It all starts with a 12 foot culm of bamboo (Continued)

Bamboo Rod Build, Part XV, Ferrule Lapping and Final Cuts

While there are just three weeks before Superboo, our bamboo fly rod is progressing very nicely and will be ready in plenty of time. As mentioned in an earlier post, the actual build is well ahead of the text & photo overview of the project. All hardware has been installed, the rod has been wrapped, 4 coats of varnish have been applied to the wraps, and each section has been dipped in varnish once.

I had a chance to cast the rod last Saturday during a brief reprieve in the weather, and I have to say, this is an impressive taper. Well-balanced and smooth, yet powerful, it’s easily one of the most versatile bamboo fly rods I’ve ever had the pleasure to cast. It’s almost become a running joke between my sweetheart Jaynie (also rod bag maker extrodanaire) and myself in that every new rod is “My best ever!”, but this one truly is something special. I can now see why Hutch offered to commit a very illegal act in return for possession of another: “…a 5 wt, 7.5 foot rod is perfect for so much and I would kill to have another.” Strong words. As a matter of fact, although the maker was leaning towards the Payne 101, that comment put the vote over the top.

Although I was able to cast a whole 90 foot fly line with this rod, let's face it, most of our actual “fishing” is done in that 20-50 foot range. With that in mind, distance isn’t usually as important as other casting qualities of a rod. Along with the reserve power in the butt section, this rod also has a delicate tip (0.065”) that affords it a very nice “bamboo touch”, which should make up-close fishing a pleasure.

Also, I absolutely love what hollow-building does to a bamboo fly rod and this one is no exception to that rule. I’m anxious to get the opinion of this rod's casting qualities-from those who are familiar with a solid-built Payne 101. IMHO, hollow-fluting not only makes makes a cane blank lighter (20-30%), but it also makes it smoother, quicker paced, and more responsive. The total weight of this rod with all hardware installed, BTW, is just 4.2 ounces.

Okay, Troop Tonkin, let’s continue the process of finishing out this bad boy. In this segment, we are going to fit or “lap” the ferrules, dry fit the tiptop, and cut the sections to final length.

Because individual makers have their own idea of the perfect ferrule fit, most come slightly oversized (0.001") and require lapping. Beyond glueup of tips sections, fitting or "lapping" ferrules is the second most intimidating step in builing a bamboo rod. It just one of those things with which you have to gain some real world experience. You do it once or twice, srew it up, realize your screwup, buy a new set ferrules (at $60 a pop, no pun intended), and hopefully do it right the next time. The key component to doing right, as with most areas of rod building, is to move very deliberately. Once metal is removed, it can't be put back on again. Because I don't own a lathe, my fitting is done by hand and can take an hour or more. Starting with 800 grit sandpaper (fine sand paper is usually found at auto supply stores) I start sanding to about the halfway point of the male slide.


I check the fit often as I proceed and also take micrometer measurements to ensure a uniform removal of metal. A drop of WD40 as a lubricant will help at the stage of the process. I make a mark at the insertion depth on the male slide each I check the fit. Then I keep sanding in that area of the sldie, working towards the shoulder. Once I'm able to slide the male all the way to the end line, I sand the ferrule with 2000 grit sand paper and, finally, I finish with a few turns of 0000 steel wool:


With patience, you eventually reach the end of the male slide. If done properly, your fit should be smooth all the way. You shouldn't have to force ferrules together or apart. The force required to join ferrules should be akin to, as Harry Boyd puts it, "tightening your belt one size too tight." There should be a distinctive "POP!" when ferrules are pulled apart

Now I can cut my sections to final length. Since all hardware has to be mounted for proper measurement, I first I dry fit the the tiptop. Here's the formula for figuring the proper tiptop size: Tiptop size= tip section diameter measurement (measured flat to flat) x 64. In this case, the tip measurement is 0.065" x 64= 4.16

Since I dislike removing any bamboo from the tip section to accept the tiptop, I typically upsize my tiptop by one half size. A size 4.5 tiptop fits nice and snug:


Another hallmark of a well made rod is rod sections that are of exact equal length. If you find a rod that has a tip section slightly shorther than the butt section, chances are the tip sections was repaired somewhere along the way. The formula for achieving exact equal sections is easy:
Section=1/2 rod length (w/all hardward mounted) + 1/2 male ferrule slide length. The male slide of our ferrule is 3/4". Since the rod is 90 inches (7.5') our sections should be 45" each plus 1/2 of the male slide (3/8"), for a total of 45 3/8" each. I then measure exactly 45 3/8" for each section:


The cuts are made carefully to avoid splintering the bamboo and then sanded to round the edges: