Finding the spine

[Jim Uran]

What's the best way to find the spine on a blank, w/o a spiine finder of course?

Anyone have any small tips that may help! I got all of my components and will probably start building this week, or weekend most likely. Whenever I don't dare go on the ice anymore.

[Dark Cloud]

I'll take a picture later if my description fails, lol...

While sitting in a chair grab the lower part of the tip about 6-8 inches up from the joint on a 2 piece rod or around the middle on a one piece, with your hand on "top" place it against your right thigh. Now with your left hand about 3/4th's the way up to the top and your hand positioned on the "bottom" - put a little bend in the rod by lifting up with your left hand and pushing down with your right. Then roll the blank a little with your right hand and the blank will hop into the spine. I usually put a piece of masking tape on the blank for marking the 180 degrees of the spine...

Mount the guides in the bend of the spine. I havnt found a difference in the top or the bottom of the 180

[A.W.Wolfram]

To start, put a piece of masking tape around the blank and have a pencil or marking utensil handy. I usually do this about 30” up from the butt end of the rod so it dose not inter fear with any handle placement.

Next, place the butt end of the blank on a flat / true surface then place one hand flat on the blank about 1/3 up and the other had 2/3 in a apposing sides. The idea is to roll the bland between your hands and the flat surface with a slight load and feel for the softest spot (spine). Move your hands around to different spots and retry. When you find the spot mark it on the take.

You will more then likely find more the one (spine) on a blank. This is were the”straightest axis” comes in.

[Dark Cloud]

Looks like Captain and I posted at the same time...

[A.W.Wolfram]

[A.W.Wolfram]

DC, How is that bamboo project coming?

[Jim Uran]

Thanks fellas, good tips. I'll mess around with it this evening.

[Dark Cloud]

Captain F - Going good on the bamboo! She got set back about a week as I changed color schemes and had to wait for a new agate guide, should be here tomorrow. I also wanted the latest coat of varnish to set up all the way. Tonight I'll have time to glue up the handle and post on that...

[A.W.Wolfram]

[upnorth]

There are those that say the the spine theory is hogwash and to build along the straightest axis of the blank. I will go as far to say is that most of the time the straightest axis and spine are usually the same.

[bemidjibasser]

The spine has no bearing on the performance of the rod. Once you have guides on the blank and apply a load to the blank, it will bend towards the load through the guides regardless of where the spine is. The straightest axis is far more effective in building a rod that performs the way you want it to.

[kenais]

As it has been said, building on the straightest axis is the way to go. Building on the spine is a hold over from the 70s that won't go away.

[Dark Cloud]

Bemiji - I have heard both sides but still like to find the spine. I have an ice rod with a distinct spine and the guides are not lined up. If you put a load to that rod you can feel the pull towards the spine. Maybe it is noticable because of being so short?

And I also had a 2 piece rod that liked to come apart after numerous casts. The spine and guides were "off" on that rod. Maybe it was the rod but I can also imagin there was torque created when casting that may have stemed from the guide/spine alignment...

Were not re-inventing the wheel here with straight axis vs. the spine...

Iv'e yet to build a rod and think geez, I should have used the straightest axis.

We may be dealing with good and gooder, if thats a word...

[bemidjibasser]

DArk Cloud-

I am curious why you would build with the guides not aligned properly. That would inherently cause some instability in the rod. How are you finding the spine once the rod is wrapped? Again, once a load is applied to the rod the spine is no longer in play.

The torque came from misaligned or misplaced guides, not the spine.

There is nothing wrong with finding the spine, but it really doesn't matter where it is. I have built several rods that had multiple spines, but ignored them to build on the straightest axis to get the best overall performace of the rod.

[Jim Uran]

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the guides weren't aligned with the spine!

[Dark Cloud]

These were not rods that I built... And yep the guides were aligned to each other but off the spine.

Of the pile of rods I have made, I have never had an issue with building on the 180 of the spine.

I agree the axis technique may be better but I dont want to see someone scarred away from just finding the spine and building the rod. I'd have say a few million rods work this way...