I am looking to build my first rod and it will be a Centerpin / Float rod. In doing the individual cork rings, I have watched videos where they put them on a mandrel,glue them together and after sanding ream out the whole handle. I have also observed each individual ring get reamed and fitted on the blank,then the blank itself get spun for sanding the handle.What are the opinions of each techniques advantage or ease of use...Thanks,Scott

What do you have for equipment to turn the grip on?

I can set up my drill or use my drill press. I do have access to my dad's lathe..

There are advantages and issues for both methods. Fitting each cork ring to the blank and then gluing up the rings on the blank results in the best grip to blank fit and avoids having to ream the entire grip which risks grip failure and a grip not exactly concentric with the blank. Downsides are you risk blank damage when turning down the grip, and if the resulting grip is not to your liking the removal of the grip and replacement is a royal pain.

Gluing up on a mandrel and turning on a lathe does not risk damaging the blank, and it's easy to start over if your first attempt at turning is not to your liking. Downside is the grip must be reamed to fit after turning, which can be done easily if you work slowly and let the reamer and lathe do the work.

I've done both and now make all grips off the blank on a mandrel. For me it's the lower risk, very acceptable results option.

I use turning mandrels and ream afterwards. I like tite-bond three to glue my rings together and rod-bond to attach my grips and seat/arbor/insert to the blank. I find it really hard to use both adhesives at once while assembling on a blank without making a mess. Also, if I'm assembling on the handle, I use a power wrapper to turn the cork, and it's nowhere near as quick as using my lathe.,

The mandrel method would be best with your equipment.

Scott,
I actually do both.

1. I obtain the rings that I am going to use for the grip.
2. Then, I take each ring, and ream it to the place where it is going to be used on the blank.

3. I use threaded rod for turning, because it is readily available and inexpensive. As long as one uses the larger sizes it is also very stable. One can then use washers and nuts on each end for both to clamp and to hold the rings and grip in place when turning on the lathe.

4. I will use a caliper and use masking tape to match the size of the blank to the taped up threaded rod. Then, I drop each ring in place, gluing as I go with Titebond III wood glue. This glue is nice to use since it is water clean up. So, after all of the rings are in place, I just tighten down the nuts and washers on each end of the glued up rings for a secure fit on the rod. Then, I use a wet cloth to wipe off all of the glue that has squeezed out of the joints.

5. After 24 hours, I remove the washer and nut from one end of the grip, and chuck the threaded rod in a 1/2 inch reversible drill. I put the drill in reverse and screw the grip off of the threaded rod. Since the glue is an air cure, the glue on the inside of the cork holes will be still wet. So, I take another piece of blank or rod, and use it as a wiping tool to remove any excess glue that might be on the inside of the cork ring grip. Then, I let the grip dry for an additional 24 hours so that the glue has dried from both the inside and the outside of the grip. At the same time, I also use a wet rag to remove any residual glue that was left on the taped up threaded rod.

6. After drying, I screw the taped up threaded rod back into the grip, put it on the lathe and turn the grip to shape.

7. Then I fit the completed grip to the blank. It may need just a touch of reaming for the final fit. But, since each ring was reamed to size before gluing, the amount of reaming required (if any) will be small.

Good luck

p.s.
I purchased a set of 60 degree drill points to drill a perfect 60 degree hole in the center of the threaded rod, so it makes use in the lathe easy and secure.

[www.amazon.com]

I chuck the threaded rod in the head chuck on the lathe and put the center point drill bit into a jacobs chuck placed in the tail stock. I put the lathe on low speed, and then advance the drill bit into the spinning threaded rod to drill the centered ho.e I remove the drill rod, flip it end for end and repeat the process on the other end of the rod. That way, both ends have centered 60 degree holes for placement in the tail stock end point.

I like to use this live center which has a 60 degree point which is a perfect match for the 60 degree hole drilled into the end of the threaded stock.:
[www.pennstateind.com]

Note: I like to use either 3/8th or 1/2 inch threaded rod for the mandrel, rather than 1/4 inch, because the larger threaded rod is much stiffer than the smaller diameter 1/4 inch threaded rod. Hence, this is also part of the reason that I ream the holes in the cork first, so that I can use the larger threaded rod.

Good luck

I prefer gluing with a 15 minute clear liquid type epoxy. I make mostly wading rods and that has never failed on me. The thinner viscosity epoxy bond the cork together without it showing a glue ring. I shape on a small lathe at high RPM and use a medium file to get the shape then finish with 100, 220 and a final 400 grit. The main problem I have had with shaping natural cork is that sometimes it can have a void that is just under the surface or just fall appart and the shaping will bring it out and it will need to be re-done. This is my reason for shaping on a lathe.because it has happened to me more than a few times, especially with the quality of cork these days.