I'm trying to help Harry Boyd with his under the radar rodmakers project. Mr Foster was a New Jersey maker, and a friend of Garrison. My friend Bill Fink
knew him, and I have some slide photos of him working in his shop. Neither Bill or I can recall seeing one of his rods for sale, and we don't know about
his total production. It appears that he was a professional, and we are wondering if anyone has further information, or has a rod that they could photograph.
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Baird Foster rods?
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 Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster rods? |
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Posts: 475 02/28/2009 10:32 |
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bluejayee |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 649 02/28/2009 13:27 |
Hi Guys, I don't know anything. However, I have a bunch of well made tips that I bought from a friend who got them from Marty Keane [I think]. They are
very well made with a spiral node pattern. As I remember they were made on a mill and by a friend of Garrison's in New Jersey. I'm making some butts
to go with them. I can't say there's a connection but the spiral pattern might suggest something. They are a blond oven baked color. I'd like to
keep track of this thread. Hoagy or Art Weiler are two Joisey guys. My friend is gone. I've tried on this forum to find out more. I'll look in ALL
my Marty Keane catalogs. I should do that anyway out of respect. Maybe I can find something. Jay Edwards
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Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster rods? | #2 | ||
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Posts: 476 02/28/2009 14:38 |
You could well be onto something Jay. One of the slides I have shows him operating a mill.
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Bamboo Don |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 264 02/28/2009 20:01 |
You might try Carmine Lisella, he knows about all the rod maker in that area
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bluejayee |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 653 03/01/2009 15:34 |
Hi Guys, I really hope to find out about him as these are; good tips, I've had them a while, I did check my Marty Keane catalogs but to no avail, my
friend passed away several years ago and he loved this kind of project, I should know so I can 'do the right thing'. I don't want to just use them
as replacement tips. I have used only one and it went, with a bit of 'colorizing', into a 10' Bangor Leonard. It was a personal project rod. I
only had a butt section. Any information is going to be a help in my project. I'm thinking that the spiral nodes is a clue although there is an 8
1/2', 13/64's ferrule tip that has 3x3. Jay Edwards
Last Edited By: bluejayee 03/01/2009 15:41.
Edited 1 time.
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bluejayee |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 654 03/01/2009 17:51 |
Hi Guys, I did Email Carmine Lisella and Baird Foster didn't ring a bell. I used his name and explained my end of the thing. Well, I'll keep
watching to see if anything turns up. I'd like a name and background to go with these tips but it may be nigh well impossible. Thanks, Jay Edwards
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cwfly |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 847 03/01/2009 18:21 |
H. T. Webster and Ed Zern jointly dedicated To Hell with Fishing (1945) to an even 100 people. Among the names is that of Baird Foster.
The brook runs over the bones of the planet and carries the sky on its back…. Odell Shepard |
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andre49 |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 1127 03/01/2009 18:26 Deeply Shallow |
I read his name and he was described as an associate oF Garrison in Schweibert's trout but nothing else about him. I live in Joisey and never heard of him.
then again I don't know my neighbors name.
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cwfly |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 848 03/01/2009 18:43 |
The following is copied from a 1996 internet thread:
"To the list: Great idea about including biographys of the lesser known rodbuilders in TPF. Baird Foster (Issue 16) and Cecil Pierce (Issue 11) weresummarized to the best of my ability. Don't know who could supply more infoon Baird unless maybe someone in the NY Angler's Club. But for sure our ownGeorge Barnes could do justice to his friend Cecil Pierce. And at the sametime give us the background on GEORGE BARNES!!! These Maine Men aresomething else!" So, if you can get ahold of issue 16 of TPF there may be a small amount of information there. The brook runs over the bones of the planet and carries the sky on its back…. Odell Shepard |
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Bamboo Don |
Baird Foster | #9 | ||
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Posts: 265 03/01/2009 23:27 |
I went to whitepages.com and found two Baird Foster in NJ.
