On Thu, 2 Aug 2007 09:22:39 -0400, "BobS" wrote:

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.

If you do put the butt section of a _finished_ rod in a lathe, the spin
center may well not the center of the rod blank because of any guides,
etc. When building a rod, if the grip is to be sanded/lathed on the
blank (as opposed to on a separate mandrel stick), it is done before the
wrapping, the reel seat, etc. Unless you are certain the butt section's
spin center is the actual center, I'd only try it on something that can
be started or spun manually very slowly and the speed gradually
increased until you are sure that it is actually "centered." IOW, my
advice remains to do it by hand. If you want to lathe a grip, make a
new one on a mandrel and install it on the rod. Hey, as always, YMMV.

TC,
R