Wood Grips

[GonetoSeed]

Those of you who frequent rodbuilding.org may have already seen these. I thought those of you that have not may want to see them and see some of the possibilities in wood grips/handles. They show examples of rods built by Ray Jorgensen. imo, he is doing innovative and beautiful work. I know that there are a variety of opinions concerning wood in grips, but either for or against, I think Ray's work can be appreciated for its craftsmanship. Also, Ray at one time shared some of his techniques that included how to get the same look in cork.

btw, you will need Quicktime Viewer (free download http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ ) The first 4 are spinning rods.
The last one is a fly rod.

http://classiccustomwood.com/Levi.mov
http://classiccustomwood.com/Audrey.mov
http://classiccustomwood.com/Tanner.mov
http://classiccustomwood.com/Curves.mov
http://classiccustomwood.com/Ray.mov

I have no interest in Ray's business, just an admirer of his work. And, trying to master some of his techniques.

[Rosy410]

What are people's thought on wooden handles on a flyrod? I have never fished with one before. These are some great looking handles though.

[Windknot]

Beautiful!

[mmarkey]

They really are beautiful. He's definitly a craftsman. isn't wood slippery when it gets wet or fish slime on it. Then again do you really fish with artwork like that?

[baldea]

Those do look great! If there was not a reel attached I may have thought it was a pool que.

I'm with MMarkey, I would think it would get a little slick once there is a little slime on the handle. If it gets wet? I think it would be fine. I've paddled with many of wooden paddles over the years and never had a problem. For that matter my net has a wood handle and I don't have an issue with it. Just my opinion.

[GonetoSeed]

In my experience they are not slippery when wet. I finish mine with Casey's Tru-oil which is formulated for gunstocks. Ray uses Tru-oil or a tung oil finish used in marine applications. Ray has a piece on his site comparing wood grips to wood handled tools that explains his perspective. baldea's comparisons are good too. As far as fish slime, for me it's a welcome problem on any grip. I do not think the wood gets any more slimey than cork, especially cork that is old and crusty. The wood is also easy to wipe. btw, depending on the finish they are very durable and are made to fish. If they do get scuffed up they can be buffed, a new coat of finish and look good as new.

Other questions/comments I get are: Aren't they too firm? Aren't they too heavy? That's not the way a flyrod is suppose to look.

They may be too firm for some anglers. It depends. I like the extra firmness.

They may be too heavy, especially if they throw off the balance of the rod/reel combination. If it's too heavy, depends a lot on the choice of wood species. The density of the wood makes a huge difference. Some are not much heavier than cork (cork is a wood product). Also, there are techniques for boring an extra large ID hole and using cork or graphite arbors to match up to the size of the blank. Similiar to using arbors under real seat inserts. Heavy is not always a problem. Sometimes wood can be used to balance a tip heavy blank.

If they look odd or not is a personal matter and if someone prefers "convention" or not. Some builders/anglers feel that only Flor grade cork should be used on a flyrod. I very much agree with them on boo. In boo's case, I do not think the grip should distract from the beauty and warmth of the cane. On graphite rods, I disagree. For me, the grip and seat are opportunities to add at least some of the warmth and appeal that makes boo seem so lifelike rather than sterile plastic looking. I'm not saying I can ever match the beauty of boo or that there are not some anglers that like the pure functional look of graphite. Personally, I just like the look of wood and use it where I can, as long as it doesn't negatively impact the performance of the end rod.

[Rosy410]

The reason I asked was that my dad builds his own wooden handles for his spinning rods. They work great on those. I was considering using one on a fly rod that he was going to build me. The weight issue was my biggest concern, the rod he's building is a 3 weight. I didn't know if it would affect casting. I guess it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work, I can always replace with a cork handle.

[GonetoSeed]

A 3wt is right on the borderline for using an all wood grip, imo. It would be easy to get the rod out of balance and make it butt heavy. It won't make the rod un-castable, just not as enjoyable. btw, you might already know this, but changing grips is a royal pain.

To play it safe, ask your Dad about using lightest wood he would recommend. Combine that with a cork reel seat insert that is only as long as necessary to hold your reel. A light weight skeleton (cap & ring or double ring) helps . Using a combination of wood and cork might be another option - wood to match the reel seat placed on both ends, some wood inlays with cork in between and cork in the middle for the main body.

When it's finished, please post some pictures.

[GUTHOOKED]

I don't think the weight of a wooden grip is really an issue on flyrods. It seems to me that to noticeably change the balance, you need to add (or subtract) weight to one end of the rod or the other. Since the grip is the fulcrum point, adding weight there may change the overall weight of the rod, which won't be much on a 3wt anyway, but I don't think it will noticeably change the balance. Most woods won't weigh that much more than cork anyway.

As for feel, I like a wood grip on spinning, casting, or light fly rods. Water and slime don't seem to affect your grip anymore than with cork. However, I found out the hard way that wood grips are not my favorite on heavy flyrods. Cast an 8wt with a wood grip for 8 hours and and your hand will be blistered. Do that every day for a week and it will be burger.