1- PO Box 0101 Cherry Hill, NJ. phone 856-779-2600 2- 129 Somers Av. Moorestown, NJ phone 856-235-5862 Might be him or a son |
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Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster | #10 | ||
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Posts: 478 03/02/2009 13:45 |
Thanks for the input guys. Here's some further input from Bill Fink. Baird Foster died about 30 years ago. He was active in the Anglers Club of NY, and
later in the Henryville Club, and may have sold some rods to members. Bill says he had a lot of cane and machinery in his shop, and could have made rods on a
production basis, but Bill is not sure if he did. The rods Bill saw were virtual clones of Garrison, even down to the taper numbers written on the shaft. He
was apparently very close friends with Garrison, also an engineer, and they shared methods and tapers.
Jay, check to see if your tips are glued with resourcinol, and also mic the tapers. That should give you some big clues. Bill said he did have children, but could not remember names. He's going to talk with his wife, and see if she can come up with some more details |
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bluejayee |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 656 03/02/2009 18:33 |
Hi Guys, Well, no Resourcinol that I can see. It would be observable you'd think,eh? I miked the four 13/64's, 8' tips. They have spiral nodes,
I'd say machined rather than planed due to very even flat widths, some need straightening, cane color slightly darker than Leonard , though hard to tell
'cause of the varnish. I miked all four at all three diameters at each 5" station. .003 is the most discrepancy between flat measurements. I gotta
lotta numbers here so I'll pick a tip: 0-81, 5-.084, 10-.105, 15-.117, 20-.130, 25-.146, 30-.162, 35-.172, 40-.181, 45-.195, 48-.203. Garrison
201E is the most likely suspect. This taper has fewer apparent 'hinges' than the Garrison and a heavier tip top. The other tips are similar. I did
some averaging. Now here's a serendipidous possiblity. I got some Leonard reel seats from a forum member to put on my whittled down 50df. He got
them 'The Auction' by way of a friend. Included with the reel seats is a note he got from his friend that mentioned Larry Foster as having owned the
Leonard name for a while. Figger that out if you can . I sure can't. But, maybe there is a connection between Larry and Baird Foster. My friend got
these tips as long ago as 1988-90. I'm not sure. They're nice. Jay Edwards
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 Think Bamboo |
Baird Foster | #12 | ||
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Posts: 9 03/14/2009 22:06 |
Tom, in regard to Baird Foster, I would like to pass on to you whatever facts I know about him and his rod building.
Baird was a friend and follower of Everett Garison where I met him in the early 1970s. This was in Yonkers, NY at Garrison's home. From all indications that I have, Baird got interested in rod building in 1942/1943. He corresponded with Claude M. Kreider (Re: "The Bamboo Rod"} prior to making Everett Garrison his mentor and instructor. Baird lived in Riverton, NJ. During the 1970s he and his wife, Roberta, relocated to Wells, Vermont. I visited them at least twice after their move to Vermont. He had set up a work shop next to his home where he continued with his rod work even though his health was not up to par. He did have a milling machine which he himself built, plus his planning bars, binder, cane and other necessary tools and contraptions for the construction of rods. He was extremely interested in salmon fishing and as a result he constantly pursued to finding the perfect long rod. It is therefore my opinion that if the tips in possession of Jay Edwards were actually built by Baird Foster, then they were intended for a 9 to 10 foot rod/s that he was in the process of building. In Baird notes that I have there is a taper closely related to the measurements Jay Edwards listed in his posting. I will check and if so I will post them following verification. To the best of my knowledge the Fosters had a son, Richard. However, I have no idea where he is located. In all probability he may reside in New Jersey. Following the passing of Baird, I got in touch with Mrs Foster and by mutual agreement I purchaed most of his equipment, one or two of which I am presently still operating. Most importantly his milling machine has been improved to semi-automatic operation. At the moment the machine is set up for a constant taper. Insofar as to the number of rods he built, regrettably I have no idea how many he did finish. To this day I regret I did not purchase or order a rod from him for my collection. Sometimes for one reason or another we err unintentionally. Gus .
Last Edited By: Think Bamboo 03/14/2009 22:41.
Edited 2 times.
