Power rod wrappers

[UtahAngler]

Im just getting started and looking to buy the parts I need to make rods. Where I am confused is, can you use a power rod wrapper as a drying stand also? And is it worth the money to buy say a 300 dollar power wrapper will it make it a lot easier than say wrapping a rod by hand on the simple wrapping stands? What do you guys prefer? The 300 dollars doesnt scare me I just want to buy what makes it easier and more enjoyable for me. Im sure this will be as addictive as making plastic baits has become but thats point, seems anything fun is expensive.

[Mattman]

You do not need a power wrapper. Even though I have a wrapper, I still do quite a bit of work by hand.

A small motor to turn rods while finish cures is much more useful. A must as far as I'm concerned.

[Elken]

If you are looking for rod building tools, here is an option. When I was starting I bought the Cabela's Premium Rod Building Set; cost is $99.99. It has the manual wrapper, drying rack with motor, reamers, labeling pens, etc. The only other major thing was cork clamps, which I made. The video that came with the kit is so-so; I learned a lot more by buying and reading Tom Kirkman's book: Rod Building Guide

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0003511315280a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=Ntk=Products&QueryText=rod+kit&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&No=40&%2Fcabelas%2Fcommerce%2FCabelasCatalogNumberFinder.giftCertificateURL=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Ftemplates%2Fgiftcertificate%2Fgiftcertificate.jsp%3Fid%3D0005586990011a%26podId%3D0005586%26catalogCode%3DIB%26navAction%3Djump%26indexId%3D&Ntt=rod+kit&noImage=0&Ntx=matchall&_D%3A%2Fcabelas%2Fcommerce%2FCabelasCatalogNumberFinder.giftCertificateURL=+&N=4887&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form9&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

[UtahAngler]

Thanks for the advice guys, I ordered my first rod blank yesterday and Im going to make a hand wrapper similair to the flex coat one made of wood. I also ordered a finishing motor so Im set to get on with my new addiction. There are only so many soft plastics a person can make before he wants to try something new. I noticed that I will save a lot more money building the more expensive rods than the the medium range rods is that usually true or is there a way to cut the costs on a medium range rod? Take the St Croix Avid series rod, which is my favorite rod, I can buy one for 150 dollars but when I added up all the stuff to make it myself it comes out to be 130 dollars. If Im only going to save 20 bucks I would rather just buy the pre made rod. But when if I want to make a Loomis drop shot rod Im going to save more like 100 dollars.

[Elken]

You don't really save a whole lot building your own rods, especially if you factor in your time. The main advantage is that you get the rod exactly like you want it. If you want a split rear grip, a reduced or no fore grip, a special reel seat or a certain type of guide you can make it to your own specifications. Plus you get to choose the grade of cork you want and the colors of thread you wrap the rod with.

If you like the hinged action of the GLoomis dropshot rod, you might want to check out the Shikari P7000 blank in their SHII grade. It makes an excellent light dropshot rod and the blank is under $60.

[UtahAngler]

Hey thanks for the advice, I will definatly check out the Shikari rod blanks. Hey shouldnt you be out elk huntig this time of year Elken? Fall is here and the hunting feeling is in the air. Too bad I dont have the time and money to hunt and fish, at least the fishing is great in the fall too.

[Elken]

I have been up bow hunting for elk twice already; I finally got one last Wednesday. I spent Thursday and Friday cutting, grinding and packaging; elk meat in the freezer! I had two championship tournaments in the last month, so it is hard sometimes to do both.

Good luck with your rod building; if you have any questions of want to see some digital pictures of rods that I built for myself, let me know.