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The beginnings of a bamboo fly rod

woodyard said:
View attachment 68199View attachment 68200
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
Click to expand...
LOL
I'm sure it will end up fine.
 
I am progressing. Made another butt section since I didn't like how the first was behaving. Also had to make another tip piece or two to take care operator errors. Think I sneezed and snapped one while sanding. Lol
As of today they are all planed to within 1/2 thousandth to 2-3 thousandths inch of final dimensions and ready for gluing. I will post more pictures in the next day or two.

No real rush since it is a pain to get parts in that are ordered. Finally got ferrules today after they sat MN or Memphis for two weeks plus a week from ordering. Reel seats and cork may be in by March 11.
 
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The first photo is the pieces for the tips and butts spread out after planed to size. The next is with each section taped up as they would be in position in the finished rod. Toothpick for reference with the tips.
 
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This a couple of shots after being glued and run through the binder. Hanging for a day and then peel off the binder thread and rerun through the binder again before heat setting the epoxy. Good thing the epoxy I used has a long work time.. lol
The other photo is my left hand glove after planing these strips. Perfectly good glove to begin and now cut to heck. Bamboo with a sharp edge will cut like a knife.
 
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Got the glue off and sanded a little bit. The butt section with the char marks (nodes) was the first that I planed and decided I didn't like it. One of the tips had one piece that got flipped out of place in its order in the gluing and binding step and so I will make another one. You want the nodal areas to be on opposite flats of the finished rod. That tip and the first butt section will become an 8 ft boo boo rod. I bet it will still perform. Next steps are to fine sand some more, heat and straighten some, then get measured to length and cut. Then put ferrules on. Then continue on when other components arrive.
 
An amazing process Woodyard... no wonder my Daddy like too have beat me too death for breaking his bamboo rod back in the 60's...
And he didn't even make that one.

Fantastic looking rod you're building, Thanks for posting the work.
 
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My redneck dipping and drying tank. Rods got first cost of poly after getting wraps on and them coated a few times. After sanding and dipping 3 plus times or more I might be done with them in a few days. Have to see how they look. 48inch x1 1/2 inch copper dip tube in the styrofoam insulation cabinet with light and an air purifier. Slow rpm gear motor lifts sections out of dip tube very slowly.
 
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