New Homebuilt rod wrapper

[Imgoodatwhatido]

Well I took the dive an built me a wrapper based somewhat on Wafflejaw's wrapper. My Fishin partner is building a new house an is having cabinets built so i went over an raided the scrap pile and got everything i needed. Took me about 2 hours to build the whole thing. Not to mention its made form cabinet grade laminate wood so it should last. Its not completely done yet. I still have to make bobbins for my thread, and some bolts and wing nuts for my rod supports so i can tighten them down. Thanks waffle for the help I really appreciate it man!

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Very nice man. Hope you get to turning on it soon.

[HarveysMinnow]

As one woodworker to another, let me say that your efforts look admirable! It's especially nice when you can make something useful out of somebody else's scraps. And what a good way to spend the winter - wrapping your own rods.

/

[bamabassman]

Ya'll need to stop this, hahahaha...i got too many hobbies as it is and not enough time to do them. Posts like this make me wanna learn too. Nice job by the way. I got enough scrap wood laying around for a set up like this. NO...........NO JOHN (TALKIN TO MYSELF,LOL) YOU AIN'T GOT TIME MAN. HAHAHAHAHA!!

[lilmule]

I bought one a few years back but chose the one that can double for or as a drier,way to slow,looks nice.
One done by hand is actually faster than the one I bought.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

thanks guys i built it the other night on a whim. Soon as the guide set i ordered gets here ill start wrapping this rod i built.

[Jrob78]

Looks good! Can't wait to see you start cranking out rods. It's quite addicting!

[Imgoodatwhatido]

i can already tell its addicting, but its also expensive! with a baby on the way that is the aspect of it that will hurt me the most. To start out with i suppose ill be taking some older blanks and stripping them down an practicing on them before i spend good money on high quality blanks

[Jrob78]

I went into it thinking I was going to save money, I was wrong! You can find some decent blanks pretty reasonably priced but shipping adds $15-$20.

Glad to see someone else on the forum getting started, it is a very rewarding hobby, especially during the winter months. If you have any rod building related questions along the way don't hesitate to ask. There are several guys here who build rods, one of us will know the answer.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

thanks a lot jrob im sure i will need some advice along the way. My winters are generally busier than my summers. We fish all year long, but during summer we fish night tournaments. Nonetheless im looking forward to getting into rod building.

[BigBassin144]

Hey man, that looks great! Can't wait to see your first rod completely built by you!

BB

[WaffleJaw]

I wish my first wrapper looked that good!...Nice work!
Looks extremely solid and well made.
Did you make it 4ft?....I think that a great size.
Now you just need to cover it with epoxy stains,cut thread and beer cans.
I might be making a newer one this winter...Nothing really different,just longer and possibly some aluminum ''T'' tracks for everything to slide and tighten down easier....and then Im gonna bedazzle it with rubys and Hanna Montana stickers.

Another thing I added to mine is a tip-top support to make wrapping tips a little easier.
I just cut up a piece of plastic and used an aluminum screw post to mount it.
The other side has a masking tape shim to push in to keep it tight.
If Im not using it,I flip it 180 and its out of the way....It likes to move alot,but it does help wrapping tips to keep thread tension consistent....Another thing I need to improve,lol.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

That's an excellent idea waffle, and its something I been tossing around. i was considering some type of cap for the rod supports. Maybe a piece of leather strap with some felt on it. Maybe only 2 inches long with a hole in each end to attach a rubber band. Then use 2 pegs to attach the rubber band to in order to keep the "down" tension on the rod to keep it seated in the supports. I've also considered mounting mouse traps on my thread carriage to put my thread on. Any one used the mouse traps for thread tensioners before? If so how do they work?

[CamG]

I've built my first and last rod...if you are in need of some tools fairly cheap, let me know!

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by Imgoodatwhatido

That's an excellent idea waffle, and its something I been tossing around. i was considering some type of cap for the rod supports. Maybe a piece of leather strap with some felt on it. Maybe only 2 inches long with a hole in each end to attach a rubber band. Then use 2 pegs to attach the rubber band to in order to keep the "down" tension on the rod to keep it seated in the supports. I've also considered mounting mouse traps on my thread carriage to put my thread on. Any one used the mouse traps for thread tensioners before? If so how do they work?

You can see on mine I just use velcro.....I find I dont ever use em,though...My ''V'' Grooves arent very deep and I don't have any issues with the rod staying put
Having the free floating support stands allow to keep the weight evenly distributed across my jig.
But we all have to utilize our work space differently and having them can come in handy!!

My Dad's jig uses a smooth leather strap with a button snaps on the ends...Works really well too.

Never used a mouse trap for tension...I think Ive seen em before.
Ill just stick the spring and binder clips.
I use the binder clips instead of wing nuts because they hold great and don't come loose while you wrap....Wing nuts will and its a pain to have to constantly stop and re-tighten...
I saw a guy swear by em,so I gave it a shot and haven't looked back.

[Jrob78]

I use velcro straps to secure my rod too. I use them at all times. They probably aren't absolutely necessary but it makes me feel like everything is more secure, especially when the rod is on the motor drying.

I have seen mousetrap thread tensioners before. I don't think you will need that since you already have a thread carriage. Basically you cut the wire on the trap so that it is in the shape of a "L" instead of a "U". You put the L into the middle of the spool and the spring on the trap keeps tension on the spool. Found a pic.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

That's a great idea fellas. I'm gonna come up with something similar to this.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

I know it is the puss route, but I am thinking about buying one of these or something like it after the holidays. I would rather have a stripped down version though without the power wrapper and just a drying motor. But I like the idea of having a base long enough for not having to move the rod around once it is started.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

That's a nice one, but for the money I would recommend a guy on ebay that goes by okierodbuilder. He has some awesome lookin wrappers, and he can build one however you would like it. Go check them out before you go to shell out some big bucks.

[CiK]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Bruiser

I know it is the puss route, but I am thinking about buying one of these or something like it after the holidays.

+1 I don't have the wood working tools to build my own. I bought one last year, and its already falling apart. I am thinking of having one built.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

OOOOOO man. Every complete man needs tools around the house! I believe the main thing is to use screws, not nails. Then it should hold up.

[CiK]

Originally Posted by Imgoodatwhatido

That's a nice one, but for the money I would recommend a guy on ebay that goes by okierodbuilder. He has some awesome lookin wrappers, and he can build one however you would like it. Go check them out before you go to shell out some big bucks.

Those are nice! Thanks for the lead!

[Jrob78]

I've thought about building some and trying to sell them on ebay. My wrappers are 4' long and very sturdy. I don't think you can buy a pre-made factory wrapper anywhere close to the quality of one you build yourself. The exception might be one of the fancy, expensive, metal power wrappers.

[CiK]

Originally Posted by Imgoodatwhatido

OOOOOO man. Every complete man needs tools around the house! I believe the main thing is to use screws, not nails. Then it should hold up.

LOL. My wife says I am a complete man. :-)

I have tools, just not the wood routers etc.....

[WaffleJaw]

Tony I dont have a router or anything fancy either....All I used is a circular saw,jig saw,wood glue and screws....wood glue is probably overkill.

Okie does has some neat stuff....heres his website,
http://okierodbuildingtools.com/
I thought about investing in some of the aluminum rod supports.But I think all the stand adjusting would actually slow me down...If Im not power wrapping, I dont need to lock down the rod.
The plastic ones look interesting too,but I wonder if they will bow/warp over time?
I dont like any of those chucks he's making....I made some similar for drying and didnt care for it.