers that show the measurements getting smaller.
 
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