In this post:
Understanding Bamboo Heat Treating and Bamboo Ovens

The next stage in making a bamboo fly rod is heat treating the bound up sections. As a very general rule, makers tend to heat treat their bamboo at approximately 350 degrees for about 15 minutes....

In this blog: Rough Planing

The first few weeks of open-water bluegill fishing are typically some of the most challenging for me. The bite is often just as light as it was through the ice, but open water means the end of the spring-bobber and the beginning of nymphing. So I fix my gaze on the end of my 4wt floating line and look for subtle cues – Set the hook...

So I misspoke. Before we start planing, we need to talk about measuring. Rod dimensions are typically measured down to one thousandth of an inch, and beginning makers are encouraged to strive for an accuracy of +/- .002".

Three tools are critical to the maker here: 1) calipers; 2) a machinist’s screw gauge (also known as a center...

“Like most things in rod making, there is no right way [although there is a pile of wrong ones - I know - I traveled that path - a lot]. Rod making is mostly about doing. Figuring out what works for you and produces a rod you're pleased with.”
In this post:
1) Planing the Diaphragms
2) Flattening and Straightening the Nodes
3) Preparing for Initial Planing

These three steps are necessary evils. They don’t hold a lot of glamour...

Bonus Material – My Second Mistake:
You’ll love this! As I’m working through the process of staggering my nodes on the butt and two tip sections, I run into a problem (not described above ) with the tip strips. It has to do with that thin strip I mentioned earlier. As it turns out, I actually find two thin strips. Both are from the top half of the culm - the tip strips. Somehow I missed the second thin strip.

As I look through all of the tip strips, I slowly become...