Bamboo Tips - Contributors
Dugmore, Stephen

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I am Stephen Dugmore. I live in Cape Town , South Africa and am 43 years old. I have 2 children, Robert aged 7 and Helen aged 10. I joined the list and started making rods in 2004. I have made on average a rod a month since then. I am an architect with my own company and make rods in between designing buildings. I have been fishing bamboo rods since I was very young. I came to rodmaking after wondering how I could possibly repair a bamboo rod I broke as a kid. With the kind help of many of you guys, notably Harry Boyd and Tony Spezio, and the assistance of the usual books as well as Todd’s Tips, I realized it was well within the realms of possibility to rather make a new rod. So that is what I did.

I enjoy all aspects of rodmaking especially the fact that it involves so many different steps. It is great to spend time in the workshop working up the blanks, turning grips etc. but also spend time in the house wrapping guides etc.  I usually have 3 or 4 rods on the go at any one time at various stages of completion and just do whatever step I feel like at the time. I am fascinated by rod design and spend quite a bit of time looking at and comparing tapers and playing around with various designs…..so many designs, so little time. I envy the guys with CNC machines!

I enjoy making the tools for rodmaking. I unfortunately don’t find as much time to do so as I would like in between making the rods themselves. The tools I make are therefore purely functional items that do the job well enough.

It is often a struggle in SA, or simply impossible, to get some equipment and materials that are referred to (e.g. URAC glue, the various finishing products etc.), but there are local alternatives that work. 

I regret not having been able to attend one of the gatherings yet and to meet some of you fine folk, but hope to do so at some stage. I really enjoy reading the list, (grits, Robin Haywood, Mike Montagne and all). I don’t have any ‘blocked’ posters. I would also be disappointed if all posts had to be strictly about rodmaking as is sometimes touted. I think it is a very special thing to have a group of very different people, with very different philosophies coming together because of a shared interest. It would be a pity to censor the differences.