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WatercolorMan |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 1343 03/15/2009 03:12 |
Gus Welcome to the forum
Great information, thanks for sharing it with us . . . Alan |
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Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster Rods | #14 | ||
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Posts: 483 03/15/2009 09:58 |
Thank you Gus, you have solved a big part of the mystery. I have received some additional slide photos from Bill Fink which show some of Baird's other
equipment, including what looks like an induction furnace with a clever automatic drive to pull the bound sections through the heat zone. I also have a shot of
him finishing a grip, which may be of use to Jay. It is my intention to have the slides made into a disc, and will post the information shortly. I also
corresponded with Hoagy, who believes that Baird's total output was quite low, which would explain why the rods do not show up in the marketplace.
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bluejayee |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 682 03/16/2009 18:17 |
Hi Guys, I'm following all this with much interest. This is the sort of thing that makes this site so great. I've sent a PM to Think Bamboo.
I'd love to see a picture of one of his rods or him or any of it. Jay Edwards
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Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster Rods | #16 | ||
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Posts: 484 03/16/2009 19:53 |
Hi Jay - I got the photo copying done today. The photos were probably taken in 1972.
http://www.me.com/gallery/#100014/tsmithwick You may need to copy and paste that, you will need the whole address, including the /tsmithwick to get in. Pretty sophisticated stuff for an amateur in 1972. Baird Foster was an engineer by trade, which ought to be obvious. The photo of the oven is not so great. I have a better print which shows the sections being drawn through the oven by a Garrison style binder cradle and drive belt mechanism, which is power driven. There must have been an induction heating coil in the oven, a common industrial practice. |
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Tom Smithwick |
Baird Foster rods | #17 | ||
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Posts: 485 03/16/2009 20:27 |
Well, that link does not seem to work.
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bluejayee |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 683 03/17/2009 01:22 |
Hi Guys, Tom, this is just great! Thanks for posting the pictures. I sure hope these tips turn out to be his. Even if they're not I'm still
fascinated by the whole thing. Garrison was ,of course, my first real interest along with Jenkins. The spiral nodes, I think, would be somewhat distinct to
Garrison acolytes during that time frame. I'm hopeful that this will be 'the deal' 'cause I can at least see what shape to make the grip and
reel seat. Maybe Gus Thinkbamboo will have notes to tell me what taper to use. A Garrison butt section is what they're gonna get if I hit a dead end. It
certainly wouldn't hurt anything. Cool mill and what a lathe, but where's the dust? Jay Edwards
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WatercolorMan |
#19 | |||
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Posts: 1347 03/19/2009 01:11 |
Tom
Great photos, I grew up with some of the neighborhood working in there shops with the  going, Baird would have fit right in. Good looking setup he had
there.
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bluejayee |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 687 03/20/2009 01:49 |
Hi Guys, Well, this proceeds apace. I've been in touch with Thinkbamboo who owns and operates Baird Foster's equipment. He's been a great help.
There is good reason to think these are Baird Foster's tips. Tom Smithwick asked about Resourcinol and I said not but I was wrong. There didn't
appear to be looking at the seams. That was because they're so good. Looking at the bare ferrule end is a gob of Resoursinol on all but one tip. He
hadn't cut to length. All the sections are 2" over length. I plan to attend the Colorado Conclave and I'll bring the tips. I'd like some
other eyes to have it, a look that is. I'm not around this stuff much other than repair work and my own rods. This is quite exciting to me as this as
close to Garrison as I'll ever get. Thinkbamboo had met Baird Foster at Garrison's home and would have learned from him. Pretty cool to me! There
will probably be a little more of this to come then I can lay it down. Jay Edwards
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- Members Corner
- Forum Announcements
- Collecting Bamboo Fly Rods
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- Rod making, restoration, repairs and discussion on those related topics concerning bamboo rods.
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- Appraisals & Identification of Bamboo Fly Rods
- Ephemera, empherma and Ephemerella.....
- Book Talk
- Photos, paintings, written stories and talents.
- Classic Reels
- Collecting and Tying Classic Flies
- The Cooks Kitchen
- The Classic Fly Rod Classifieds
- Technical Support
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