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vegard_dino
11-21-2009, 12:44 PM
HI all

I am new here.

I am a bamboo fisher now, but the idea of a wooden rod is in my mind.

Before bamboo was around in europe or the us, wood was used to make all kinds of rods.
But, how is it today? Anyone makes them more? Anyone here who use them?

I hope to learn more about these.

Thanks for looking

vegard_dino

Mostyn
11-21-2009, 01:20 PM
I used a "Green-heart Rod" back in the 1960s, it had slight bend or curve on the top end; but worked perfectly well, just a little heavy!

vegard_dino
11-21-2009, 01:29 PM
Hello

Thanks for the reply.

Do you still have it? What kind of a rod was it?

You know if someone is still making these wooden rods. It is interesting, bamboo is all back, but I think that a wooden rod is not that bad. Maybe a bit heavy, but, still a good rod.


vegard_dino

mikeytwoshoes
11-21-2009, 01:40 PM
a little closer look through the forum and you'd have stumbled across this...


http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/a.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/a.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/b.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/b.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/c.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/c.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/d.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/d.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/e.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/e.JPG)

John Betts, Ernest and others make and fish wood rods.

vegard_dino
11-21-2009, 01:49 PM
Hi

Oh, Ic..Thank you

I will contact them.

vegard_dino

adam
11-21-2009, 02:38 PM
a little closer look through the forum and you'd have stumbled across this...

Thanks Mike.

Below is a letter I wrote to Mr. Betts, he is an interesting person.

He wrote a book detailing exactly how he makes his wood fly rods.

They are really nice.

Ernest here makes them as well.


http://www.grassart.net/Betts/0.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/1.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/2.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/3.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/4.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/5.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/6.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/7.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/8.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/9.jpg
http://www.grassart.net/Betts/10.jpg

vegard_dino
11-21-2009, 02:56 PM
Hi

Thanks for the information.


Does Mr. Betts still make rods? For sale now or???

Like to talk with him.

Doctor
11-22-2009, 02:26 AM
Vegard,
glad you found the place ,stay and look around ,this is one of my favorite places on the web.
It was me that sent you here to ask !

vegard_dino
11-22-2009, 03:35 AM
Hi Doctor

Thanks for the tip :)

Gerard
11-22-2009, 03:55 AM
a little closer look through the forum and you'd have stumbled across this...


http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/a.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/a.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/b.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/b.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/c.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/c.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/d.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/d.JPG) http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/sm_images/Rods/Betts/e.JPG (http://www.grassart.net/CRR/08/images/Rods/Betts/e.JPG)

John Betts, Ernest and others make and fish wood rods.

I missed that. That's fascinating.
I wonder how those fish, compared to bamboo and greenheart. I really like the simplicity of it – keep it simple simon....

vegard_dino
11-22-2009, 04:11 AM
Me to.

Hope some will come here and tell us how they are

adam
11-22-2009, 11:44 AM
John Betts does not do the internet, Ernest does.

vegard_dino
11-22-2009, 11:51 AM
Hi

Ok.

You know how I can contact John Betts?

adam
11-23-2009, 01:54 AM
You can do like I did and write the publisher.

An internet search will come up with the address.

John is adamant about his privacy and I will respect that. Buy the book or borrow it, find the information there or write a letter to Frank Amato Publications.

vegard_dino
11-23-2009, 02:11 AM
Thank you.

Oh yes, I will respect that to.

fisheye
11-23-2009, 02:16 PM
Someone posted this book for sale today on the Rodmakers Forum:

I have a new copy of
Making Strip-Built Fly Rods
from Various w Woods By John Betts
Book lists for 45.00
For price contact me off list
Arkansas Tony

PM me and I will pass along his email address if interested.

CM_Stewart
11-23-2009, 06:05 PM
You could also contact Michael Hackney at http://eclecticguy.com/. I know he's made wooden rods (though I'm not sure if he's made fly rods or just loop rods).

Nycflyangler
01-23-2012, 01:50 AM
All these rods seem to be made from natural wood. It might be interesting to see what could be done with composite wood products like Rutland Plywood's dymondwood.

Bending Strength 27,000 psi(1,900 kg/cm)
Compression Strength 25,600 psi

http://www.rutply.com/products/dymondwood.html

http://www.rutply.com/pdf/RPC-DymondWood_web.pdf

Ernest
01-29-2012, 11:46 AM
Nycfly--

I too would like to see what could be done with composite wood products.

My mentor and hero Gordy made some rods by gluing up a strip each of bamboo and white ash together. Not a composite, but he married two different rod materials. It seems that success would depend on the individual pieces of bamboo and ash; will they work together, or will they fight one another under the stress of casting?

Have you read the Betts book? His rods are not made of manufactured wood products, but with his attention to grain and the impact that gluing has on the piece, he makes (I am sure) a much stronger rod than I do with my single stick blanks.

The winter is getting away from me and I've been on other projects. Your post is getting me interested again in making a rod from the hockey stick handle left over from my childhood. I found it in the barn again last week. It is not one piece of wood, but many thin pieces glued together into a rigid stick.

Ernest

Ernest
03-15-2012, 08:16 AM
Last week I made a 7' 2 piece fly rod out of my 50 year old hockey stick. I have enough material left to make another, if I want another.

The hockey stick shaft was many thin pieces of wood glued together into a composite. I cut the blade off the stick, ripped the handle in half, then took one of the halves and ripped it again, one piece about half the size of the other, for the tip and the butt sections.

To shape each section I used a utility knife at first, and then a Stanley Trimming Plane, a small plane bought for $5 in a blister pack at the hardware store. I didn't use any forms, guides, or measuring devices. I just turned a rod section in one hand and cut it down with the plane in the other hand. When the section "felt right," I stopped.

I was trying for a parabolic action in a four weight. The Devcon 2-Ton epoxy that I use for a finish stiffened the wood a bit, and what I got was a parabolic 4/5 weight rod. I can live with that.

I carved the grip from western red cedar, and a reel seat from a piece of red hardwood, I don't know what kind. Reel seat bands are cut from 3/4" copper tubing. The ferrule is three inches of repurposed fiberglass spinning rod, glued to the tip section and fit over the small end of the butt section. I've never had a problem with this type of grip, nor with the ferrules or reel seat bands once they are fit properly.

The weakest point of the rod is always around the ferrule, and I put one guide close to the ferrule on each of the butt and tip sections. I learned this from some of my bamoo rods.

I figure this rod cost me $12 in materials, because the epoxy is so expensive. It took about 6 hours to make, with rests for drying times of glues and finishes.

The rod is light in the hand, not like a graphite rod but like a light bamboo rod, and it casts nicely on the lawn. I'll catch a bunch of stream trout with this rod this year.

I don't have pictures. The people that have seen the rod tell me it looks real nice.

68guns
03-16-2012, 09:29 PM
. I just ordered Betts' book from Amazon.