The Complete Angler

[skeet3t 0]

3 hours ago, DFoster said:

In the process of learning to restore old bamboo rods I came across a video of a guy who said.  "Yes a hand crafted bamboo rod can sell for thousands of dollars. But if you need to earn a living allow me to direct you to the position of Walmart Greeter.  The hourly rate is better".

I did consulting on time and motion study. It would be interesting to see it broken down into various stages of making a bamboo rod including overhead, materials, etc. If it is better to work at Wally World, then why do we have bamboo crafters? Bill Oyster in Blue Ridge, GA does a good business. Also offers classes. I looked into building bamboo rods but didn't care to invest $4-7K in the wrapper, planes, forms, etc.

 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I was lucky enough to learn some of the finer points about building fly rods from a skilled rod builder who worked for Uslan Rods north of Miami around 45 years ago.  I’ve never worked with cane -only with fiberglass, then “graphite” as it was called then.  A first rate split bamboo is very nearly a work of art in my opinion.  Nat Uslan, the founder of that shop was a real craftsman and built the only five sided bamboo rods that I ever heard of.  He was an old man by the time I first set foot in that shop -all those years ago.  By then I don’t think they were still actively building with cane, but they still had all the old lathes and planing table...

Can’t comment about others but there’s some real satisfaction in making things by hand and seeing something concrete as a result.

[redietz 0]

16 hours ago, skeet3t said:

 If it is better to work at Wally World, then why do we have bamboo crafters? 

Which one do you think offers better job satisfaction?  Not everything boils down to the Benjamins.

[DFoster 0]

18 hours ago, skeet3t said:

I did consulting on time and motion study. It would be interesting to see it broken down into various stages of making a bamboo rod including overhead, materials, etc. If it is better to work at Wally World, then why do we have bamboo crafters? Bill Oyster in Blue Ridge, GA does a good business. Also offers classes. I looked into building bamboo rods but didn't care to invest $4-7K in the wrapper, planes, forms, etc.

 

Yes the required equipment to build one from scratch is pricey.  I was only interested in bamboo for myself so I decided restoring old, left for dead rods was a better option.  I have completed 2 of them.  One I was given free from my father in law and the other I paid $20 for in a Maine antique store.  I spent about $150 in replacement parts for each along with about 120 hours total time.  Bill Oyster I'm not but they look good, cast well and I've caught fish with them.  Youtube has all the information you need to restore them.  Another option is to purchase a brand new bamboo blank and go from there.  As for earning a living by making them all I can say is that it takes an enormous amount of time to build one correctly. 

[skeet3t 0]

I restored mine before Youtube. Got a lot of info from a builder on a forum. When I got done, I invited him to go fishing in Tennessee. He lives in Alaska! What can I say? BTW, my rebuild didn't cost over $50. DFoster, you must have used a lot of high end components.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Since I"m a pre-"you tube" guy, here's the info source I used to learn a bit about building with cane ... Can't remember the title of the book but I'll never forget the author - it was done by Hoagy Carmichael (yeah the same guy that was a super entertainer, musician, singer and song writer in the WWII era and beyond... ).  From what I've read building bamboo rods was his hobby (or passion)... That book lays it all out, start to finish.

[Noahguide 0]

 

Capt Bob-

“A Master’s Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod.” 

Hoagy B Carmichael

[redietz 0]

7 minutes ago, Noahguide said:

 

Capt Bob-

“A Master’s Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod.” 

Hoagy B Carmichael

That's correct -- Hoagy B(ix) Carmichael is the son of composer, not the composer.  And he's very much still with us.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Cool, thanks for the info, I remembered the name but didn’t know the story...

[DFoster 0]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:40 AM, skeet3t said:

I restored mine before Youtube. Got a lot of info from a builder on a forum. When I got done, I invited him to go fishing in Tennessee. He lives in Alaska! What can I say? BTW, my rebuild didn't cost over $50. DFoster, you must have used a lot of high end components.

The reel seats nickle are silver with maple burl wood inserts.  All ferrules and guides are nickle silver.  The grips are grade A cork and the thread was silk.  I would say I used good quality components but not really "high end", there are definitely more expensive parts available.  It sounds like you restored your rod 15 or more years ago- component prices have apparently increased.  Here are some ball park figures (from memory).  Grip- $25,  reel seat and insert- $60.  Guides and ferrules- $60. Thread and color preserve- $15 and the spar varnish I used was $35 for a quart.  I'm pretty happy to have 2 bamboo rods for under $200 each all in, plus I learned a lot in the process.    Here's a photo of the left for dead 5 Weight that I paid $20 for.

[skeet3t 0]

Probably closer to 12  years ago. That is what got me into custom building. The rod itself cost $10 at the Big K store in Forest Park, GA about 1965. I didn't feel justified in putting a lot of $$$ in it. I still fish with it on occasion. It was rated for D weight which is about 7 weight now.

[redietz 0]

2 hours ago, skeet3t said:

 It was rated for D weight which is about 7 weight now.

"D" is usually equated to a modern 6 weight, and since tastes have changed to prefer faster feeling rods, many (not all by any means) cast better with a 5.

[Sandan 0]

8 hours ago, DFoster said:

The reel seats nickle are silver with maple burl wood inserts.  All ferrules and guides are nickle silver.  The grips are grade A cork and the thread was silk.  I would say I used good quality components but not really "high end", there are definitely more expensive parts available.  It sounds like you restored your rod 15 or more years ago- component prices have apparently increased.  Here are some ball park figures (from memory).  Grip- $25,  reel seat and insert- $60.  Guides and ferrules- $60. Thread and color preserve- $15 and the spar varnish I used was $35 for a quart.  I'm pretty happy to have 2 bamboo rods for under $200 each all in, plus I learned a lot in the process.    Here's a photo of the left for dead 5 Weight that I paid $20 for.

What's the inscription on that puppy?

[skeet3t 0]

18 hours ago, redietz said:

"D" is usually equated to a modern 6 weight, and since tastes have changed to prefer faster feeling rods, many (not all by any means) cast better with a 5.

Hmmm. Long ago, I was told that D was equal to 7 weight. Maybe between 6 and 7? I put 7 weight on it. I could change reels and use 4 or 5 weight. Bamboo action is very soft compared to my graphite and graphite.fiberglass rods.

[redietz 0]

With the big caveat that the comparison is between line weight (AFTMA #) and the diameter of a silk line:

Wi

 

And as I said above, in many cases, you may prefer one modern weight lighter than the chart indicates.