I just bought a lami. model number GBT841L
I don't know if i want to leave it at 7' or trim it to 6.6'
any help would be nice.
I'm looking for measurements on either one.
I have a basic idea but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Gary.

Bring the rod over and we can static deflect it. This way you can set it up just the way YOU want.

Folks. static deflection is very easy to do. Learn how to do it and you won't need to rely on others info.

Get a copy of Clemens Custom Tackle catalog if you don't have a rod building book. On page 5 there is a very good description on guide spacing and pictures are included.

Give it a try and you will become a better rod builder

Capt Neil

In the volume 4 #6 issue of RodMaker we will have a full article on the Equal-Angle spacing tool and system which Don Morton has figured out. By using the Plexiglass Grid Tool (PGT) in conjunction with a basic understanding of the system, you can locate the guides on any blank in a matter of just a few minutes. And best of all, this system does take into account the specific action/taper of the blank!

In some ways, it is so good, it may replace every other spacing method currently in use. It is accurate and fast. And it is just as fast and so much better than using spacing charts.

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Where can one buy the Plexiglas Guide Spacer?

It will be available commercially within another month or so. The magazine will have instructions for making your own. It is very simple. But it won't do you much good without the "how-to" of the system, and while the system is really fairly simple, it takes a long article to explain it. I think I have set aside almost 8 pages for the article and photos.

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how can i subscribe to this magazine?

Use the RodMaker link on the top left hand side of the page and just follow the site links to the subscription page. Normally all new subscribers can expect to see their first issue mailed within 24 hours. I will mail the current issue as soon as your order reaches the office. Thanks.

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Matt Two points the magazine is outstanding worth every penny and more.second Don's system works very well,even he is surprised at how much you can accomplish when using it as Tom said can be a little confussing at first but if you put the effort into learning how to use it,you will find the rewards are many and you can acheive much better performance then you did previously.

better accuracy, better distance? i'm still very new at this )haven't even built my first rod yet) and i'm trying to gather all the info i can get. this sounds like a good system. you don't have to go by the manufacturers specs, which are probably different across the board right? no spacing charts etc. plus this system works better to boot? is that correct or am i out of bounds?

matt: newbie who will take all the help he can get.

Matt,

Don's system is a means of plotting guide location via a grid with intersect lines. This system takes into account the action of each blank, which standardized charts do not. I wish I could detail it here, but while it is fairly simple, it takes a lot of words to explain. Several pages worth.

In the meantime, the July/August 2000 issue of RodMaker has what I think is a really good article on using the New Guide concept on a spinning rod. It is also fast and easy. Results are great.

By performance, we typically mean more distance/accuracy, smoother casting and retrieving, and if possible, less weight for less fatigue on the angler.

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Tom, I understand you don't want to go into this new guide placement tool any further but how different is it from the peg board article on guide placement in previous RodMaker ?

Actually the concept is nearly identical, but Don's system takes up less room and once your initial grid lines are plotted there is no math involved. Not that there is a lot of math involved in the other system, but there is at least some for each rod to be set up. With Don's system you just line up the blank against the grid and plot your spacing. Set your butt or stripping guides and go. It's simple, but sort of hard to explain in words. There is some background info you need to understand before you can use it properly.

It's not that I don't want to go into Don's system here, it's that there is just not enough room and no way to fully explain it without photographs. The magazine has a great advantage when it comes to explaining such things.

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Put another way Don spent over 1 hour explaning his guide placement theory for fly rods alone at the last rodcrafter seminar, can't wait to see the magazine article.

Saw Don's PGT at the FFF Conclave in Mtn. Home, Ark the first weekend in October. Neat little setup, and way too easy.