Dedicated to the Making of Fine Bamboo Fly Rods

October 2018 (Volume 61) Dedicated to the Making o f F i n e Bamboo Fly Rods

Inside this issue:

The First Cast 3 Rodmaker Profile: 5 Alberto Poratelli Depth Gauge System 17

Rodmaker Profile: 31 Dave Dozer Building a Bamboo 35 Trout Net Rodmaker Profile: 44 Skip King Geometric Sections 49 and the Like

Watercolor on paper courtesy of Alfonso Jaraiz Puig (http://artificialfliesdrawings.blogspot.com) P a g e 2 P a g e 3 The First Cast Todd Talsma, Editor This issue is long overdue. Between work and other life events getting in the way, I’ve finally put the issue together and I’m getting it released. I’ve been brewing an idea to start a series of rodmaker interviews for Power Fibers Power Fibers. I’ve done three interviews so far and they are found in this issue of the magazine. Check them out and give me some feedback. The Online Magazine interviews will all start with a set of 11 questions and then I’m going to see where the interview goes from there. If there are makers you’d like to see interviewed, please let me know. I’d also like to hear from you if Editor you have other ideas of areas you’d like to know about the makers or oth- Todd Talsma er subjects you’d like to see in these interviews. I’m sure as I get more of these under my belt and with input from the community, the content will get better and better. Contributors I’ve been thinking about a process to make reel seats with cork or other Dozer, Dave wood inserts. Over the years, there have been other makers who have Hosfield, Skip written articles about doing this, but I have some other ideas to create a jig which should make this a little easier and more reliable. I have most Le Breton, Daniel of the materials needed to create this, but have to put some thought into Poratelli, Alberto the steps needed to create reel seats in this style. It may end up being a Schott, Wolfram conglomeration of several methods which have been used in the past by Copy Editors other makers, but what I’m really looking for is ease of use and reliabil- Bret Reiter Warning! Carol Talsma ity. Of course, once I have this ironed out, you’ll be able to read Because many aspects of bam- Mark Wendt about it right here. boo rodmaking bring the maker in contact with machinery, We’re quickly headed toward winter bladed tools, volatile chemicals Advisory Board here in Michigan. Hopefully this and gases, the editor and advi- means I’ll be able to spend some Russ Gooding sory board of Power Fibers ask more time working on rods in the Bob Maulucci shop. Over the last few years, I’ve you to exercise the utmost cau- tion when attempting to build Bob Nunley been able to do some work, but have- J.D. Wagner n’t been able to finish any rods. My or mimic any devices or activi- ties mentioned in this magazine. goal for the winter is to get quite a few of the rods I have glued up fin- Please have any devices you For more info contact: ished and ready for fishing next build and use in your shop Todd Talsma spring. It seems as if I always have checked by a safety professional good intentions to get a lot more done before attempting to use such [email protected] than I’m able to, but I guess if every- devices. This is to guarantee 8412 North Maple Court thing in life fell right in place, life your personal safety and that of Zeeland MI 49464 wouldn’t be quite as interesting. others around you. 616.772.5043 Copyright © 2018 by Power Fibers I can always use more ideas, feel free If you choose to build any de- to contact me. If you have a sugges- vice or use any technique found tion about improving Power Fibers, in this magazine, you are doing drop me an email at the following so at your own risk. email address: pow- [email protected] P a g e 4 P a g e 5 Rodmaker Profile: Alberto Poratelli Text, figures and photos by Alberto Poratelli and Power Fibers Editor’s note: This is the first in hopefully a long series of rodmaker profiles which will appear in Power Fibers in upcoming issues. This being the first of these interviews, comments are welcome. If you have any ideas of who you’d like to see interviewed and/or questions you’d like to see ad- dressed, please send me an email at [email protected]!

PF: What are your personal favorite streams number ONE,” also because I had to build all to fish? the equipment. I spent the month of August carving the groove on the planing form with a I adore fishing in the little mountain streams, triangular file!!! where you don’t need waders. To be honest I haven’t finished reading and I like going up these streams where the water learning, I think that rodmaking is beautiful flows and riffles and under each riffle there is a and intriguing because we never stop learning. trout waiting. You must know that every year since 2006, PF: Do you have a memorable story of fishing IBRA has been organising a rodmaking course bamboo or memories of anyone in particular and I have always attended as an instructor, but you've fished with? just between you and me, I think I have learnt most of what I know from these twelve years There are many fishing stories that I have ex- of IBRA courses. perienced with my bamboo rods and many per- sonalities I have met. Perhaps my favourite is the one I have already told in the Bamboo Journal n. 10 in an article titled “Respect” where I wanted to highlight the deep deference the flyfishing world has for bamboo rods.

PF: How did you get into rod making?

It was 1999 and I was visiting a flyfishing show where I saw some bamboo rods made by Marco Boretti and Walter Rumi, two of the greatest Italian rodmakers. I fell in love with them and at first I thought of buying one and then I decided to try building it … well, I haven’t stopped since!

PF: How did you learn to make bamboo rods?

At first I read, I read everything I could find on the topic and there are two books that really helped me: Garrison and Carmichael’s book and Jocelyn De L’Espinay’s book “La canne a mouche.”

In the beginning I made many mistakes and it took me a year to build my first rod, “The (Continued on page 6) P a g e 6 PF: Who had the greatest impact on you as an a carpenter, I was probably born with wood in rodmaker? my blood. I started building bamboo rods because I wished to have one and I’ve never Thanks above all to IBRA; since I started stopped because “in the next rod I must correct building, I have had the fortune to meet many the errors I made in the last one”. In this activi- famous European, American and Asian rod- ty we want perfection and we all know it is makers. I met the great names of rodmaking, unachievable. from Carmichael to Wagner, from Summers to Brackett, from Fries to Baginski, just to men- I believe that a rodmaker who does not look for tion a few. perfection will never be a good rodmaker but simply a man who knows how to plane and But two great friends, without whom my ad- glue together six strips of bamboo. venture in the world of bamboo would have ended after a few years, Gabriele Gori and PF: Do you also make fiberglass or graphite Marco Giardina had the greatest impact on me rods? Why? as a rodmaker. Two rodmakers but above all, two people with great culture that enabled my I have never built graphite rods but I have tried professional growth. Without them, I probably to build fibreglass blanks. would have stopped, most certainly I would not have continued to search for the limit. Two One day a client who had bought a blank from amazing people who gave me confidence and Kazutomo Jiuin came to me and asked if I precious advice on the theory and practice in could mount it. I tried, I treated the blank like a building more and more beautiful rods. bamboo rod and the result was a nice rod.

PF: What are some life lessons you've learned As always, word got round and other were re- from rodmaking? quested and I built about ten Kazutomo blanks, but they were short-lived experiences…my I am convinced that bamboo is a really special passion is “sweet grass”. grass, if you have not worked with it, you can- not understand. When a rodmaker is in his PF: What are your personal philosophies workshop, he is in another dimension and be- about craftsmanship and the making of bam- comes one with the bamboo, with its rhythms, boo fly rods? its smells, its colours. As I have already mentioned, my philosophy is There, rodmaking has taught me to respect to reach perfection and being impossible, I will time, the awareness that everything needs time and that the time spent rodmaking is never lost, never wasted.

I come from Milan, a city where everything is frenetic, where everything must be done before it is even started, I am an architect and I spend every day on building sites where we need to respect deadlines and where the unexpected is a curse, but … over the threshold of my workshop time is diluted, it starts but doesn’t finish, it’s never squandered and never spoilt.

PF: Why did you choose to make bamboo rods? Alberto and Jeff Wagner.

My grandfather was a carpenter, my father was (Continued on page 7) P a g e 7

never reach it. This does not demoralize me; it file but I think that heat pressing the nodes is encourages me to continue the search. fundamental to building a good rod.

As Salvador Dalì said: “Do not fear perfection. PF: What is your most favorite part of the rod- You will never reach it”. making process? PF: Who are you most proud to have made a rod for? Without doubt, I love cleaning the rough piece after it has been glued because after cleaning it I have built rods for many fishermen and for from the residues of glue there is the blank in many good casters but the one I am proudest of all its beauty and silky smoothness. is the one I gave to Hoagy Carmichael in 2008.

It was a great satisfaction when he wrote to me that he would use it to fish in the Catskill. PF: I really liked your response about how you learned to make bamboo rods, especially the PF: Who would you like to see casting one of part about helping with the IBRA classes and your rods? learning a lot more about rodmaking and ways to improve your processes by helping with Roberto Pragliola, probably the best Italian these classes. From this experience, what do caster, had one of my rods and I saw him cast with it. One of the proudest moments in my you think is the hardest skill for the new rod- career as a rodmaker was to see Roberto cast maker to understand and build their abilities? with my rod. When the students arrive they do not think they PF: What is your least favorite part of the rod- will be able to build a rod with their own hands making process? because they are worried above all about the manual part of the procedure. I find pressing the nodes very boring and the straightening of the strips needs to be done In reality I think that it is harder to make them carefully, so it’s very long and seems endless. understand the philosophy that must accompa- ny our art and I tell them that everyone can I know that many rodmakers skip this part and plane six strips and glue them together, there is treat (or rather ill-treat) the nodes only with a (Continued on page 8) P a g e 8 really nothing complicated in this, the difficult small metal reinforcing ring at the top of the thing is to think of a rod and its use and then butt is a “metal” intrusion that reduces the build this very rod. quality.

