"BobS" wrote in message
...
I'm a better woodworker than I am an angler so I'm thinking it shouldn't
be that difficult to turn down a cork grip on a fly rod (I hope...).

A novice really in the fly fishing arena but it's been an interest to me
over the years and I've accumulated a few nice rods and reels. I was in
the local fly shop recently and had a chance to take a Sage Z-Axis out for
a test. Nice rod certainly but I was expecting "more" - whatever that is
but the Sage didn't feel, look or cast any better than some of my other
rods.

Put that back on the rack and picked up an 8'6", 5wt Boron IIt, Winston -
and the wow factor went off the scale... Light as a feather, excellent
balance and the cork grip was perfect. I'll be ordering one with the Joan
Wulff grip for my wife as a gift.

So now that I've been spoiled with the feeling of a smaller grip - I want
to modify one of my rods down to the same profile as the cigar shaped grip
used on the Winston rods. I have the tools and can make any jigs that may
be necessary but I haven't been able to find out any info on how to mount
a butt section on a lathe so it can be turned/sanded down. The butt end
is stout enough and I don't anticipate any problems in mounting that to
the chuck but I think the ferrule end is going to be the tricky part.

Anyone have any information they care to share on how to hold that end -
perfectly centered - without breaking it? My first inclination is to bore
a tapered hole in a section of dowel and then cut two slots 90° to each
other to make a compression fit vise and slide the ferrule end into the
slightly tapered hole to hold that end. Not sure how much stress that
would put on the ferrule and maybe crack. I would use non-marring steady
rest to keep things from whipping but I'd be worried about heat build-up
on the rod at that point and what may happen - like permanent damage.

I did manage to get a couple of butt section ends from the Cortland Line
factory store that they use to mount reels to for display but they don't
have any ferrules on them - just a cut off section of the rod that extends
beyond the cork about 5". I would use these to practice on first. Now I
could always take the rod to a pro and have them do it and I just may have
to, but first I'd like to see if I can't do it myself. Fly fishing is
just not about catching fish for me - it's the journey.

Thanks for your input,

Bob S.

Neat Bob that you're attempting this.
I've have some lathe experience, they're quite an interesting tooling
machine. What I use to control material of long length in a lathe, is a
locking tail-stock with a live center. This keeps the piece in runout
check. Just make sure your tail-stock is inline with your collet in x, y, z
alignment, and not too much pressure as you drive the tail-stock in the
drilled center of the butt section, just enough to get the live center to
spin and I think you'll be fine. Should be fun.
-tom