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The beginnings of a bamboo fly rod

woodyard

woodyard

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Started a bamboo fly rod for my grandaughter. First one I have built in 16 years, just a little rusty.Lol
First picture is the shavings to get to the product in the second picture. 6 pieces of the butt section and 12 pieces for two tips from bamboo culm as in the picture.
Ready for binding and heat treating and then final planing to dimensions. Then the fun work begins. E84D15C4-7997-4E68-BC1B-01E7B9A05301.jpeg93E7B5B3-3358-46B9-9069-9C6EC861E3C1.jpeg
 
I built custom rods for seven years. Thought of bamboo rods, too. But I didn't want to shell out $4-5K for the forms, planes, binder, dipping tubes, etc. Good luck as you seem to already have the things needed for the build. What pattern are you using? Specs on the blank? BTW, have you seen what 'boo rods sell for?
 
Appalachian American said:
How's you learn the craft? I'd love to make something like this for my son and daughter.
Click to expand...
When I started there was resurgence starting in the craft and more information was available on the new fangled thing called the internet, very few books. I started reading and studying and finally found one book available that gave detailed info building the rods and the things to make them with. I spent the first winter making my heat treating oven,binder, rod dipping setup, workbench and hand making the metal adjustable planing forms. Accumulating tools such as Stanley 91/2 block planes., etc. The book I had I gotten, the author said you could make the forms by hand with a file , drill etc and that if you didn't have the patience to do that , you didn't have it to make the rods. So I decided to see if I could do it. It took a long time to make the metal form by hand, but I got it pretty darn close to what we could have done on a mill.
 
Safari Hunt said:
I built custom rods for seven years. Thought of bamboo rods, too. But I didn't want to shell out $4-5K for the forms, planes, binder, dipping tubes, etc. Good luck as you seem to already have the things needed for the build. What pattern are you using? Specs on the blank? BTW, have you seen what 'boo rods sell for?
Click to expand...
This one is going to be an 8 ft 2 piece 5wt. Been debating whether to use one of Garrisons tapers or go with one from Wayne Cattanach, author of the book I have used a lot, Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods. Yes the price of rods can be ridiculous from the old classic builders and the new ones that have a reputation. Back in the early nineties, I thought I might make it to a sideline maker and make some money, but life got in the way. Made a few and decided I would just wait till retirement and make a few more. Retired in Sept of 18 and I am now just getting my shoulders healed back to where I can do it.
 
I remember asking for my first fly rod for Christmas when I was 6 years old. I unwrapped what I thought was going to be a rod/reel only to find a package of bamboo. I cried my way upstairs thinking Christmas was ruined because I had to build my own rod.

After I got it together I went back downstairs to see that the package of bamboo had magically turned into a 6 wt fly rod.

I spent days shooting whatever critter I could with my BB gun to get hair and feathers to stitch together flies for panfish.

Now I can hardly get out of bed to fish if it's not a 100lb tarpon that I'm after. What I wouldn't give to get that passion back that I had as a small child!
 
woodyard said:
Started a bamboo fly rod for my grandaughter. First one I have built in 16 years, just a little rusty.Lol
First picture is the shavings to get to the product in the second picture. 6 pieces of the butt section and 12 pieces for two tips from bamboo culm as in the picture.
Ready for binding and heat treating and then final planing to dimensions. Then the fun work begins. View attachment 67967View attachment 67966
Click to expand...
That's just awesome
 
384134A9-AE71-4273-8391-1D3609EAE5D6.jpeg69309BEF-7954-4F7A-B63D-728E5A374FF9.jpeg
This a picture of the tip sections still bound after heat treating and the butt strips with the lowest one nearly at dimensions after planing in the metal form. Pencil for size comparison. The planing form is set to produce an equilateral triangle of bamboo tapered from .140 inch to .104inch. A slow tedious process. The biggest problem with all of this is the internodes which are a royal pain to work with trying to plane and smooth. They are obstinate little devils and that is being nice.So after it all works , you get the six strips planed to size and then ready to glue and bind then I will heat set the epoxy in the oven. If it doesn't go well you have to make some more strips or maybe this one will be for ruger instead of my grand daughter. Lol
 
woodyard said:
Started a bamboo fly rod for my grandaughter. First one I have built in 16 years, just a little rusty.Lol
First picture is the shavings to get to the product in the second picture. 6 pieces of the butt section and 12 pieces for two tips from bamboo culm as in the picture.
Ready for binding and heat treating and then final planing to dimensions. Then the fun work begins. View attachment 67967View attachment 67966
Click to expand...
My great aunt started a bamboo patch years ago and I would hate to know how tall some of it is I guess 70' wish you had some of it!
 
I build bass and crappie rods, actually I just put components together. That's kinda paint by number compared to your art. Keep us posted we're loving following the progress.
 

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