How to Build a Fly Fishing Rod
- 1). Split the 8-foot length of bamboo into half-inch strips by placing the chisel onto the point at which the bamboo is to be split and striking the chisel with the mallet repeatedly until the bamboo splits. You should have 16 half-inch strips when you are through.
- 2). Plane one end of each strip by using clamps to affix it to a workbench. Use a planer to push firmly on one end of the wood at a 60 degree angle, shaving off a thin curl of wood with each stroke. Continue shaving the wood until you create a uniform equilateral triangle about ¼-inch wide. Only plane one end of each bamboo strip; leave the other end of each strip hollow and round.
- 3). Bundle the strips together by using epoxy to glue the planed ends of the bamboo strips into the hollow ends of the bamboo ends that are not planed. Place the connected pieces of bamboo onto a flat surface and gently roll them back and forth to straighten them.
- 4). Place the rod in the rod-binding machine and crank the handle to encase the rod with cotton string, which bonds the strips together and makes the glue between the strips stronger and more invisible.
- 5). Allow the epoxy glue to dry for at least 12 hours after binding, then place the rod in a tubular oven at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours, which relaxes the bamboo and drives out moisture.
- 6). Remove the rod from the oven and allow it to cool completely before removing the cotton binding and sanding the rod well with 100 grit sandpaper.
- 7). Finish the rod by attaching the fishing-rod hardware, such as the tip-top, ferrules, grip and reel, then thread the rod with nylon fishing line.
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