Popular Science Monthly 



ends to find the center, and mark off the 

 length of the hand-grasp. While a shorter 

 grasp is sometimes preferred and used on 

 tournament rods, the best length is a 

 double-grasp measuring 12 in. overall, 

 including the taper and butt cap. Plane 

 the stick with the grain until it is evenly 

 tapered in the square, planing from butt to 

 joint, and check often with gage until the 

 exact dimensions are obtained. 



The work of rounding up the stick is 

 accomplished by using a length of common 

 %-in. flooring with a groove in one edge. 

 Plane the groove to roughly correspond 



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chased punched to any desired diameter, but 

 it is a simple thing to punch them by taking 

 a common brass ferrule 15/32-in. in 

 diameter, sharpening the edge with a file. 

 Fold several thicknesses of cloth over the 

 end to make a pad for the hand, and rotate 

 the cutter, back and forth, pressing down 

 at the same time, to force the cutter 

 through the cork. Do not hammer the 

 cutter, for this will make a ragged hole. 

 Corks of 1^8-in. diameter and Y±-\n. thick 

 are best, but the 3^- or j^-in. thick corks 

 obtainable from any druggist may be used. 

 Cut the butt off square above the holes, 



2 "5 I 5 6 7 6 1 10 



Plan for the taper, gage and way of holding the rough wood for planing it to shape, together with 

 the manner of cutting the handles from ordinary corks and the fittings for the entire rod 



with the taper of the rod. Nail or clamp 

 the board with groove uppermost on the 

 bench, and lay the stick in the groove. 

 Plane off the four corners to make the stick 

 octagon in form, then take off these 

 corners to make it sixteen-sided. Work 

 very carefully, setting the plane very close 

 and use the gage often to obtain the 

 desired taper. 



The stick will now be almost round, and 

 for the final rounding, make a scraper by 

 filing grooves of different sizes in one edge 

 of the steel cabinet scraper, shown in Fig. 4. 

 As the bottom of the groove does the 

 scraping, make it sharp by using a fine-cut 

 file and hold it at right angles to the steel. 

 With this little tool the edges are reduced 

 to shape and sandpapering will make the 

 rod smooth and free from hollow places. 



The hand-grasp is fashioned from solid 

 cork-washers. These corks may be pur- 



brush on a J^-in. band of liquid glue, and 

 force the cork down in place. Coat the 

 upper face of this cork and another section 

 of the butt with glue, and force the second 

 cork down against the first. Proceed in 

 this manner until the grasp is of the desired 

 length, 4% i n - being about right for the 

 lower grasp. 



The reel-seat is now fitted over a soft 

 wooden core. This core may be purchased 

 for a few cents, bored to any desired 

 diameter, or made from white-pine. Bore 

 a 15/32-in. hole in a stick of pine, and plane 

 down to fit. The butt end of the core 

 should be cut off l /i in. shorter than the 

 reel-seat, at each end. As the ordinary 

 reel-seat is rather long, cut it down to 4-in., 

 reverse the hood and place it at the bottom 

 end of the seat nearest the hand. When 

 the core is a snug fit, give the upper 

 surface of the cork and the butt it covers a 