Above all I try to stimulate their spirit to re- So, I started studying the way to make bamboo search and of good taste. I’m convinced that a ferrules without the need for particular tools bamboo fishing rod must not only be a good especially in making the swell. I wanted to find rod, it must also be beautiful…especially if it’s a method to build a nice, harmonious and func- Italian! tional reinforcing ring using the instruments that all rodmakers have in their laboratories; PF: You’ve written quite a bit in the Bamboo hence the planing form. Journal (find these at rodmakers.eu) about bamboo ferrules. Will you talk a little about I could write a book on bamboo ferrules these, why you decided to pursue these and the (perhaps one day I will) but to answer your advantages/disadvantages of using bamboo question in short I have made a list of the ad- ferrules vs. various metal ferrules? vantages and disadvantages of metal and bamboo ferrules. When I started my adventure with bamboo ferrules, I did it because I was fascinated by the Metal ferrules have a series of virtues: images of the ones made by Bjarne Fries. In their simplicity they made the bamboo rod • They are or can be aesthetically beautiful. even more beautiful than before. From a purely • They are strong. aesthetic point of view, the Argentinian Mar- • They are available on the market without celo Calviello was unbeatable, the longer swell going crazy to make them. and more intense colours really make his fer- • They are easy to mount on the blank. rules harmonious. However, constructively, the (Continued on page 9) P a g e 9

• A bamboo ferrule can, no “must” be easy But they have a series of flaws: to make. • A bamboo ferrule is always and anyway • They are heavy. lighter than a metal one. • They are more rigid than the bamboo used • A bamboo ferrule is not rigid . to build the rod. • A bamboo ferrule does not have gripping • They often have “gripping” problems. problems. • They are an obstacle to the homogeneous • A bamboo ferrule enables a homogeneous transmission of the forces. transmission of the forces. • We are forced to use the lathe on the most • A bamboo ferrule does not mean a reduc- delicate point of the rod. tion of the power fibers.

Weighing the virtues and the flaws I think the PF: You’ve also written about “sharktooth” latter are more than the former. Although all hollowing. Have you tried other hollowing this is amply compensated by the availability methods? Again, are there advantages or dis- on the market and their easy mounting. advantages to using the sharktooth method vs. any other method?

So … “why a bamboo ferrule?” Simply be- The sharktooth hollowing was born from ob- cause: serving the concrete honeycomb slabs; they have incredible resistance and reduced weight. • A bamboo ferrule can be just as aesthetical- There, being able to drastically reduce the ly beautiful and valid as a metal one. weight and keeping the inertia moment almost • A bamboo ferrule can be as strong as a (Continued on page 10) metal one. P a g e 10 unchanged was the reason that pushed me to study this type of hollowing. I’ve sent the taper of the rod "7643S The Brook," it is a taper that I studied in 2016 and However, the idea is not all mine, but it is an that I really like because it represents my evolution of the hollowing method that Monta- style ... I hope it pleases your readers too. Of gne used for his rods with a rectangular sec- course, it has the streamlined bamboo ferrule. tion. PF: Alberto draws all of his tapers. On the It seems easy to do and in fact it is but with the next page, one of these drawings is displayed. condition there is great precision in making the Due to the format of both the drawing and the honeycombs because all you need is to make magazine limitations, you don’t get to see the one wall with the wrong thickness to ruin the detail Alberto puts into his drawings. If you rod. click on the drawing on the next page, you should be taken to the drawing on the Power I think it is a hollowing system suitable for Fibers web site. The rod in photos on the two small rods, while for longer and stronger rods previous pages is made to the taper on the the “fluted” hollowing invented by Lew Stoner drawing on the next page. is better.

PF: Would you be willing to share a taper you enjoy with the readers? P a g e 11 P a g e 12

Editor’s note: Alberto asked me to post the interview text in Italian in addition to English. Here is that text.

PF: What are your personal favorite streams un anno anche perché mi sono dovuto costruire to fish? anche tutta la attrezzatura. Ho passato tutto il mese di agosto a realizzare il solco della plan- Io adoro pescare nei piccoli torrenti di monta- ing form con la lima triangolare!!! gna, sono posti dove non servono gli waders. A dire il vero non ho ancora finito di leggere e Mi piace risalire questi torrenti dove l'acqua imparare, penso che il rodmaking sia bello e scorre a salti e dove sotto ogni piccolo salto c'è intrigante proprio perché non si finisce mai di una trota in agguato. imparare.

PF: Do you have a memorable story of fishing Devi sapere che ogni anno dal 2006 IBRA or- bamboo or memories of anyone in particular ganizza il corso di rodmaking e io ho sempre people you've fished with? partecipato come insegnante ma, rimanga tra me e te, penso di aver imparato gran parte di Sono tante le storie di pesca che ho vissuto con quello che so in questi dodici anni di corsi le mie canne in bamboo e tanti i personaggi IBRA. che ho incontrato. Forse la più bella è quella che ho già raccontato nel Bamboo Journal n. PF: Who had the greatest impact on you as an 10 in un articolo dal titolo “Rispetto” nel quale rodmaker? ho voluto mettere in evidenza come le bamboo rods godano di una profonda deferenza nel Da quando ho iniziato a costruire, grazie so- mondo della pesca a mosca. prattutto a IBRA, ho avuto la fortuna di cono- scere di persona tanti rodmakers famosi, sia Siamo su Power Fibers, non te la prendere Europei che Americani e Asiatici. Ho cono- Todd ma ti invito a leggere questa storia sul sciuto e frequentato i grandi del rodmaking, da Bamboo Journal. Carmichael a Wagner, da Summers a Brackett, da Fries a Baginski, solo per citarne alcuni. PF: How did you get into rod making? Ma il maggiore impatto su di me come rod- Era il 1999 e visitando una fiera di pesca a maker l’hanno avuto due grandi amici senza i mosca vidi alcune canne in bamboo realizzate quali probabilmente la mia avventura nel mon- da Marco Boretti e Walter Rumi, due tra i più do del bamboo sarebbe finita dopo pochi anni. grandi rodmakers italiani. Me ne innamorai e Si tratta di Gabriele Gori e di Marco Giardina inizialmente pensai di comperarmene una ma due rodmakers ma soprattutto due persone di poi decisi di provare a costruirla … beh, da al- grande cultura che hanno permesso la mia cres- lora non ho più smesso! cita professionale. Senza di loro mi sarei fer- mato, probabilmente anzi sicuramente non PF: How did you learn to make bamboo rods? avrei proseguito nella ricerca del limite. Due persone squisite che mi hanno dato fiducia e Inizialmente ho letto, ho letto tutto quello che preziosissimi consigli per lo studio teorico e la trovavo da leggere sull’argomento e sono due i realizzazione pratica di bamboo rods sempre libri che mi hanno veramente aiutato: Il libro di più belle. Garrison e Carmichael e quello di Jocelyn De L’Espinay “La canne a mouche”. 6) What are some life lessons you've learned from building Ho fatto tanti errori all’inizio e per costruire la mia prima canna “La numero UNO” c’è voluto (Continued on page 13) P a g e 13

