I normally cut most of the blanks/rods that I build…..mostly from the butt end, but frequently from the tip as well. Since I build relatively short rods, starting with a longer blank and trimming from either end allows me to “dial in” the Power and Action to suit my desired application. Having too much time on my hands, I drew up a diagram showing the effects of trimming a blank by varying amounts. The blank I used is a St Croix 5S60MF and although it’s bit of a wimpy blank, and the CCS values would differ from other blanks, but I think the effects shown would be somewhat indicative of the trims as shown. I posted it in the Photo Section. [www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2016 05:50PM by jim spooner.

Jim,
Folks trim blanks all of the time to achieve the action that they wish, or to achieve a specific length rod.

No question about it, one can achieve the ideal blank for an application - by doing appropriate trimming.

Good luck

Yes, but the question is often asked “how much will trimming from the tip (or butt) affect the Power and Action”. The best illustration that I’ve seen regarding blank/rod trimming came from Cliff Hall (now deceased) and used to be in the photo section. I can’t find it, so I’ll repost it.
[www.rodbuilding.org]
There’s also an article in the latest issue of RodMaker magazine.

Jim, interesting chart you came up with. Definitely informative. I'm wondering how you came up with the different lengths?

I'm assuming you simply changed the positions of the pertinent components on the blank, rather than actually trimming the blank?

Two of the mere 6 rods I've built to date were built on blanks that I trimmed down so I could have the length of rod I wanted, with the desired characteristics I was looking for. Both of them, and I don't say this simply because I'm afraid of admitting I made a mistake, but both of them turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, and are far more versatile than I thought they would be.

I think more people should consider trimming blanks if they're looking for a specific type of rod, and your chart will definitely give them a much needed look into what they can expect.

Nice job!

Whats the best tool for trimming a rod blank? Does it make a difference if its fiberglass or carbon fiber, graphite?

William,
I use a high speed abrasive cutting tool. It is the perfect tool for trimming blank. i.e. a dremel tool with an abrasive wheel on the end.
Or a chop saw with an abrasive wheel on the saw.

A chop saw that I made several years ago for this purpose. It started as an 8 inch miter saw. I raised the cutting surface to allow the abrasive wheel to continue to cut, even when it wears down to a much smaller diameter.
Added the light for convenience:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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Or an arrow trimming saw is virtually the same thing.

[www.amazon.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2016 10:36AM by roger wilson.

David,
I just changed tip attachment points and butt support locations to get the various measurements. I was just curious to see how the blank would measure at random trims using the CCS setup. The blank was never trimmed. Most likely for this particular blank, I’d trim 2” from the tip and 1 ¾ from the butt end to get what I want. I actually use a different measuring/rating system (other than CCS or RDA) to determine the Power and A/A which I think is more consistent to the way my rods are actually fished.

Thanks Jim. Often wondered about just what you did. Too lazy to actually do it. And I tend towards longer rods.

Bill,
Cliff Hall's diagram [www.rodbuilding.org] also deals with extending blanks, which can be another useful practice.

I build giant bluefin tuna rods for stand up fishing. I use a short bent butt so I need to trim the 6 ft blank that I use. The blank is parabolic and bends near mid point on the blank. If I just cut from the butt end to make it back to a 6 ft rod, the blank will bend at the mid point. What would happen if I cut a bit off the tip? Will the rod still bend at the same location?

I had one manufacturer tell me trimming the blank voids the warranty. Straight from the horse's mouth.

What's everybody's experience with this aspect?

Gary, I only started building rods last year, and I only build them for myself. When I first joined this site a little more than a year ago, I started threads talking about the builds I was planning on doing on trimmed blanks. I had more than a few members echo what you're saying. Voiding the warranty didn't dissuade in the least. I wanted a rod in a length and with attributes that were not available from the factory, or from any of the blank manufacturers I looked at.

I suppose that if I were building rods to sell to other people, I'd be more concerned about a blanks warranty. But ....... I still don't think I'd be that concerned about a warranty.

Yes, the voiding of warranty and having to discard part of a blank that can add up to quite a bit if you think of cost/inch. I have a box of expensive SC5 blank pieces from butt trims.
I’ve been fortunate that I rarely have a broken rod, but I’m particularly careful with rod handling. It’d be nice to have the option to purchase blanks without a warranty at a reduced price.

I too have a few pieces of blanks, trimmed from the butt end. I figure I can use them to extend blanks, should the need arise. I'm still reluctant to trim a blank that will end up in a customer's hands. I tell them, in an email, so I have documentation, the blank will have no warranty. Sometimes it's a deal breaker.

I completely agree with Mr Spooner. It's time we had the option to buy a blank, with a reduced price, with no warranty. If I'm going to trim it, and void the warranty, why pay for it?

A pie in the sky dream, at best. I suspect manufacturers and not really interested in having us know what the actual cost is of a "lifetime" warranty.

I have asked all of the different vendors that I buy blanks from about trimming the blank and all of them told me that the warranty would still be in effect.

Be safe

Don't want to steal the thread here but the tip of my blank is slightly bent What would happen if a guy were to cut like six inches or so off?

Don't want to steal the thread here but the tip of my blank is slightly bent What would happen if a guy were to cut like six inches or so off?

Been there, done that (Ha).
Lower powered blanks seem to be more tolerant to tip trimming. You’ll still see a substantially decreased A/A (action), but the greater overall flex with a lower powered blank tends to be more forgiving. You may have to repurpose it because you’ll also be seeing a considerable Power increase. Before cutting, I’d recommend that you measure the blank/rod (CCS or RDA) to determine the resulting Power/Action.

Trace,
If you have a blank with a soft tip, and you want to keep the soft tip - you will completely ruin the blank if you cut off 6 inches of the blank.

Once in a while I will trim the tip of the blank to meet a specific need, but I generally trim the tip in 1/4 inch increments. A blank can change immensely - with slight changes in tip length on some blanks.


If a tip is slightly bent, I just make a point to put the reel seat and the guides in line with the bend of the tip - so that the bend become invisible when the rod is being used.

Be safe

I agree with Roger 6" is a lot to take from the tip, an inch or two maybe. If the tip has a bend in it, try to get it pointing up. For a spinning rod I put the guides on the convex side of the curve, and for a casting rod on the concave side. Doing this the weight of the guides and gravity cause the rod to straighten out and the bend becomes less noticeable or unnoticeable.
Norm