Could you all please give me as to the proper way to align the guides on a blank? I have been eye-balling them up to this point, but I find it to be extremely difficult. Is there some sort of jig that is available or somthing that I could build to aid me in this most important, yet tremendously frustrating, aspect of rod building? Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Jeff

Jeff, My opinion is you are doing it the best way. I have tied a lot of tricks but alway return to the "eye" method. I use a light colored wall as the background that has even lighting on it. I then hold the rod out in front of me with the guides away from me and the rod at about a 45 degree angle. I then line up the first guide closest to the grip with the tip top using the blank to center the guides. The other guides are then tweaked to line up with the first giude and the tip top. After doing it this way turn the rod so the guides are toward you and re-check your work. I really believe this method is the best way and accomodates guide alignment on bent or twisted blanks very nicely.

Jeff, I don't know how you are sighting to aline your guides but I find by holding the rod with the guides away as Jeff says makes it much easier for me. In that position I am looking at the rod first and then adjusting guides so the visible portions appear to protrude equally to the left and right of the rod. If you try to aline by sighting through the guides any slight deflection in the rod will cause you problems.

Looking at the Renzetti Lazer Alignment tool made me think of something else. Wouldn't the old carpenters chalk line do the same thing. Both methods will give you problems if you don't have a perfectly straight blank. I also eyeball my guides. Even if you had a perfect line down the blank by laser or chalkline, you would still have to eyeball because all the guides aren''t stamped exactly perfect. There is some variance in the guide feet that would still make you have to adjust by eye. What do you think????

Ray

Heh, heh... Build bamboo... Makes guide alignment real easy!

Mark

Eye-balling the alignment is the best tried and true method. Your eyes can take all the variances affecting alignment into account that no tool can. It takes a conscious effort and a good amount of patience. I literally force myself to slow things down when I get to the point of aligning guides. My vision has gotten worse over the last five years so slowing the process down has become more accute to building my rods correctly. I know I haven't given you any real tricks to guide alignment. I do hope I managed to give you or anyone some insight to the process. I've adopted the woodworking rule "measure once, cut twice" to my rod building process. I don't think anything brings it home better. Good luck.

one thing that helps me check and recheck is spinning the rod 180 degrees. Many of the guides protrude beyond the blank sillohette and makes it easy to double check the alignment and the second opinion can confirm or negate a guide that is borderline. It doesnt work as well with snakes but rings work great. Plus it breaks up the monotony.

I use brightly colored string as well as "the eyeball method". I have found that for myself the eyeball method works best when I have the guides on the underside of the blank and then sighting down the blank.

Jeff,

Just eyeball it.

First, as was previously stated, your eyes will automatically adjust to both the taper and the imperfections in the blank.

Second, it's just a fishing rod, and guide alignment isn't all that critical from a performance standpoint. Close is fine.

Good Luck!

Buddy

The string works very well for the initial line up of the guides. Then after you have them secured with tape us the eye ball method for the minor adjustments.

I would only add that for me the eyeballin' is best done in good natural light, preferably outdoors.

I start with the tip top gluided in place. Then one guide at a time. Look through the secount towards the tip, and so one, then with guides down, let the blank cut the guide in half. Good light is always a plus

Hold on! Don't you mean "measure twice, cut once"? I would hate to have to cut twice in this case!

I've found that it's important to have the guides wrapped first before I make my final alignment simply because your guides can shift when you wrap them. I don't spend alot of time aligning the guides before hand. Once wrapped I'll align the guides by sighting down the blank. One important item to mention is that it's just as important to ensure the guides rings are perpendicular to the blank after you've aligned them, or should I say the guide feet sit straight on the blank. It's an easy thing to adjust the guide side to side but if your not careful only one side of the guide will move and it is very easy to overlook. You can align the guides and have them perfectly aligned and then findout that some guides are crooked. Sighting down the blank only will not always identify crooked guides. Once you've made your adjustments look straight down at the top of each guide, and you'll see what I mean. This is particularily troublesome with single foot guides. Hope that helps