Stacked bamboo reelseat

Bambooflyguy said:
Wind and rain today so I went to my messy shop…..didn’t feel like rod building, so I took a big sip of Crown and thought, “hmmmmm, maybe I’ll try to make a different reelseat??” Lots of filing and fitting, we’ll see if it works.
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I hadn't realized this was how bamboo grips were made (like birch bark)....Looking forward to seeing finished result.
What do you use to ream the grip once glued up?
 
I’m guessing you’re talking about the ID hole, right? It’s on 1/4” all thread since my hole saw has a 1/4” bit. Not even going to attempt the drill press….I might just use it on a shorty Hotrod made from intermediate/tip sections. If anything, I’ll have to use files. We’ll see……
 
Bambooflyguy said:
I’m guessing you’re talking about the ID hole, right? It’s on 1/4” all thread since my hole saw has a 1/4” bit. Not even going to attempt the drill press….I might just use it on a shorty Hotrod made from intermediate/tip sections. If anything, I’ll have to use files. We’ll see……
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Whenever I tried to ream birch bark grips, they always wanted to come apart. I finally figured out how to avoid any reaming: I choose a mandrill (smooth stainless rod) to match the blank dia (or fit directly to the blank, then use a stepped bit in my drill press to fit each ring. Its a lot easier than reaming the whole grip.
(Thought this might be helpful to other builders out there)

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If I use a mandrel to glue up a grip with cork rings, I wax the rod first with automotive wax to keep it from getting suck on it. After everything is set up, I'll remove the mandrel and give the bore a bit of sanding or filing to clean it up for mounting on the rod itself. This should work for bark and bamboo rings also.
 
Done filling and fitting….glued it together. Used a palm sander to “rough” it in. This time I used my drill press to shape it instead of my hand drill stuck in my bench vise, waaay better! So far it’s rounder than the first one. This bamboo is still hard but not even close to the first one.
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Nice job Steve, I may have to jump down this rabbit hole and give it a go. I’ve been turning lower handles out of hardwoods for my Spey rods and I may try this for some reel seats. What rod are you going to put the seat on?
 
Denwor54 said:
Nice job Steve, I may have to jump down this rabbit hole and give it a go. I’ve been turning lower handles out of hardwoods for my Spey rods and I may try this for some reel seats. What rod are you going to put the seat on?
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Not sure yet Dennis….I’ll need to make one.
 
Talk about hoarders…..Tom and I went and got some more bamboo culms for reelseats??! Tom found them locally, I used the owner’s chainsaw to cut down some 20’+ dead and dry stalks…..most around 3”- 4” in diameter. Not sure which species but should be fine for more reelseats that I don’t really need. Like my garage isn’t overflowing with crap now…..
 
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