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Is anyone on the list using a power planer? If so do you need to modify the plane for rod use planning?  It seems to me that a intermediate wooden planning form with a 60 degree groove and a power planner would save a lot of time and be simple to use.  (Mark Dyba)

I use a Delta 12" Portable Power Planer and an adjustable light weight, no taper form with a starter groove on one side and a 60° groove on the other. No modifications needed. Surprising how close you can initial plane strips to size after you get use to using it. Power feed and fast. Haven't tried a taper.

If you try this, make sure the form is thick enough so you don't plane the adjusting bolts. Never done it but I'm sure the sound would not be pleasant. (Don Schneider)

I use a power hand planer from Bosch. It has a V-groove in the plate.  This in combination with standard wooden forms get me to the initial triangle pretty fast.   (Taylor Hogan)

I have just finished my first rod a Dickerson 7613 and pleased with the results. I took it to the Bishop gathering and had a great time while I was there and fished the crap out of the rod the following week. Now making my first rod the one thing I noticed was the amount of time I spent with a block plane in my hand. Soooo today I bought a electric planer and used it on my second rod to plane the pith and to square the ends prior to node flatting and heat straightening. I saved a whole lot of time not to say the wear and tear on my old carpenter elbow. My question is , is this a sin, you know using a electric planer verses hand planing and am I compromising something in the finished product. Next question is about glue. On the first rod I used CR-585 which worked great but has a short shelf life. Only doing a few rods a year this seems like a expensive way to glue up a rod. Any alternatives out there? Titebond?? Please no epoxies, I do not have a oven yet so heat setting is out of the question. One last question, I want to build a 8 1/2 footer for a five line for float tubing. Any taper suggestions. Would like to build the Mike Clark A K Best taper if any one out there has the specs. Whewwwww. That’s all.  (Mark Heskett)

Blasphemer! You must do penance by reciting 10 Hail Everett,  3 Our Daddy, and do further study in the Book of Rod. In addition, Thou shalt have no more Tonkin until such time as you have demonstrated complete and utter repentance. Then, and only then, shall you be allowed to rejoin the ranks of the Redeemed, and continue to practice the ancient art of Rod.  (Martin-Darrell)

Answer to your basic question is no.  If you can live with it the rest of us can too.  In fact, many of us have picked up some more troubling means of making a fishing rod from grass.  I've had problems with pressing nodes so I'm experimenting with just plane removing the nodes using my beveler.  If using an electric planer makes you happy, then be happy.

As far as glue, don't write the epoxies off too soon.  I use Epon and yes I do heat treat it, but I don't have to.  With time the epoxies will fully cure on their own.  You only need to heat treat them if you want to speed up the process.  (Tim Wilhelm)

That's sort of true but not completely. I wrote and asked the people at Shell about the heat treating and it's requirement and basically no, you don't HAVE to post cure heat but if the rod is placed in a hot place like the car with the windows wound up the rod may very well take a set or delaminate if you're unlucky. You would have to be unlucky but it's possible.  (Tony Young)

It doesn't matter what you use to rough bevel/finish bevel a rod. Actually it really does not matter if you use a table saw, knife  plane, or a beveler as long as when your done you have perfect angles. Now here's where there is disagreement. I think Titebond II Extend (the white colored glue) is a great rod glue.  It's non toxic, extremely strong, dries clear, has an extended shelf life (2 years+), heat resistant, inexpensive and is EXTREMELY user friendly at the binder. The only question is it's durability. I have used it for the last 2 years and plan on finding out. I fish with one rod glued up with the stuff exclusively and so far no problems.  (Marty DeSapio)

Have to chime in with Marty on the glue. I 'am using Titebond II extend also and have been for 2 years also. Have about 6 rods both conventional and nodeless glued up with it and being fished. So far no problems with the glue.  (Jim Tefft)

I myself use a power planer on the strips for all the rough planing, it saves a lot of time and you are still going to be planing a lot off by hand after that.  I first learned this method from Lon Blauvelt in Maine.  He actually uses his power planer to take the strips down to .010 over final dims.  Then he starts with his hand planes.  I don't know if I have the guts to try that on my final forms, so I stick to just the rough planing with a power planer.

As for the glue, I use URAC 185 and it needs no heat curing at all.  (Robert Cristant)

Most, if not all, the greats used some sort of power machinery at one stage or another on the cane during the production process, including Dickerson.

An alternative glue for you to consider is a polyurethane type glue.  No mixing involved, readily available, no heat treating required, easy to scrape off within the first 12 to 24 hours of application, readily accepts heat straightening, and costs about $1 ounce.  (Kyle Druey)