| Blog series by Matt Vredenburg | updated 11-21-2010 06:43 PM | 6 parts | 39474 reads | 20 comments total |
Part 1: Starting my fly rod - finding materials including birch bark
I am setting off to make my first fly rod (sorry, graphite not a bamboo rod – one thing at a time) with the goal of leveraging my years of woodworking by turning a unique grip. I am also making a rod for my older brother as well. I plan to make something similar to this one http://eclecticguy.com/2009/04/06/birch-bark-fly-rod-grip/ – birch bark grip with other laminated woods. My first chore is finding some birch bark and since I live in Arizona we have plenty of cactus (i.e., sa...
Part 2: Cutting out the birch bark
While waiting for some of the materials I have ordered for my fly rods, I have started to prepare the birch bark for glue ups. I also found some very cool looking cork which I have included. I am planning to weave in the cork into the rod handle. Here’s some pictures for this process. From Woodworking projects From Woodworking projects From Woodworking projects From Woodworking projects From Woodworking projects From Woodworking projects
Part 3: Gluing up the birch bark
While waiting for some of my rod materials to come in, I started the process of preparing the birch bark. You’ll see that I have cut circular pieces of birch bark using a 1 1/2 inch hole saw with a 1/4 in hole in the middle. Before the glue up, I used some sand paper to clean up the surfaces…and then veneer the individual wafers together using Titebond III glue. Clamping then up using a 1/4 inch threaded rod (approximately 12 inches long), with a large washer, piece of wood (1...
Part 4: Turning the handle
I am back to it and with the goal of completing my first fly rod by Christmas – it’s a Christmas present. I am pretty excited about how the rod handle came together. I am working on finishing the handle this week and will be assembling the rods next week. Look for an update next week. From Woodworking General From Woodworking General From Woodworking General From Woodworking General From Woodworking General Here’s the handle with a coat of tung oil on it. Fr...
Part 5: Redoing the grip
Well, if you have been following this posting – you’ll noticed that I haven’t posted in a while (months). With a 2 year old and all the other things going on – I had to take a few months off. However, I am back now. After my last posting in December, when found that while reaming out the hole for the rod to fit in the grip—sections of my birch bark veneers separated and the grip was ruined. After discussing with the experts, they assured me that this a very...
Part 6: Guides and final touches before finishing
Wow, how time flies by when you get frustrated with a project and set it aside. It’s over a year since I started this blog series and it’s time to finish my project and close this chapter of the blog. Here are few pictures of the rod guides that I tied and ended up removing and re-tying. With all the practice, I think I have the the hang of it. Practice makes perfect.