Sono convinto che il bamboo sia un’erba vera- acquistato un grezzo da Kazutomo Jiuin mente speciale, chi non ha mai provato a lavor- chiedendomi se potevo montarlo. Ci ho prova- arlo non può capire. Quando un rodmaker entra to, ho trattato quel grezzo come fosse stato di nel suo laboratorio entra in un’altra dimensione bamboo e ne è uscita una bella canna. e diventa un tutt’uno con il bamboo, con i suoi ritmi, con i suoi tempi, con i suoi rumori, con i Come succede sempre poi la voce gira e me ne suoi odori, con i suoi colori. sono state richieste altre, quindi ne ho realizzate una decina sempre su grezzi di Kazuto- Ecco, quello che il rodmaking mi ha insegnato mo, ma sono state esperienze estemporanee … è il rispetto dei tempi, è la consapevolezza che la mia passione è “sweet grass”. ogni cosa richiede il suo tempo e che il tempo del rodmaking non è mai perso, non è mai PF: What are your personal philosophies sprecato. about craftsmanship and the making of bamboo fly rods? Io sono di Milano, una città dove tutto è frenet- ico e dove tutto deve essere finito quasi prima L’ho già detto, la mia filosofia è cercare di rag- di essere iniziato, di professione sono architetto giungere la perfezione che, essendo irrag- e sono tutti i giorni alle prese con i cantieri giungibile non raggiungerò mai. Questo non mi dove bisogna rispettare i tempi e dove ogni im- demoralizza anzi mi sprona a proseguire nella previsto è una maledizione ma … mi basta ol- ricerca. trepassare la porta del mio shop per adden- trarmi in un tempo che si dilata, che inizia e Come disse Salvador Dalì: “Non aver paura non finisce, che non è mai sperperato e che non della perfezione. Non la raggiungerai mai”. è mai sciupato. PF: Who are you most proud to have made a PF: Why did you choose to make bamboo rod for? rods? Ho realizzato canne per tanti pescatori e per Mio nonno era un falegname, mio padre era un tanti bravi lanciatori ma quella di cui vado or- falegname, io probabilmente sono nato con il goglioso è quella che nel 2008 donai a Hoagy legno nel sangue. Ho iniziato a costruire bam- Carmichael. Fu una grandissima soddisfazione boo rods perché desideravo averne una e non quando mi scrisse che l’avrebbe usata per ho più smesso perché “nella prossima canna pescare nel Catskill. devo correggere gli errori che ho fatto nell’ul- tima”. In questa attività si tende sempre alla PF: Who would you like to see casting one of perfezione che sappiamo tutti è irraggiungi- your rods? bile. Roberto Pragliola, quello che probabilmente è Io credo che un costruttore che non cerca la stato il più grande lanciatore italiano, aveva perfezione non sarà mai un buon costruttore una delle mie canne e l’ho visto lanciare con ma sarà semplicemente un uomo che sa pial- essa. Veder lanciare Roberto con la mia canna lare e incollare tra di loro sei listelli di bamboo. è stata una delle più grandi soddisfazioni della mia carriera di rodmaker. PF: Do you also make fiberglass or graphite rods? Why? PF: What is your least favorite part of the rodmaking process? Non ho mai realizzato una canna in grafite mentre ho provato a montare dei grezzi di fibra Trovo assolutamente noioso schiacciare i nodi di vetro. e raddrizzare I listelli, è un’operazione che deve essere eseguita con cura e quindi è molto Un giorno venne da me un cliente che aveva (Continued on page 14) P a g e 14 lunga e mi sembra non finire mai. pesca in bamboo sono convinto che non deve solo essere una buona canna ma deve anche Sono a conoscenza del fatto che tanti rodmak- essere bella … soprattutto se è italiana! ers saltano questo passaggio e trattano (o meglio maltrattano) I nodi solo con la lima ma PF: You’ve written quite a bit in the Bamboo io penso che schiacciare a caldo i nodi sia fon- Journal (find these at rodmakers.eu) about damentale per costruire una buona canna. bamboo ferrules. Will you talk a little about these, why you decided to pursue these and the PF: What is your most favorite part of the rod- advantages/disadvantages of using bamboo making process? ferrules vs. various metal ferrules?

Qui non ho dubbi, io adoro pulire il grezzo Quando nel 2004 iniziai la mia avventura con dopo che è stato incollato perché togliendo i gli innesti in bamboo lo feci perché ero affasci- residui di colla esce il blank in tutta la sua nato dalle immagini di quelli realizzati da bellezza e in tutta la sua setosa morbidezza. Bjarne Fries. Nella loro semplicità rendevano la canna in bamboo ancora più bella di quello PF: I really liked your response about how you che già fosse. Dal punto di vista puramente es- learned to make bamboo rods, especially the tetico però l’argentino Marcelo Calviello era part about helping with the IBRA classes and per me insuperabile, lo swell più lungo e la learning a lot more about rodmaking and ways legatura a colori intensi rende le sue ferrule to improve your processes by helping with veramente armoniose. Costruttivamente però la these classes. From this experience, what do piccola ghiera in metallo posta alla sommità you think is the hardest skill for the new rod- del tallone è per me una intrusione “metallica” maker to understand and build their abilities? che ne riduce la qualità.

Gli allievi, quando arrivano non credono di po- Ho allora iniziato a studiare il sistema per real- ter essere in grado di realizzare personalmente izzare gli innesti in bamboo senza dover ricor- una canna in bamboo perché sono preoccupati rere ad attrezzi particolari soprattutto per la soprattutto dell’aspetto manuale del procedi- realizzazione dello swell. Volevo trovare il mento. modo di costruire una ghiera bella, armoniosa e funzionale utilizzando gli strumenti che ogni In realtà quello che ritengo più difficile da far rodmaker ha nel suo laboratorio; quindi con la comprendere è la filosofia che deve accompa- planing form. gnare questa nostra arte e dico loro che tutti sono in grado di piallare sei listelli ed incollarli Sugli innesti in bamboo potrei scrivere un libro insieme, non c’è nulla di veramente complicato (forse un giorno lo farò) però per rispondere in questo, la cosa difficile è pensare a una can- brevemente alla tua domanda ti faccio un elen- na e all’uso che deve esserne fatto e realizzare co di ciò che penso in merito ai vantaggi e agli proprio la canna che si era pensata. svantaggi degli innesti in metallo e di quelli in bamboo: Soprattutto cerco di stimolare in loro lo spirito della ricerca e del buon gusto. Una canna da (Continued on page 15) P a g e 15

Gli innesti in metallo hanno una serie di pregi: • Un innesto in bamboo non è rigido. • Un innesto in bamboo non ha problemi di • Sono o possono essere esteticamente molto grippaggio. belli. • Un innesto in bamboo consente una • Sono robusti. trasmissione omogenea delle forze. • Sono già pronti in commercio senza do- • Un innesto in bamboo non comporta ridu- versi dannare l’anima per costruirli zione delle power fibers. • Sono facili da montare sul grezzo. PF: You’ve also written about “sharktooth” Ma hanno anche una serie di difetti: hollowing. Have you tried other hollowing methods? Again, are there advantages or dis- • Sono pesante. advantages to using the sharktooth method vs. • Sono più rigidi del bamboo col quale è re- any other method? alizzata la canna. • anno spesso problemi di “grippaggio.” Lo svuotamento sharktooth è nato dall’osserva- • Costituiscono un ostacolo alla trasmissione zione dei solai alveolari in calcestruzzo, essi omogenea delle forze. hanno una formidabile resistenza e un peso • Costringono a tornire la canna nel suo molto ridotto. Ecco, il poter ridurre drastica- punto più sollecitato. mente il peso mantenendo quasi invariato il momento di inerzia è stato il motivo che mi ha Facendo un bilancio dei pregi e dei difetti pen- spinto a studiare questo tipo di svuotamento. so quindi che questi ultimi siano preponderanti rispetto ai primi. Tutto questo però è am- L’idea però non è totalmente mia ma è una piamente compensato dalla facile reperibilità evoluzione del sistema di svuotamento che sul mercato e dall’altrettanto facile montaggio. Montagne utilizzava per le sue canne a sezione E quindi … “perché un innesto in bamboo?” rettangolare. Semplicemente perché: Sembra facile da realizzare ed in effetti lo è ma • Un innesto in bamboo può essere estetica- a condizione di una grande precisione nella mente altrettanto bello e valido di uno in realizzazione degli alveoli perchè basta farne metallo. solo uno con spessore di parete sbagliato per • Un innesto in bamboo può essere robusto compromettere la canna. come uno in metallo. • Un innesto in bamboo può, anzi “deve” es- A mio aviso è un Sistema di svuotatura adatto sere facile da realizzare. a canne piccole mentre per canne lunghe e po- • Un innesto in bamboo è sempre e comun- tenti credo che niente sia meglio della svuo- que più leggero del suo corrispondente in tatura “Fluted” inventata da Lew Stoner. metallo. P a g e 16

THE PLANING FORM NEWSLETTER….THE FIRST 25 YEARS!

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P a g e 17 Depth Gauge System Text, photos and figures by Wolfram Schott (2018)

It was my Danish friend and mentor, the late very contact with the groove in the planing Preben Torp Jacobsen, fly-tier, rod-maker and form is not an infinite thin line on each flank, author of several books, who had the idea back like in a cone, but a substantial area. Any small in the 1980s. deviations along the groove, either accidental dust grains or chatter marks of the bevel-cutters Setting a taper with a 60° tip on your depth or whatever are "evened out" by the large sur- gauge requires you to "zero" the tip, e.g. on a face area of the wedge-sides. This is compara- flat piece of steel. Inevitably, the tip will be ble to the conditions a strip of bamboo will be round by several tens of millimeters (or thou- subjected to, when put into the groove. Also, it sandthgs of inches), due to this practice. The is not so much prone to abrasion, when sliding resulting strips, as planed in your form, will be it up and down the forms. The wedge must not oversized, and your glued-up rod will be off have a very sharp chisel edge, which would be specification. A number of devices have been vulnerable to "accidents" (though not as vulner- introduced during the last decades, to overcome able as tips of cone-shaped contact points). The this. Garrison, on pages 40 and 70, describes wedge, having a cylindrical upper portion and the use of test strips to arrive at the correct set- an also cylindrical "shoulder" above that, trav- ting (depth of groove). I have come up with els and rotates freely in a dual-diameter bore- system to protect the indicator tip. Everything hole (reamed, diameter dependent of dial- is made of steel, but can also be made of other indicator shaft), which is drilled into the square materials, like brass. "tower" on the base-plate. Its shoulder of a somewhat larger diameter prevents it from fall- The depth gauge base plate has the dimensions ing out, the lower part of the borehole being of a Stanley 9 ½ block plane (which is what I correspondingly smaller. The travelling tip of use), which is approximately 6.3 inches long by the dial indicator (without any contact point) 2 inches wide, and it is ½ inch thick. With its sits loosely on top of it. The indicator shaft is weight (870 grams = 30.7 oz) and its low center held in place by a grub-screw (see drawings). of gravity it sits firmly on the forms. The position where the 60° contact point is placed cor- A wedge with threads screwing to the indicator responds with the position of the cutting edge shaft (the spindle), like a cone-shaped point, is of the iron in the plane, about 2 in. from one no good solution. The spindle does not turn end (see Imperial drawing on page 24 and freely on its axis and the wedge fits only in one Metric drawing on page 27). The bottom has position into the groove. to be perfectly flat, of course, just as flat as the sole of the block plane (check with a straight Producing a cone-shaped contact point (60°) is edge). easy enough with a lathe. A round (cone shaped) contact point for a four-sided rod My contact point is not a cone, as in most ("quad") rather difficult and a dual-angle point equipment, but rather a wedge with a 60° in- for a five-sided rod ("penta") impossible. cluded angle. This has some advantages: the (Continued on page 18) P a g e 18

• Turn the ends to the required two diame- Wedges are easily made by grinding or milling ters, part off, de-burr, polish. the required faces onto a cylindrical bolt.

