Mike I did a little digging on line and built the jig. I used a dremil tool with the worm drive. I used a track and sled system with two hold downs that are properly spaced to scallop two sections per each cut. There are minor adjustments for each section and you have make sure there is not to much pressure on the hold down as if a node is in the cut it can raise in the middle. I Jerry rigged a vacuum to pick up the dust which has worked out well. To adjust the height I use shims that vary from .010 to .060 and this allows me to fine tune the cut. I use double stick tape to stack the shims and place three sets on the base of the sled. At each scallop section I use a standard dremil to make a relief cut at the forward and aft end of each cut. This takes some prep work but it is worth it in the long run. Also it’s important to make sure the cutter is secured and does not move which I learned from my first try. I will take few pics if that helps of the items I am referring to.That looks like a neat scalloping tool Dennis, can you expand on it a bit more?
I haven’t made the comparison from before and after but it is substantial. Since I’m building a Spey rod I have tried to not go to thin on the wall. On my butt section I milled to .110 and the mid .090 and the tip to .070. At this point this get down to the end of the plith which is what I have been shooting for. My last two rods I didn’t remove this much so will see how it turns out. From what I have read trout rods have been around .070 to .050 on the walls that are recommended.Looks like you left plenty of wall thickness. Any idea what the weight loss is?