82 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



end is 5-32 of an inch thick. Holding the tip 

 end on the floor, exert a slight pressure and 

 note the curve of the whole piece, which should 

 arch nicely, the curve diminishing gradually 

 toward the butt. Turn it, and see if the 

 spring is fairly uniform on all sides. 



Now caliper carefully and trim off uneven 

 places until the diameter of both sides is exactly 

 alike at each six-inch station. Use the small 

 plane for this work, setting it very fine. 



A piece of board with a groove in one edge, 

 preferably four feet long, is now in order. 

 Pine tongue-and-groove stuff, used for parti- 

 tions, is ideal. Its value for other branches of 

 rodmaking will be explained further on. Plane 

 the edge, so that the groove will be shallow at 

 the tip end, and fasten it in the vise or nail it 

 lightly to the side of the bench. Lay the rod 

 in the groove, with one of the four corners 

 uppermost, and setting your small plane a trifle 

 coarse, take off the corner evenly from butt to 

 tip, ignoring your pencil mark. 



Turn to the next corner and plane it, then 

 the other two. Use the utmost care in trans- 

 forming the strip from square to octagon form, 

 and caliper frequently until it is of exactly the 

 same diameter on every side at each six-inch 

 station. You are now shaping the strip, so that 