Put a grinding-wheel into your lathe-chuck, on 3 an arbor. Fasten a suitable rod, or bolt, (steel, brass, somewhat longer than required) into the tool-post and adjust the free end parallel to the grinding wheel. The top, or compound slide dial is set to zero degrees (see photo 1 & 2).

You can also use a square piece of steel or brass, or a hexagonal one, and turn it round after having ground the 60°- wedge-tip.

Making a tip for Quad-forms (45° bevel), set the compound slide to 45 degrees. A wedge for

5 • Set the compound slide to 30 degrees and feed the end of the bolt into the grinding wheel, using the tool post slide hand wheel (see photos 3 and 4). Also, use the cross- feed hand wheel to move the bolt in and out, to prevent producing a groove in the grindstone. Go slow, 500 rpm is enough, and protect your eyes. • Turn the bolt 180 degrees (crucial!) and grind the other 30° bevel. • Check with a 60° gauge (see photo 5). (Continued on page 19) P a g e 19 a penta-form requires two angle-settings. the groove. This is also the depth of the triangle (D). There you tighten the set-screw. Fine ad- The dimensions given in the drawings are justments can be made by rotating the face of meant to be a guide and can be adjusted to suit the dial indicator to the exact depth. My Cali- available manufacturing facilities (tools) and bration Tool is approximately as long and wide dial indicator shaft diameters. Mine is a Mi- as the sole of a Stanley 9 1/2 block plane. tutoyo 2046-08 with a 8 mm (0.314 in) shaft and 10 mm throw; it reads 1/100 th millimeters. Calibrating the dial indicator for a four sided In the drawings I just converted my metric rod (with a 45° wedge) gives you a reading of measurements into decimal inches, so the re- the length (S) of a side of the triangle, or half of sulting numbers might not always appear ra- the diameter corner-to-corner. To arrive at the tional. depth of the triangle (D), which is half of the diameter (face to face) of the rod, you multiply Calibrating a depth gauge, whether the contact S by 0.7071 (see drawing 3 on page 26). point is a cone or wedge, by putting it on a flat piece of material and setting it to zero will in- Calibrating the dial indicator for a five sided evitably produce false readings on the dial indi- rod (with a 54° wedge) gives you a reading of cator (too small, depending on how round the T, which is neither the length of a side (S), nor tip is), and subsequently produces oversize the depth (D), of the triangle. To arrive at the strips of bamboo, as mentioned before. Using a depth of the triangle D, (which is also the radi- calibration device with a 60° groove (for a six us of the inner circle of a pentagon), you multi- sided rod) of known depth milled into it will ply the reading of the dial indicator, T, by not help much, either, the cutter also having a 0.8511. To arrive at S (the radius of the outer however so small rounded tip or edge, produc- circle) you divide the reading T by 0.9510 (see ing a rounded bottom of the groove. Depending drawing 3 on page 26). what is rounder, the bottom of the groove or the tip of the contact point, you will get errors one The whole Depth Gauge System, when cali- way or the other. brated with the Calibration Tool, will interpret the surface of the planing form just as the sole The solution is, of course, to saw, grind or mill of a Stanley 9 ½ would. All bumps, scratches, a small slot into the bottom of the groove, mak- planing-iron-digs, warps, misalignments of the ing room for the tip. This will allow the sides two steel bars and whatever would be in the of the contact point (wedge) to rest against the way of a perfect dead flat surface of the planing groove walls, which is precisely the situation a -form will be taken into account (evened out). piece of bamboo will encounter when put into You will always have a correct depth setting the planing form. The depth of the groove is relative to the sole of your plane and the pro- not critical. Something like 0.12 to 0.19 in. (3 truding cutting iron and the resulting strips will to 5 mm, mine is 4.705 mm) will do. Calibrat- come out as intended. ing the depth of the 60° groove is easily made with the help of a perfectly round (check it) My first (hex) planing-form is over 30 years dowel pin or drill-shaft of suitable diameter, old. It’s made of mild steel with Garrison-type digital calipers and/or micrometer (better) and differential screws and additional set screws for bit of geometry homework (see drawing 3 on hex keys at each 5" station. These are beside page 26). the differential screws, to lock the setting. These have the same diameters/pitch as the dif- To calibrate the system for a six sided rod, you ferential screws and meet tip to tip between the just put the assembled depth gauge (base plate, two bars, thus locking the setting (push wedge and dial indicator) into the Calibration screws). Tool and move the dial indicator up and down in its base until it reads the calculated depth of (Continued on page 20) P a g e 20

6 welded a suitable socket-wrench to a T bar (approximately 6 inch long shaft with a 3 inch handle).

I have planed well over 100 rods on this planing form, which means 600 butt-strips and 1200 tip-strips plus a number of mids for 3- piece rods. Planing two sides of each strip, this translates into several thousand times down to bare steel. I have shaved away quite some steel during this time and hacked into it a number of I have also made a contact point and a corre- times. This was done by not holding the plane sponding calibration tool for my quad-forms, parallel to the surface. I had to true the forms which works just as well. Planing-forms and up a few times with a belt sander using 240 grit calibration devices for a five sided rod I do not paper. Still, with my system, I can always set have, though. But I have included the necessary and plane a taper correctly, even on my much information to make one. used planing form. To facilitate easy operation of the differential screws with hex heads, I (Continued on page 21) Green Highlander Flyfishing Company

Home of Bret’s Bamboo Ovens These are the best bamboo ovens you can buy for heat-setting and heat-treating.

Visit our website at: www.greenhighlanderflyfishing.com [email protected] P a g e 21

An early version of this paper was printed in The Planing Form #85, Jan./Feb. 2004 Thanks to Thomas Smithwick for proofreading.

Groove in calibration tool.

Depth gauge and calibration tool. (Continued on page 22) P a g e 22

Depth gauge on calibration tool

Plane and depth gauge on planing form for comparison (Continued on page 23) P a g e 23

The dial indicator holder can be made separately, square or round

… and screwed to the base plate.

A wedge threads to the shaft of the dial indicator.

This is not a good solution, as it will not rotate. (Continued on page 24) P a g e 24

Imperial version (English)

(Continued on page 25) P a g e 25

(Continued on page 26) P a g e 26

(Continued on page 27) P a g e 27

Metric version (German)

(Continued on page 28) P a g e 28

(Continued on page 29) P a g e 29

P a g e 30 P a g e 31 Rodmaker Profile: Dave Dozer Text and Photos by Dave Dozer and Power Fibers

and sighter combination. After only a few minutes, he hooked into a very nice rainbow, probably about 20”. Unfortunately, he broke the fish off during the fight, and the line broke above the EuroNymphing sighter on his leader setup. So, his sighter was now gone. We went back to the same run in the creek the next morning and actually saw the fluorescent sighter moving in the water, with the fly still hooked into the fish. We chased that sighter all over the run hoping we could get the fish from the previous evening but could never seem to catch up to it.

PF: How did you get into rod making?

I was fishing about 15 years ago with some good friends, Peter and Judith, from the San Francisco area. Peter had several bamboo fly rods and he put one in my hand to fish for the day. I didn’t realize that it was a very valuable Leonard Duracane rod...but I absolutely loved PF: What are your personal favorite streams to it...kinda decided right then that I needed a fish? bamboo fly rod.

