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finga
10-07-2007, 09:27 AM
Gidday again all.
I've been looking in the pantry for some wood to make a butt for a rod I'm building.
I've glued some different combinations together to see what looks good and I came up with a combination of camphor laurel in the main body with a detail ring of beach then a rosewood cap on each end.
It looks good but one question about this. Will the camphor reek havoc with the fish with that camphor odour??
They will have about 20-30 coats of teak oil but will the pong still come through??
Are there any woods which are no-noes for fishing rods??

For this rod I'm going to do a beech main body with redgum caps on each end just so there's something hard on the end when it's dropped butt first on the ground.

Cheers and ta
Scott :)

Noelm
10-07-2007, 10:53 AM
geees I doubt if the smell of wood on your rod will put any fish off the bite, it might even attract them!

finga
10-07-2007, 11:52 AM
Mate the camphor keeps the cupboard nasties at bay and I was wondering about the little fishes as well.

These bits of wood have been cut into 50X50mm chucks for at least 6 years and the smell is still as strong as if they were just felled.

I really don't need anymore handicaps in my catch rate :)

Looks like I'm going to have to do a test sinking at my brothers pontoon. He gets hundreds of little bream etc there at feeding times so I'll drown a bit of camphor for awhile and feed the little fellas and see what happens.
Cheers Scott :)

oldboot
05-09-2007, 09:15 PM
I seem to be making a habit of raising the dead, but anyway.

I doubt that camphor will be a problem..... afterall alvey used to make reel spools out of the stuff.

Camphor will always pong when fresh cut... again..... and is used because it pongs a bit if unfinished.

I'd give it a few coats of realy thin hard shelac..... that should seal it up.


as for other options

I'm interested in what is considered " desireable" properties for timber in rod buts.

I supose this would vary dependent on the application.

Density and therfore weight would be an issue.....how heavy does the handle need to be.

hardness and flexibility.
how much does the rod flex within the handle and therfor how much give is needed in the timber.

there are some lovely timbers that would look just.......fabulous... but would they be suitable

Various cedar would be obvious choices......that pongs too & they make reel spools out of that.

I was thinking durian may be practical.... not particularly rot resistant but its lightish, not too hard and reasonable to look at.

I've got some japanese oak laid down that would look spactacular but would it be too rigid hard and heavy.

teak would be a thaught.

Oh oh Oh....... black heart sasafras:idea:
several of the tasy timbers come to mind

silkyoak

sheoak

mango.... now that would be different

Oh the choices

beach would be a typical euro choice

if you realy wanted to get fancy, laminated paterns in the timber would be very special.

cheers

finga
06-09-2007, 07:33 AM
Like this??

oldboot
06-09-2007, 08:13 AM
yep thats the sort of thing.

Owen
06-09-2007, 08:20 AM
Unless you're talking about a rod that you're going to fire a thousand casts off in a session, I don't reckon weight is a critical factor.

Most rds that would end up with a wood handle would be in the lower power range I expects, so some flexing in the butt may be evident.
A somewhat flexible wood would be better IMO

In my shooting days, birds eye maple was highly sought after.
Very pretty and didn't fracture in service.

I was at the tip t'other day and there was a root ball that had some fantasting possibilities. It had lumps and bumps all over it, so was probably well figured inside, but was VERY heavy and appeared like it might be brittle.
Dark reddish colour. Couldn't lift it and all the roots were too big to break :(

oldboot
06-09-2007, 08:36 AM
Where the trunk meets the root system..... known as the bohle......is where some of the most interesting wood is.

because the structure is going every which way the grain is usualy realy wild.

the grain is usualy cranky and interlocked which makes it a pain to work but it can also make it very much stronger.

Owen mate a post like that on a woodworking board is likely to result in a knock on your door.........." come on where is it!! I've got the trailer hitched and the sheer legs packed";D Lets go!!!

I've revised some of my thaughts... the cedars may be a bit soft..... durian likewise.

teak ..... yeh definitely

of course ther is the old standby..... spotted gum.

cheers