A Lady's Fly Rod

Just finished a couple 7'-2'' 2-piece bamboo fly rods with pink silk wraps. I have cast both rods and they work well with either 4wt or 5wt lines. The pictures are of the one destined for a gift to the lucky lady fisher in our area.

 

 

The 'AR' signature by the stripping guide is a memorial to Andy Royer of Bamboo Brokers in Seattle, Washington who passed away from cancer September of 2015. He was the supplier of this bamboo.

 

 

 

I selected a nice Redington 'Surge' 3/4 reel along with backing and fly line for this rod as well.

 

Band Saw Jig

My latest project, a band saw jig for cutting strips from culms of bamboo is finally finished, and I actually cut a few strips from some test material I got from Scott after finishing my fly rod making class last Spring. Thank you again, Scott!!!

This jig is based off the drawing and photos shared with me by Dana Fish in Maine. He was very helpful with the finer points of the material selection and execution of the build. I modified mine somewhat by elongating the tube structure for more support of a 6 foot length of bamboo as it is being cut by a single operator.

I made only 4 cuts with this device so far for testing its functionality, and was immediately impressed with its accuracy and smoothness of operation... Oh, and yes, I still posses all of my fingers!!!

It has a 'fence' attached to the tube that you can rotate along the axis of the tube to set the width of the cut. One simply holds the culm that has been split or cut in half against the tube and the fence and cuts through the band saw blade. Using a bi-metal 10/14 half inch blade makes the cuts accurately and smoothly. 

 

 

 

Ferrule Plugs

 

Happy Valentines Day 2016!!!  Today I finished a couple of ferrule plugs. First ones I made on the lathe out of hardwood. These are Oak. The darker one I dipped in some stain then both of them have been brushed with several coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane. I know my quality will improve over time, but these give the new mounted ferrules some protection now....

Newly 'minted' hardwood ferrule plugs. Right one has been stained. Both brushed with Spar Urethane.

Bamboo ferrule plug on left I made some time ago. It has no cork for the retainer.

Another older non-cork bamboo ferrule plug.

As the new two Garrison 204e fly rod wraps dry before final dipping, I decided to learn how to make ferrule plugs. These ornate (or not...) ferrule plugs protect the inside of the female ferrule while the fly rod is not being used and taken down and/or stored in a rod bag or rod tube. These little pieces keep dirt and dust out of the female ferrule that would otherwise case unnecessary wear on the female/male ferrule connection. I bought a couple of the CSE (Classic Sporting Enterprises) ferrule plug kits from Jeff Wagner to try them out. These are quite nice and are turned from aluminum and supplied the appropriate size cork in 5 different sizes.
I bought some aluminum rod to try to turn some of these in a design not decided on as yet. A small hole will be drilled on the base end and a brass 1/16'' solid rod will be pressed or glued in that will have the cork sleeve glued onto it. Then the cork is sanded down to where it is a snug fit into the female ferrule. The cork is then rubbed with wax to make it a little smoother fitting into the ferrule and will provide a moisture seal as well.

 This is a 12/64 CSE ferrule plug fitted into a blued female ferrule. It is a snug fit and adds protection to the inside of the ferrule.

 This is what the ferrule plug looks like removed from the ferrule. These fit nice and deep inside the ferrule and with a little wax applied to the cork area, provides a moisture barrier keeping the inside of the ferrule clean and dry.

 Drilling the small cork plugs that will be used in making my own ferrule plugs. I'm using a #57 drill bit here to make the hole all the way through the 1/2'' long cork plug. Believe me when I tell you that trying to drill these free hand is a disaster! This process keeps the hole centered and the right size to insert a 1/16'' brass rod.

Here are some of the components. Female ferrule that you would fit the completed plug into after the cork, brass rod and ferrule plug top has been assembled.

Below are various ferrule plug designs and materials.