I’ve been fly fishing for about 50 years and PF: How did you learn to make bamboo rods? have fished quite extensively across Washing- ton, Oregon, California, and a little in British I learned bamboo rod building from a class at Columbia. I think my all-time favorite place to Bellingers. Daryll Whitehead taught the first fish is Hat Creek in Northern California. It is a day of the class, and Chet Croco taught the rest special place for me because I’ve been fishing of the class….I learned from a couple of fantas- there every May for over 30 years with the tic bamboo rod builders. same group of guys from Northern Califor- nia. It think we know just about every rock in PF: Who had the greatest impact on you as an the creek. While it doesn’t have the reputation rodmaker? it had 25 years ago, there are still some nice fish, and the water is still beautiful beyond be- Chet Croco has had the greatest impact on me lief. in learning the craft of bamboo rod building. Skip Hosfield has had the greatest impact on PF: Do you have a memorable story of fishing me for appreciating what I’m capable of bamboo or memories of anyone in particular achieving. Skip learned rod building about the you've fished with? same time as me, although I believe he was 74 when he decided he wanted to learn rod build- Just last year, I was fishing with my friends at ing. When he suffered a severe stroke a few Hat Creek in California, teaching one of the years later, he lost all use of one hand. But, a guys to EuroNymph with bamboo fly rods. I year later, he mentioned to me that he needed set him up with a typical EuroNymphing leader (Continued on page 32) P a g e 32 to get back into the rod shop and start building building skills and knowledge. again. Although he can’t do all of the tasks in rod building and he has a friend help him, he PF: Who are you most proud to have made a still figured out how to do most with only one rod for? useful hand. I think Skip is now 86, and is about at the end of his rod building. But, he has I think I was most proud of the first rod I made been a true inspiration. for my wife, Mary Ann. She is a very accom- plished angler, and a Master Certified Fly Cast- PF: What are some life lessons you've learned ing Instructor with FFI. I think completing a from building? rod for her was very special for me. But beyond that, I’ve now taught her bamboo rod building Although I’m an engineer by training, I have a and she has built two of her own rods. Now strong artistic side, coming from a family of that was something I’m especially proud of. artists. Through my rod building, I’ve really learned that the final result is not the achieve- PF: Who would you like to see casting one of ment...what’s important is what you’re able to your rods? put into it, and how you can express your crea- tivity in something that a rather mechanistic I don’t think I have a good answer for this ques- building process. tion. I’ve had a lot of folks cast my rods over the years, either at shows or casting/fishing PF: Why did you choose to make bamboo events. Chet Croco once told me that a lot of rods? people would try to tell me what kinds of rods I should build and how I should build them. His For me, casting and fishing bamboo gave me a response was that I should build what I enjoy, sense of feel that I never had with graphite...a and build them the way I want to. That way, feel that allows me to slow down and appreciate they’ll be more important to me. So that’s what so much more what fly fishing is all about. I’m doing...building rods that I like to cast and fish. I know the actions might not be what eve- PF: Do you also make fiberglass or graphite ryone wants, but that’s OK. What’s important rods? Why? is that I’m happy with what I’m designing and building. I built several fiberglass and graphite rods in the 80’s and 90’s but eventually got rather bored PF: What is your favorite part of the building with the activity because it felt like I was just process? assembling a kit together, with no place for cre- ativity. I really enjoy starting a rod with hand splitting the bamboo from the culm. Getting things PF: What are your personal philosophies about down into thin strips feels like I’ve made the craftsmanship and the making of bamboo fly jump from turning a raw product into a piece of rods? art.

During my first day of rod building class at PF: What is your least favorite part of the Bellingers, Daryll Whitehead mentioned the building process? word “Craftsmanship” at least a dozen times. Bamboo rod building was all about craftsman- I really don’t enjoy scraping dried glue off the ship. I think that impacted me, and I now focus surface of a newly glued up blank...not sure a lot of extra hours in my rod building efforts to why....it’s just not fun. try to produce the best rod I can. I still have a “I won’t do that again” moment with every rod I PF: What was your biggest rod making fias- build though. By continuing to focus on crafts- co? manship, I feel I continue to grow in my rod (Continued on page 33) P a g e 33

While I was wrapping the guides on a tip sec- scratch again, what would you do differently? tion on a small 3 wt rod, the section actually caught on fire. The sun was coming through a A lot of the larger tools in my shop were pur- skylight in my shop, and focusing through the chased many years ago, long before I got into magnifying lens on my desk light right onto the rod building. Most of them are low-end equip- surface of the bamboo. I smelled something ment, and if I were doing things differently, I burning, looked up, and saw flames coming up think I would have replaced all my cheaper from my tip section. That section never made it tools with some nicer ones. into the finished rod. PF: Do you have any processes or tooling you PF: How many rods have you made? think might be a little different you think might help other rodmakers? I believe I’ve made about 125 bamboo rods. I do all my guide wrapping by hand with the PF: Do you make rods in multiple configura- thread spool in a fly tying bobbin. I don’t use tions (quad, penta, hex) or styles (single hand, any kind of tensioner or rod wrapper. I think spey, switch, etc.)? Why do you choose to it’s possible to get much better results this way, make rods in these configurations or styles? and it’s an easy technique to learn. I made a YouTube video a number of years ago that I primarily make single-hand hex rods, but also shows my wrapping technique and have re- make a few two-handed light trout spey rods as ceived quite a few positive comments about it. well. I’ve never really enjoyed the feel of penta rods, and I just don’t want to get into addi- PF: Where do you feel the future of rod build- tional tools/equipment to made quads. ing is headed and why?

PF: Do you have a story that sums up what I started teaching bamboo rod building a cou- fishing means to you? ple of years ago and discovered that a great many people want to build their first bamboo I’ve been fishing for 59 years, and fly fishing rod. Because a lot of other builders also offer for 54 years. I guess it’s just in my blood. classes, it has probably led to a lot of “hobbyists” getting into rod building...and giv- PF: If you could start your rodmaking from (Continued on page 34)

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Screen Printing Rod Bags Components Rod Tubes Phone: 970.278.1311/888.779.4855 Fax: 970.278.1312/888.557.6561 P a g e 34 ing away a lot of the rods they build. I suppose that may be a little detrimental to those of us who sell rods and demand has gone down a little. But, getting others into rod building is a good thing also.

PF: Do you have a favorite rod taper you’d be willing to share with the readers?

The taper to the right is one that I’m particularly fond of, and I fish this taper a lot. It’s a very nice 7’ 9” 4 wt medium action rod that does great at delicate presentation of small dry flies. It’s a very nice spring creek rod. P a g e 35

P a g e 36 Building a Bamboo Trout Net Text and photos from Dave Dozer

My wife recently challenged me to make her a diameter sanding drum on my drill press and bamboo trout net from the same bamboo culms fashioned a simple fence with a couple of piec- that I use in making my bamboo fly rods. es of plywood. By positioning the plywood While I hadn’t actually built a net before, I fence the proper distance away from the sand- knew most of the basics of net building, and ing drum, strips of bamboo could be fed into the also knew a couple of talented net builders I sanding drum to get both surfaces flat and re- could go to with questions. But, the big ques- duce the overall thickness of the strips. My tion for me was, “Is it even possible to build a goal was to get strips which were flat on both trout net from a culm of bamboo?” sides and about 0.20” thick.

I undertook this task last December as it seemed like a fun winter project to take on. I suppose it would have been much easier to just buy some bamboo flooring material, but I was intrigued to see if it was possible to make a net from a bamboo culm. After all, if we can make a bamboo fly rod, why not a net?

First challenge: How to get straight strips to make the handle portion of the net? I knew I would need to glue up several strips for the handle, and I would need to use a relatively straight section at the base of the culm with a maximum wall thickness. My approach was to split out strips that would be about 15” long and The sanding drum/jig to sand down strips. about .75” wide.

Split strips for the handle section.

The next step was to get flat, parallel surfaces on the inside and outside of each strip. Because Feeding a strip into the sanding drum. I don’t have a planer in my shop, I used a 3” (Continued on page 37) P a g e 37

Glued up strips for the handle section. Typical handle strips after sanding the inner and outer surfaces.

For the handle, I glued several of these pieces together for the handle section. Once the glue had dried, I sanded this section flat on my drum sander. This brought the handle section to rough dimensions of about 0.50” thick. I glued additional smaller pieces onto the top end of the handle where the hoop strips would be glued. Once the glue dried, I sanded everything down to a rough handle shape. Handle section sanded to shape.

Second challenge: How to get long straight strips for the hoop section of the net? I knew these strips had to be thin in order to bend them to make the hoop section. The strips also had to be relatively straight. After failing at a few splitting attempts, I decided that traditional splitting could not produce strips that were straight enough. I didn’t have a strip saw so I improvised and built a jig to hold the culm while it could be pushed through the band saw to create strips that were 65” long and about 0.75” wide. Rubber bands were used to hold the culm in the jig. The stress relief crack al-

Gluing up strips for the handle section. (Continued on page 38) P a g e 38 ready present in the culm was not entirely straight, but that didn’t matter. Once a straight cut was made on the opposite side of the culm, that cut was referenced as a straight cut for making other cuts of the strips. A simple board clamped on the table of the bandsaw worked as a straight fence to guide other cuts. Each culm yielded six or seven usable strips that were about 0.75” wide.

Making second set of cuts to get individual strips on the band saw.

Nice, straight strips were attained on the band Jig for holding a culm to be cut in the band saw. saw.

(Continued on page 39) P a g e 39 Each of these strips for the hoop section was then sanded down on the inner and outer surfaces on the drum sander. The strips were sanded down to a thickness of about 0.075”. Five strips were then chosen to go into the hoop section of the net.

Hot water soaking tank.

Soaked strips and handle clamped into place.

After removing the dried strips, they didn’t hold the exact shape of the finished net, but they suc- Strips after sanding to about 0.075” thick, ready cessfully took a close enough shape to make the for glue-up. glue up process easier. I followed a pretty standard glue-up step and used TiteBond III as Now it was time to glue everything together. I my glue. I applied glue to individual strips and built a frame for bending the strips and gluing placed them around the glue-up frame. Once all them to the handle section, typical of what is strips were in the glue-up frame, the handle is done in traditional net building. But, I found slipped in the frame and clamps are added. that the bamboo strips were still too stiff to ef- fectively bend them around the frame. So, I built a simple soaking tank with sheet plastic and 4x4s. Soaking the strips for a few hours in hot water soften them enough so they could be carefully bent around the frame without break- ing. The strips are clamped into place onto the handle section. This was done without glue, and the setup was allowed to dry overnight.

