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 canetuck |
Finishing cork grips without a lathe? |
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Posts: 49 05/21/2009 13:23 |
I'm not able to invest in a lathe right now.I would like to know how others who don't own a lathe turn their grips.I'm familiar with Thomas
Penrose's method shown on his site.I'm considering something similar to this.Would a sewing machine motor have enough speed and torque to turn a
grip?Any ideas and pictures of your setup would be appreciated.
Jason |
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ShenRods |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 209 05/21/2009 15:19 |
Another option is the Digger Degree method (in the video) - use an electric drill - make a holder for the drill and chuck up the end of the blank - You also have a build a steady rest a simple one with 3 small wheels works. Use Painters tape to tape the blank to protect it. Turn the drill on and you can sand the cork nicely. Chris |
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mattcliff |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 112 05/21/2009 20:47 |
In my penniless youth I turned many grips, including some very nice ones, on a threaded rod chucked up in an electric drill mounted in a bench vise, with the
free end of the rod stuck in a cardboard box to steady it. Truly a high-tech rig, but it worked.
I don't think I would have the guts to chuck a bamboo blank I had just made into an electric drill, and it sure would be unwieldy. But then, I've never seen the point of turning grips on blanks, since I prefer a rod to have a winding check anyway. Now that I'm in my penniless middle age, I still can't afford a lathe, so I use a dedicated gizmo I rigged up with a spare electric motor and a 1/2" chuck system. I steady the mandrel in a hardwood block with a hole drilled in it. Basically a poor man's lathe -- precise enough for turning cork, but not much else. |
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kimk |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 662 05/21/2009 22:00 |
The guy who taught me to build graphite rods lived one town over from Digger, and he also used an electric drill held in his lap. The cork is glued up on the
blank. A drill bit is selected is a very loose fit in the hollow butt of the blank. The bit is wrapped w/ masking tape to make a tight fit. and chuck it up in
the drill. Important -- if the seat has not been mounted, wrap the blank butt with masking tape or it will split. For bamboo I just wrap the blank with masking
tape and chuck it up.
The left hand holds the free end of the rod in a loose grip to prevent whipping. The right hand sands. Messy, but it works. Regie built a lot of spinning and fly rods this way and became a bit of a local legend. He also taught rod building at Williams College. An interesting guy. AgMD |
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marcusw |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 87 05/22/2009 13:08 |
Contrary to my instructor's directions - I have taken to making up cork grips on short lengths of dowel slightly smaller in diameter than the rod butt and then use a drill press. This saves having the length of a blank whipping about a which really limits the wobble - and I find it easier to use two hands in opposition to each other when in a vertical plane as opposed to horizontal. Also for some reason my eyes seem better at judging the shape as it develops in the vertical. It also appears to me the drill press I have is quiet and not intrusivley noisy, and spins at a brisk but gentle rate that makes for easy control and less risk of error. |
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 cross creek one |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 369 05/22/2009 16:56 |
I use a home built lathe for turning cork reel seats, but I would be terrified of chucking up a rod in that contraption and I turn the cork on the rod. I use
the same method many before me have used--turn it in my lap, by hand, over a trash can. I start with a rasp, then drywall sanding mesh, then progressively
finer paper. It doesn't take that long and it builds strong hands and wrists! If I were going to make rods for a living, I'd get a decent lathe.
-CC |
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ShenRods |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 211 05/22/2009 17:47 |
Actually you don't need a great lathe set-up - I still use my initial crude lathe set-u[ for most of my cork turning, ferrule stations, etc. Years ago I even fitted my ferrules using this crude set-up. I now have a SB 10K that I now do all my ferrule making and fitting on. I have to use it for turning the grips on my two-handed rods that I make. 
I found a wood lathe head and 3 jaw chuck. I made some primitive steady rests. Total investment is less than $75 in materials. So don't think you need a good expensive lathe. Go to the unnamed auction site and you will find a deal. BTW - Digger made hundreds of rods using his electric drill and steady rest. I have one of his rods and he did a good job on the cork. So where there is a will, there is a way. Chris |
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agedsage |
Finsihing Cork Grips Without a Lathe | #7 | ||
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Posts: 42 05/31/2009 19:40 |
Under the watchful and jaundiced eye of my rod building mentor, I did the cork handle on my first fly rod using nothing more than a four-in-hand file and
sandpaper. It is a cigar shaped handle and is by far the most comfortable handle of any of my numerous fly rods. It ain't bad visually either.
aged_sage |
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