Rule

Here is my method for rod tuning:

1.  Get rid of the spine in both butt and tip by finding the spine the conventional way and sand until the spine is gone.

2.  Glue on ferrules

3.  Get someone to hold the rod at the tip while You push it upwards, to make a curve in the rod. You can also push it against the ceiling. The rod must have a progressive increasing curve, seen from the butt. Remember there is a difference between a fast action rod and a parabolic. Ken always preferred the parabolics as he claimed he got more casting power per ounce of cane with this type of rod - in which I happen to agree.

4.  Now look at the curve - is there somewhere it looks too stiff? Dont be fooled by the last 5- 8 inches of the tip - it must not curve, or the tip s too weak.

5.  A few strokes with the wet/dry paper on spots where the rod looks too stiff so that it curves more "right"

6.  Now but on some snakes and a tiptop. Use tape for the snakes. Put on a line and tie it to a door handle. Pull the rod upwards. The curve must look  "right" and the distance from the line to the rod, measured amidst between snakes, must be the same between all the snakes. Move the snakes around in order to achieve this. If not possible, use the wet/dry paper with great care.

Points 3 to 6 are repeated as often as necessary in order to achieve the wanted result. The danger is You might end up having a rod one AFTMA class lower than anticipated. You will have a superior casting- and fishing rod though.

When You push the tip of the rod against the ceiling, watch the curve of the rod. Make a mental comparison to the stress curves as seen in Hexrod. You will soon develop a feeling for the right curve for different type of rods.  (Carsten Jorgensen)

PS:  My rods are not sold with two tips, unless the customers insist. What is the need for the extra tip? If the rod develops a set, the owner will make a set in the extra tip as well. Do the sufficient heat treating and this won’t happen, unless the rod is mistreated.

The problem with planing/scraping/sanding the glued rod/blank is that you result in weakening of the power fibers layer in your rod. If you like real to make experimentation on changing the taper you should use the inside-out building structure with the power fibers of each strip turned 60 degrees. In that structure you may plane the taper thinner more safely, the proportional amount of power fibers is not changed. See details on my here.  (Tapani Salmi)

The problem with using the "inside-out" method is that the power fibers would not be in the plane of flexure (top and bottom), so the rod's stress characteristics would be very different.  (Steve Weiss)

Ideally, you'd build hollow rods with the power fibers on the inside (parallel to the outer surface of the rod) for the suggestion on rod tuning to work.  (George Bourke)

Using the Holden 5 strip method, you get a hex with the pith on the outside and use only 5 strips.  (Reed Curry)

PS:  I forgot to add that a description of the Holden Method can be found on overmywaders under "extracts"  - Construction Methods..."

Rule

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