Getting ready for glue up.

(Continued on page 40) P a g e 40 tion. And, the handle section was shaped on the band saw.

The glued net after taking out of the frame.

Hand planing with a Stanley 9 ½ block plane.

Laying the strips into place.

Glued up net has been shaped. Now for lots of hand sanding.

Everything glued up in place.

Once the glue had dried, it was time to start shaping the net. A hand plane was used to trim down the strip edges flush with the handle sec- P a g e 41

After final hand sanding.

The slot for the net twine was cut into the outer edge of the frame with a 1/8” slot cutting bit on my router table.

The slot cut has been made on the outer edge of the hoop.

Time to drill the 7/16” holes for the net twine. I was worried about fiber tearout on the back side of the drill holes, so I built a jig for my drill 1/8” Slot cutting bit on my router table. (Continued on page 42) P a g e 42 press to hold the net for drilling. Things worked out very well, with very little fiber tearout.

End grain view of power fibers.

While building with bamboo has many chal- lenges that you don’t have with typical hard-

Drilling holes on the drill press. woods used in net building, it certainly can be fashioned into a very nice, lightweight trout net. For the finish on my net, I decided to use Tru- All total, I put about 25 hours into building this Oil. I applied about ten hand-rubbed coats of net, and spent about $75 in materials. A fellow finish, with a light sanding with 0000 steel wool net building friend gave me some good advice between coats. Then the bag was lashed on when taking on this project. His input was to with the binding twine and the net was finished. purchase your bag first before you venture into Overall, it came out amazingly strong and light- the building process to make sure the bag will weight, much lighter than typical carbon fiber fit the net you build. I had used a carbon fiber nets available today. Fishpond Nomad Native Series Trout Net as a template for building my bamboo net because I liked the shape of the net, and I knew Fishpond sells replacement bags for their nets. The bag I used on this net was their 12.5” bag. But, bags are readily available from a number of suppliers at very affordable prices.

The finished net with ten coats of Tru-Oil for a finish.

Finished net. P a g e 43

MD Heat Treating Fixtures Heat Treating Ovens

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Boyd Rod Company 1211 Newman Street Winnsboro LA 71295 (318) 282-1825 P a g e 44 Rodmaker Profile: Skip Hosfield Text and Photos by Skip Hosfield and Power Fibers

simply replied, “If you ever get to Livingston, Montana, go into Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop and tell him I sent you. To get the full story you can buy the book on Amazon.

PF: How did you get into rod making?

This story is also told in my book, but I will give you the short of it. As I reached my eighth decade there were a few things on my bucket list and making a bamboo rod was one of them. The FFF had been holding workshops prior to the annual Conclave from time to time whenever it was in Livingston High School where there was a shop available. For many years I was a delegate tied up in meetings and unable to take the course. But by 2005 I was no longer an Oregon Director so I enrolled in the five day course. My rod turned out so well that I was urged to continue by veteran bam- PF: What are your personal favorite streams boo rod makers. to fish? PF: How did you learn to make bamboo rods? Before my paralytic brain bleed in 2009 took away the use of my dominant right hand and By taking the workshop, as described above, ended my fishing, I was partial to streams with under the direct tutelage of John Zimny, a vet- brown trout. These are few in Oregon, but in- eran rodmaker from Delaware. We were each clude the Little Deschutes, Crescent Creek, given a 12 foot culm to cut, split, straighten Wood River and Williamson River. and plane. We had assistance from the instruc- tors for the beveling, heat treating, gluing and PF: Do you have a memorable story of fishing binding. Everything else was done unassisted. bamboo or memories of anyone in particular At the end of five eight hour days I had a butt you've fished with? section and a tip section with ferrules installed. The rest of the work I did at home. Having Of course, at age 89 fishing with bamboo is made many fiberglass and graphite rods from something I grew up with and did not own a blanks I was already familiar with much of the fiberglass rod until 1965. My recent book, A finishing work. Fly Fishing Chrestomathy, one chapter titled “Spring Creek” tells of my introduction to Lee PF: Who had the greatest impact on you as an Wulff who was the main attraction at the first rodmaker? Eastern Intercollegiate Trout Derby at Am- herst College in 1949 where I was a member John Zimny who was very forthcoming with of the Princeton team. Lee showed several of advice once I had decided to make more rods. his films, one of which was dry fly fishing on Whenever I had a question or problem I would a Montana spring creek. I was so impressed email him and usually have an answer the next that after the program I asked him the name of day. the stream as I wanted to fish it sometime. He (Continued on page 45) P a g e 45 PF: What are some life lessons you've learned utive Director of the FFF. When I told him that from rodmaking? I had decided to take up the craft of bamboo rod making he said, “Great! I want your first rod.” I Since I was already 76 when I made my first worked on it all the next winter and when it was rod, I am not sure how to answer that without a finished I like it so much that if not promised I good deal of introspection. might have kept it for myself. Jim was very complimentary about the rod, and since he PF: Why did you choose to make bamboo rods? owns other bamboo rods from a famous rodmaker his opinion is gratifying. Making the first rod was such fun that I was truly sorry to have it finished. Because of my A close second would be Marvin Nolte, the fa- age, and having survived two recurrences of mous tier of Atlantic salmon flies who taught metastatic renal cell cancer, I was not sure it me most of what I learned of the craft. I sur- made much sense to undertake the craft. At the prised him with the gift of a rod in appreciation time I was spending four or five hours a day for all his help to me. He responded with a letter hunched over a fly tying vise trying to complete saying, “This is the greatest gift anyone has ev- 100 feather wing Atlantic salmon flies. I decid- er given to me!” ed that it might be a good break working more actively on my feet making fly rods. PF: Who would you like to see casting one of your rods? PF: Do you also make fiberglass or graphite rods? Why? My granddaughter Alexis, if she ever manages to get out of San Francisco and back to Oregon No, after making my first rod I resolved to re- where she can fish. turn to my roots and fish only bamboo for the rest of my fly fishing life. This I have done. I PF: If you could do it all over again, what gave away or sold over a dozen glass and would you do differently? graphite rods, and made it my mission to pro- mote bamboo to the younger generations of fly When I closed my architectural office in 1993 fishers who knew nothing about it. for lack of work, I would have looked into bamboo rod making in preference to doing volun- PF: What are your personal philosophies about teer work for the Federation of Fly Fishers. craftsmanship and the making of bamboo fly rods? PF: What is your favorite part of the building process? I strive to produce without defects in workman- ship but I am willing to overlook minor cosmet- I think hand planing the strips to taper is the ic defects, since I stress that my rods are for part which is most enjoyable since it provides fishing. Rod making is my hobby. I sold a few the clearest evidence that a rod is finally emerg- rods my first year, but since becoming one- ing from all the previous somewhat tedious handed in 2009 all my rods but one have been preparation. given away. PF: What is your least favorite part of the PF: Who are you most proud to have made a building process? rod for? Scraping and sanding the burned enamel of I guess it would have to be my first rod, made strips before putting them through the rougher. for Jim Rainey whom I met when he was Exec- (Continued on page 46) P a g e 46 PF: What was your biggest rodmaking fiasco? PF: What did you do for a living during your working years? Hard to decide between: I was an architect as a sole practitioner for most 1. Having my butt section coming off the link of the working life. I also took a two year de- at the end of string as it was being lowered tour into house building which I abandoned into my dip tank and plunging into the tube when buildable lots became unavailable. over the cork handle while overflowing the varnish. PF: Where do you feel the future of rod build- 2. Dressing my male ferrules to fit on my lathe ing is headed and why? and then find they would not fit after mounted on the rod blanks. I believe bamboo rod making has grown far beyond what anyone ever expected and that it will PF: I noticed your reference to 100 Atlantic continue to grow as more people are introduced Salmon flies. What is the significance of this? to the craft. But it will never afford a rodmaker a living income. Amateur builders have far out- After a lifetime of fly tying I resolved to take up stripped all the classic makers in the quality of tying the classics in the expectation of testing their work, but only because of improved tools, my limits. Tying an acceptable feather wing materials and, more important, the collaboration Atlantic salmon fly was on my “bucket list” and and exchange of information provided by re- I resolved to tie at least 100, by which time I gional annual gatherings of rod makers. ought to know if I had done it. I was less than halfway to my goal when I took the bamboo PF: Do you have a taper you can share with the workshop to complete another item on my list. readers?