[GonetoSeed]

Rosy410 - Danny is right. Any weight behind your hand won't be noticeable. I re-read my post and hope it didn't sound like a deterrent to having your Dad turn you a complete wood grip. Talk to him about the shape and size and go for it. Here are some additional pictures from builders of wood flyrod grips tthat may help with ideas. They are not as intricate as Ray's, but have a beauty of simplicity. The last picture is of a grip and seat made out of deer antler.

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/504/877IM002305.jpg

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/504/614632maple_4-med.jpg

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/500/250Mesquite_grip-med.jpg

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/504/306IMG_0783-med.JPG

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/504/90eagle-inlay.jpg

http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/504/846Deer_antler_handle_002-med.jpg

[Rosy410]

Thanks for all the advice. I talked to my dad about it last night and he said there are some places in the Atl area to order differant exotic woods. I going to call around to find out what the lightest type is.

That deer antler handle is great looking.

I'll post the pics once it gets done

[runner]

If I could figure out how to load a picture I would - go to picture gallery and search my user name "runner" or look atthe most current downloads - the grip is made up of around 200 pieces of Birch Bark, each disc was cut, both sides sanded, around 10 were glued together to resemble a 3/8 to a 1/2 cork ring - the then grip was constructed very much like a cork grip - the wood caps at each end are required to prevent chipping on the bark - it is almost as light as cork - other pictures are some of my bamboo builds using purchased blanks from Mike Brooks.

Mike

[GonetoSeed]

runner - http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/500/7805DCP_1344-med.JPG

Great looking grip. I really like its "character". How were the discs cut? Did you have to let the bark cure/dry? Was it treated with something? Do you think other barks might work or does the Birch have special characteristics that make it suitable? What did you use for the finish? Inquiring minds want to know :) One of the fun by-products for me has been learning more about wood.

rosy410 - I would be interested in your Dad's local sources. I've found it hard to find locally turning exotic stock in the sizes for grips. I've been using online sites like Andy Dear at Lamar Reel Seats ( http://www.lamarreelseats.com/), who is a great guy to work with and has been good about choosing nicely fiqured wood, but it would be nice to be able see and touch the turning blank before buying.

[mmarkey]

GonetoSeed
Try Woodcraft (i think that's the name) stores they sell exotic wood in various sizes for making bowls, pens, and fancy boxes. There is one on Holcomb Bridge Road near the 400s on ramp.

[runner]

GTS - I found the article in Power Fibers - the bark is dry - I cut out 1 1/4 disc using a hole cutter - much easier than drawing a circle an using scissors - lightly sand the bark to remove the outer white bark and the inside to remove any little bumps - glue them together treat it like cork rings. According to the article the bark actually consists of mutilple layers, for this reason the wood end caps (in this case I use burl maple) are glue on.

There is nothing special about birch bark that makes it special for grips, the author was snowed in, had heard about birch bark grips and experimented. I do know that it is easily peeled away from the limb.

I did coat the grip with some hand rub bambbo finish (Mike's Stuff from Mike Brooks).

My guess is that you can try any type of bark as long as it is dry - I will have it at Dreamlands -

[GonetoSeed]

Thanks guys.

[Rosy410]

I was going to some local cabinet makers and see if they could lead me somewhere and poosibly get them cut down for me.

[Hollis]

Those would bring a tear to a glass eye.

I'm about to build my 3rd rod (6'6" 3 wt GLoomis) and would like to do somehting unique to it. I don't know if I'm at all ready for a wooden handle but I'd sure like to try doing a short fatter handle on it. I'd really like to learn more about building handles.

Great pix guys.

[Rosy410]

I have ordered everything for the 3 wt. The real seat insert is made from Bubinga. Does anyones have any suggestions on what type of wood I should use for the handle? I want to keep the weight to a minimum.

Also, I couldn't find anywhere to get a cork reel seat. DOes anyone know where I cold find these?

[GonetoSeed]

Also, I couldn't find anywhere to get a cork reel seat. DOes anyone know where I cold find these?

I'm a little confused. Is this for another rod? I ask this because you mention the Bubinga as the insert you ordered. What is the reel seat for this insert?

[GUTHOOKED]

http://www.cubcreekmall.com/rec/Configurator.html

[Rosy410]

I bought an aluminum uplocking real seat with a bubinga insert. I went up to Woodcraft and bought a couple blocks to see what I could come up with. Zebrawood, Bubinga, Cocobola and Ebony Swiss

[GonetoSeed]

Sounds great. For a future reference for wood stock, a friend told me about Carlton McClendon's shop:
http://www.rarewoodsandveneers.com/

As far as a cork reel seat, Danny's suggestion for the REC PLRN NS cork reel seat is a great seat:
http://www.rec.com/rec/web/html/nickelsilverseats.html

I've also used their skeleton AL CRA and glued-up and turned a cork insert:
http://www.rec.com/rec/web/html/alumseat.html

Versitex has the Pac Bay double sliding rings reel seats. They sell the skeletons and it would be pretty easy to glue and turn a cork insert:
http://www.versitex.com/versitex/product.html?Id=DSRMS1

Cortland also has cork sliding band seats:
http://www.cortlandline.com/rodbuilding/slide_band.php

[Rosy410]

Thanks Gone to Seed. I may go ahead and order one and save the Pac Bay I ordered for my next rod