PF: I know a little about your brain bleeds. I I have none of my own. I only use time-tested also know you continued to make rods after los- tapers from makers of the classic era of the ing the use of your dominant hand. What did 1930’s and 40’s. I predominantly use Payne ta- you have to do with rod processes to be able to pers in 7 foot and 7.5 foot length. I have made continue to make rods? more Payne 98s than any other taper. I seldom make an 8 foot rod as the length of my dip tank Once I had rehabbed enough to go up and down makes dipping tips a problem. If I want to make stairs I went in my basement shop and tried to a heavier rod I go to a Dickerson taper. Oddly, see what I night be able to do with one hand by my favorite rod is the first one I made unassist- using various clamps to hold the material. I con- ed in my own shop, a 6’6” two piece 3 weight cluded that the only part of the entire process from Wayne Cattanach’s book. I have made absolutely requiring two hands was wrapping five of them for other people and they are all the guides. When Claude Darden offered to do loving them. that for me I knew that I could continue to make rods. Hand splitting and straightening were a PF: What else do you think the readers would challenge at first, but that became unnecessary be interested in knowing about you? as soon as I got one of the new Bellinger saws. Rolling the glued sections on a flat surface also At age 89, I claim to be the oldest active bam- requires two hands, but that is another process boo rod maker, according what I have been told in which Claude and I work together. I could by makers who attend a lot of gatherings nation still do it alone, if I had to, but it would proba- wide. Since 2015 I have self-published two bly result in a lot of blanks requiring straighten- books: Back Casts: Memoirs of an Old Fly ing after gluing. Fisherman and A Fly Fishing Chrestomathy. (Continued on page 47) P a g e 47 These were limited edition hard bound books given to friends and relatives, but both are on Amazon in softcover versions. I have a few short videos showing some of my work methods on the Tonkin Cane Facebook page which have been favorably received.

I came out to Oregon from my home in Akron, Ohio in 1958, to attend graduate school. I was mar- ried with a year old son. I had planned a career in college teaching. Upon completion of my MA in 1960, I would have had to move out of state to find employment. My wife and I were unwilling to move. The warm winters and abundant trout fishing were too good to leave. I figured that since I had been educated as an architect I might as well give it a try right here.

I had met Frank Moore, owner of Steamboat Inn the summer of 1959, when I fished the North Umpqua for the first time. He was the only other fly fisherman I knew in Oregon. We have been friends ever since. The following year I met Polly Rosborough who became a good friend and a ma- jor influence on my fly tying.

In 1964 the late Bill Nelson put an ad in the paper asking anyone interested in starting a fly fishing club to come to his house. About six or seven of us did so and the McKenzie Flyfishers was formed. The following year, at Nelson’s urging, we organized and hosted the 1965 Flyfishers Conclave at which the Federation of Fly Fishermen came into being. I was privileged to be on the committee which staged that event and have remained an active member and sometime officer ever since.

I was Man of the Year in 1987 for my work as Vice President, Membership Development. In 1996 I was awarded the highest honor in the FFF, the Order of Lapis Lazuli. During my tenure as national VP for Membership I organized a second club in Eugene, the Cascade Family Flyfishers, an after dinner meeting club, which has grown larger than the McKenzie Flyfishers.

I am a graduate of Princeton University (BA, 1951); Kent State University (BArch, 1958); Universi- ty of Oregon (MA, 1960). I have served on active duty in the Marine Corps and Coast Guard 1953- 57 and am retired as a Commander, USCGR.

Not until 2005, when I was no longer an FFF Director, was I able to take part in a bamboo workshop that often was held during the week of the annual meeting. So I was late in making my first rod at the age of 76. I only planned to make one, but somehow I have been unable to quit.

I am sure that this is more than you want to know. If not, the whole story is in my books. The shorter version is in A Fly Fishing Chrestomathy, $30 on Amazon. P a g e 48

Web Hosting

We at Power Fibers have decided to offer web site hosting services for anyone who wants to set up a web site at an affordable price. We’re offering space for you to upload your site along with a secure login to maintain the site. If you’re interested in more information, send a message to [email protected]. P a g e 49 Geometry of Sections and the Like Text, figures and photos from Daniel Le Breton

Certainly the debate is not a new one; you may have read Garrison’s book and his discussion on shear stress, and read the interesting articles already published in the #12 and #15 issues of the Bam- boo Journal. Sometimes the discussion is about the “power to mass ratio” of individual sections and at other times on stresses. We shall review the structural stress characteristic and the relationship to the physics of the cast in the case of triangular, square, pentagonal and hexagonal sections. For square and hexagonal sections, we shall consider two different situations in the stress domain, depending on where the guides are wrapped (on flat or corner locations).

Stress analysis

As a rodmaker you may be familiar with stresses due to flexion but possibly little information about shear stresses, which Garrison mentions at the end of his book. Bamboo is like unidirectional graphite, with (bunches of) fibers running along the axis of the rod, bonded together with natural resin. Whilst the rod is bent, there are shear constraints which tend to make the fibers slide against each other. The natural resin bonding is there to inhibit this longitudinal displacement between fibers and because resin is mechanically much weaker than fibers, this may create a risk of failure, although shear in a slender beam is small when it is under flexion. Shear stresses are at zero just where the flexural stresses are maximum (top and bottom) and they are maximum just where the flexural stresses are zero, along the bending plane of the rod sections. There is a simple formula to calculate the maximum shear stress level, but this is an approximation because rods deflect considerably, which can contradict the assumption that each section remains in a specific plane. Since I do not have access to sophisticated software, I am unable go deeper into the analysis which is presented in this article.

Failure by shearing can be a long-term effect, with the bonding resin failing progressively at different points where stresses are concentrated. Fish fighting is likely to be more hazardous in this respect than just casting, putting maximum constraints into rods. Unfortunately, failures can remain hidden in the wood until the situation becomes critical. The warning sign is a slowing down of the rod action because some fibers become delaminated, thus decreasing the stiffness of the rod.

The following table and diagram shows the relative level of maximum shear and flexural stresses by taking the hexagonal section with guides wrapped onto a flat as the reference. All sections have the same stiffness, which is representative of a given line number, and rod material is assumed to be ho- mogenous.

(Continued on page 50) P a g e 50

The reference section (hexagonal with guides wrapped on a flat surface) offers the best compromise. For shear, it is second best, and similarly for flexion. The worst for shear is the same section with (Continued on page 51)

Click Here P a g e 51 the guides wrapped on the corner. The triangular section is the worst for flexion and the second worst for shear.

Now that we have an idea of the relative risk associated with section geometry, let’s try to document this with numbers, using some data obtained in a laboratory by a friend of mine, which corresponds to failure testing using the three points method: a sample of a short uniform rod section lies on two supports and a shearing force is applied right in the middle of the supports. The interesting thing about such a test is that the sample can fail by flexion and by shear simultaneously. Have a look at the photo where delaminating and breakage are visible, even on the compression side:

http://levieuxmoucheur.free.fr/Le_bambou_refendu.htm

Unfortunately, no sample including a node was tested. This test is used for estimating the flexural strength and modulus of the material. But one can also calculate the shear stresses that occur during the test. The idea of these tests was to evaluate the effects of various heat treatments but the results varied very little for that parameter and the results were similar for stresses. Ignoring the samples with defects, plasticity appears at flexural stresses of about 220 MPa (MPa for megapascal = 106 N/ m2) and failure at 450 MPa. The calculated maximum shear stresses for the test were 11.5 MPa on average. Shear strength of woods is in the 1 MPa to 10 MPa range, and given the fact that the cane species which is used for rods is likely to be the best in terms of mechanical properties, then findings are consistent.

I took my 209E model rod and applied a severe load: the rod was tilted 60 degrees above horizontal and a heavy weight was placed at the rod tip (350 grams). I then estimated by calculation the shear stress level and the flexion stress level to see how they compared with their respective limit as found above. For shear, maximum stress was in the upper third of the rod at somewhere around 0.7 MPa, and a maximum flexural stress of 180 MPa occurred in the middle of the rod, so we are on the safe side with shear and at risk on the flexural strength side but maybe we should have some concern for nodes.

(Continued on page 52) P a g e 52 Node structure is reputed to be weak, but there is little evidence of this, if any, in bamboo rod making literature. I found some data in scientific literature, for other bamboo species, since the node strength is a concern for most of its uses (e.g. scaffolding).

Amazingly, an American study did not show a flexural weakness in the node. The purpose of the study was to find the best treatment for bamboo (thermal and/or chemical):

From California Polytechnic State University (Jay M. Lopez thesis, 2012) Midnode bending test with the 4 points method (two supports, two identical loads) and “rectangular” samples on the right.

From California Polytechnic State University (quarternode means that the node is located at the first quarter of the sample, midnode means it is just in the middle of the sample) (Continued on page 53) P a g e 53 I found one illustration showing the failure behavior of a node in a Malaysian publication: the node did show a decreased performance in comparison with the internodes material, so this could all de- pend on the bamboo species. Ultimately, we might wonder whether a node is a mechanical or a building problem. I read a document where the author explained that splicing nodes makes planing much easier.

From a publication of Forest Research Institute and Putra University, Malaysia (2008)

In this example, the modulus at the node level is 20% less and the flexural maximum stress is about 10% less (I did not find a shear stress comparison in the article). The node failure is extreme; there is no plastic stage before breakage. This represents a pessimistic view of the situation, but it could be valid for Tonkin cane, and would then be consistent with the claim of some rodmakers that their nodeless rods are slightly faster than conventional ones for the same design.

(Continued on page 54) P a g e 54 It was difficult to find a reference to shear strength, but here it is: the shear strength is evaluated along the height of the stem. Again, there is no spectacular difference in strength between nodes and internodes, and the top of the stem shows better performance:

From GadjahMada University, Indonesia (2014)

In my virtual test with the 209E, the higher risk appears to be with flexion, and not shear. A triangular rod would have entered the plasticity zone with such a severe test (180*1.56 = 280 MPa), and likely take a set. I think that the example of shear failure given in Garrison’s book may well be a one off. The presented enormous shear force does not correspond to what can be estimated from theory (the maximum shear force in my virtual test was 3.5 N in the middle of the rod).

To end up this chapter, let’s see what happens if we hollow a section: certainly, stresses increase and shear more spectacularly. Thus, it is wise to keep a solid section at the level of ferrule serration, especially if there is a node, although we never can tell since there can always be hidden defects in the structure of the wood. But I could not find any alarming data on the shear issue imposed by such a choice.

(Continued on page 55) P a g e 55 Even if the conventional hexagonal section is a good compromise, there is no record of any cata- strophic failure for square and pentagonal rods. So if you like them, why not use them; you know where the limitations are. The triangular section is a riskier option; it is difficult to recommend it, including the various difficulties in building such a rod.

Physics of the cast

What the “power to mass ratio” means in terms of performance is not obvious, it appears that stiffness for a given mass is associated to efficiency in Gabriele Gori’s article in Bamboo Journal #12. I guess efficiency relates to casting but what do we really mean by that? Technically speaking, if you consider the stiffness to area ratio for different geometrical sections, then you refer to the speed of the rod (e.g. its natural frequency). But when casting, the rod is loaded with line and the key parameter is the loaded frequency of the rod. There is a difference with the apparent “power to mass ratio” in terms of performance.

Loaded frequency is the “spring” part of the physics of the cast. The other, the inertial part, remains nearly the same since the moderate change originating from the components in the blank is mitigat- ed by the contribution of others (guides and wraps, ferrules, etc.) when comparing section geometry. The only change comes from the swing weight of the rod.

The moment of inertia of sections is relevant to the stiffness of the rod, in other words, for the line it is supposed to cast. This must be the base from which rods are compared, as Gabriele Gori did in Bamboo Journal #12.

Tapani Salmi raised a good point in Bamboo Journal #15, since the “power to mass ratio” can be varied depending on choice as you hollow the rod, thus possibly changing the classification of sections. For example, for a given area of section, the solid triangular section is 20% stiffer (not 36%) than the solid hexagonal one. Now if I increase the size of the hexagonal section by about 5 %, and remove 9 % of its area by making a small empty region in its center, then I end up with a new larger hexagonal section of the same area and with the same inertia as the solid triangular one.

Here I consider solid sections only, but the results are valid for any given proportion of mass reduction (e.g. 25% everywhere). For the same MOI distribution along the shaft, the triangular rod shaft is 8.7% lighter than the hexagonal rod shaft (this mass reduction is respectively 1.9% for the quad and 0.5% for the pentagonal), so the natural frequency of the triangular rod blank rises and at the same time the contribution of the blank to the equivalent mass at tip is reduced. There are consequences on the loaded frequency of the rod due to the evolution of the equivalent mass at tip. Considering rods for a number 5 line (e.g. 209E), the increase in loaded speed for 30 feet of line would be in this range:

Apart from some reduction in swing weight, the interest in section geometry in terms of casting is small. In the case of the triangular section, a rod having a loaded frequency of 1.29 Hz (hexagonal) would change to 1.31 Hz (triangular) and this is hardly detectable by the caster. If the line is extend- (Continued on page 56) P a g e 56 ed beyond 30 feet, this advantage decreases. The dynamic behavior of these various sections is rather similar and this is the reason why the debate continues, and there is no significant advantage for casting apart from the swing weight; so the comparison can be endless without a definitive conclu- sion, especially if you compare apples with pears in terms of section inertia and area. From time to time, this debate comes to the surface and includes graphite too.

A few years ago (2009) there was a new potential candidate known as the “Releaux” and “extended Releaux” section (rounded triangle, see the diagram below) for graphite rods. It was compared to round and triangular sections (hollow in all cases). The comparison was made for a constant area of section, which is not the most relevant in terms of rods (rods are compared for different lines), but we can still take a look. Using professional software and a uniform beam configuration, with a fixed heavy load at the tip, the deflection of cantilever beams was compared:

• Triangular versus round: 18 % less deflection (this section is 21% stiffer than the round one, but the load is significant in that experiment and this affects the amount of bending, the rod stiffens with the level of deflection). • Releaux and extended Releaux versus round: 15 % less deflection.

So, the “Releaux” sections are just fractionally less “performing” than the triangular one (their advantage lies in shear stresses compared with the triangular section). This means that for a given stiffness or line weight, the increase in loaded frequency would be just below that of the triangular section; something like 1% maybe. Given its complexity and the lack of benefit, I don’t know of anyone who attempts to make rods with this type of section. Again, good common sense says that syn- thetic rods sections should be round; they are much easier to build (consider ferruling).

From a publication of Liverpool University

This debate has been troubled from the start by a misconception: the belief that the “power to mass ratio” is a main parameter for casting, whilst the important one is in fact the loaded frequency.

(Continued on page 57) P a g e 57 To put things into perspective, we have seen that the geometry of sections influences the equivalent mass at the rod tip. The other influencing parameters are the other hardware components of that equivalent mass at tip; here is an example for a couple of Garrison’s designs:

The basic relationship is the following:

We could define the “power to mass ratio” as:

The stiffness is constant for our comparison (given line size), so the actual variation comes from the equivalent mass at the rod tip. Since geometry only affects the blank contribution which represents more than 60%, let’s review the other main contributors.

We start with the 2-piece rod (209E): if the share of the blank is reduced by 8.7 %, by changing the hexagonal section for a triangular one, the equivalent mass is reduced by 0.30 grams and this is equivalent to reducing the mass of guides and wraps by 35%.

In the case of the three-piece rod (215), the contribution of ferrules is significant too, so again some mass could be saved by using one ferrule only but this would make rod transportation less practical. The gain in equivalent mass would be slightly less than 0.20 grams, compared to 0.35 grams for the change to a triangular taper. Adding 15% of savings on guides and wraps, a 0.35 grams level is achieved.

Reducing guide weight and ferrule weight is technically possible, so logically, if you are after a better “power to mass ratio”, you should focus on the hardware (apart from the handle), and not just the of sections’ geometry. Think about the top guide, for example, which contributes up to 100% of its mass to the equivalent mass at the rod tip: it looks aesthetically pleasing with its long shiny shaft but you pay the price for this, in terms of speed. I know of a French bamboo rod maker who makes his own rod tip from single foot guides to minimize their mass. For popular sections (thus excluding the triangular type), the effect of hardware is more important than the effect of geometry.

(Continued on page 58) P a g e 58 Incidentally, you may have heard about staggering a ferrule (Charles Ritz’s cup of tea). The idea looks strange but a justification may be found in the equivalent mass at the rod tip. Taking the Pezon & Michel Colorado as an example:

The staggered ferrule is a 15/64, and I changed its size in the non-staggered case for a 14/64. You can see in the table that despite a heavier mass, the staggered ferrule contributes less to the equivalent mass at tip. In principle, this is interesting but not significant. The contribution of the other components of the equivalent mass vary a small amount, caused by the effect of the ferrule on the bending shape of the rod under load. Staggering the ferrule gives a slight advantage in terms of swing weight (3%), but ultimately it never proved to give a large advantage over a conventional rod.

The most effective way to positively change the performance of a rod is to shave off some weight, especially because it does significantly influence the loaded frequency and reduces the swing weight. Here is an example where a 30% reduction is applied to guides and wraps, ferrule and blank. Note: the change in rod dimensions to maintain the same stiffness and the evolution of deflection under load are considered.

Using my 2D casting model, I evaluated the consequence of increasing the loaded frequency. if I use the same timing and casting arc, which is properly tuned for the solid rod, I lose a little bit of speed (3%). There is a 15% reduction in torque for the light rod, so I can slightly retune the cast to get the same speed as with the solid rod, keeping a 10% advantage in maximum torque and I can even go further, up to the point where I produce the same torque as with the solid rod. In this case, line speed increases by 8%. This gives magnitude to the change: a practical 30% reduction of swing weight translates in a 5% increase in loaded frequency, and can lead to an 8% increase in line speed for a same maximum torque exerted by the caster. Defining the efficiency as the ratio of the energy given to the line when launched, versus all the energy put into the rod and line system to make the cast, then it rises from 64% to 71% with the lighter rod. So yes, indeed, there is an improvement in energy efficiency but it is hardly predictable from the one of the “power to mass” ratios as defined above (30% improvement in this example). You can now see that using this power to mass ratio is overestimating the effects of global design on the result, just because this is not the casting parameter that should be considered.

Because hardware is synonym for mass, there can be an effect on inertial components with such a mass reduction, and on the corresponding mechanics of the cast (boosting effect, speed of recovery, self-deceleration mechanism). In the above example, the boosting effect is practically unchanged, whilst the recovery index is slightly reduced and self-deceleration is slightly improved, due to the complex combined effect of lightening. Globally it stays within the same trend of action.

All right, I think that you now have more information to help you decide which rod section you want to use for your bamboo rod. You may also change your mind about the hardware, or reinforce your current opinion, and maybe you are going to shave weight to its minimum or retain the aesthetic appearance of your rods. The conclusions that can be drawn from this review of the technical aspects of design explains (I think) that the geometry of rod sections is a red herring, which one can spend several hours considering (like I did writing this long article!). One possible positive aspect of considering such issues is that they make a good subject for evening discussions at the bar.

Daniel Le Breton, 12 March 2017

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