26 o 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 15, 1908. 
One of the common bevel-gear drill stocks, 
with a chuck large enough to take a J^-inch 
drill can be made to serve you in a way its 
manufacturers probably never thought of. This 
tool is made with a revolving wheel and handle 
on one side, for the right hand, and a stationary 
knob on the other, for steadying with the left 
hand. Remove this knob and fasten its spindle 
in the vise, wheel and handle on top. The 
chuck will take one of your tips, but do not 
close it too tightly. Turn the wheel with your 
left hand and polish your tips with a bit of sand¬ 
paper held in the right hand, moving forward 
and back very rapidly, to prevent circular 
scratches. If the tip is springy, be very careful 
as you approach its small end, for with this 
makeshift lathe you may snap off the end if 
you happen to let the sandpaper slip and catch it. 
By fitting a wood plug into the ferrule and 
securing the other end of the plug in the chuck, 
you can polish the butt or joint of your rod, 
but it is advisable to have some one else turn 
the wheel while you support the rod with one 
hand and polish with the other. This of course 
applies to tips, too. 
The butt of your rod will be 32^ inches long 
when ready for ferrule and hand-grasps (see 
Fig. 39). It will taper from 15-32 at the for¬ 
ward end of grasp to 19-64 at the ferrule, it 
being remembered that the cap or shoulder on 
this ferrule is 1-32 of an inch larger than the 
cap on its center. 
At first the tip may seem too heavy, but it 
must be remembered that it should be heavier 
in a wood rod than in one of split bamboo, and 
that whereas many split bamboo tournament 
rods are made with very little resiliency in the 
butt, the wood rod, when the tip is placed on 
the floor and pressure applied, should show a 
nice arch for more than half its length from 
the tip, while there should be quite a bit of 
spring below the ferrule. There is no fixed rule 
for determining how much to take off the butt. 
Testing it repeatedly will be the best plan, but 
if it still seems too stiff, the diameter of the butt 
must be reduced with the greatest care, else you 
may go too far. Placing the ferrule in the 
center of the. rod requires more care in trying it 
out than if there are two ferrules—as in a three- 
piece rod—but practice with reel and weight will 
satisfy you. 
When the taper of the butt joint suits you, the 
grasp is put on as described in Chapter VI., the 
wood is. finished as described for the tips, rubbed 
with varnish, and it is then ready for winding. 
It is made without pins through ferrule and 
centers, as will be noted. Pins keep the ferrules 
in place, but unless put in by an expert, they 
may weaken the wood where it needs strength, 
and good cement may be depended on. At 
most a ferrule may work loose, but it is merely 
necessary to warm it temporarily to secure it 
until it can be removed and put back with new 
winding or a little more cement. 
All of the best rods are equipped with pinned 
ferrules, and they seldom work loose. But these 
are fitted by expert workmen, aided by the 
finest machine tools. As I am writing from 
the beginner’s point of view, I advise cement 
far from home, there is no troublesome pin to 
pick out. Instead, you warm the ferrule, push 
out the broken wood and set the ferrule on a 
freshly fitted part. 
I have made several rods of this type, of split 
bamboo, bethabara and jucara prieto, varying 
in length from 4 ]/z to 6 l 4 feet. They have all 
been used in tournament casting and in fishing 
for black bass and great northern pike. Some 
of them have killed pike of six pounds and 
under, and numerous black and rock bass. 
Addendum to Part III. 
So many anglers have asked me why I omitted 
Tonkin canes from the list of fishing rod mater¬ 
ials, already published, that I have decided to in¬ 
clude them whfen these articles appear in book 
form. , 
Tonkin-canes come from the province of that 
name in French Indo-China, on the Gulf of Ton¬ 
kin, an arm of the China Sea. Probably most 
of them are cut in the valleys of the Black and 
Red rivers, which lie due east of Mandalay in 
Burma, and as Calcutta and Tonkin canes grow 
in the same latitude, this may account for the 
belief held by some that Tonkin canes equal 
Calcutta bamboo for rodmaking purposes. It is, 
however, a fact that very few professional rod- 
makers will admit that anything can equal first 
class Calcutta canes. A veteran says one reason 
why he is inclined to use Tonkin is found in the 
fact that good Calcutta canes are very difficult 
to obtain, and with them there is so much waste. 
Many of the Tonkin canes furnish thicker 
material than the other variety, and if properly 
seasoned and selected, make excellent fly- and 
bait-casting rods. Not all of them are burned, 
which furnishes another reason for their popu¬ 
larity. Some are stained unevenly before they 
are split, and when the strips are matched and 
glued these mottled places appear here and there 
on the rod, giving the effect that is so pleasing 
to anglers of the old school who, through cus¬ 
tom, prefer the mottling to the white 'enamel of 
unburned canes. The staining is a harmless pro¬ 
cess, and may he produced in several ways. 
Tonkin differs materially from Calcutta. The 
knots are smaller and less troublesome, and in 
the rough beveling you can plane through the 
knots with safety. This cane is much coarser 
than Calcutta, more brittle, and in breaking a 
strip the surfacd gives way in long splinters, 
leaving softer pith strata which are tough but 
not springy. Because of its greater stiffness ii 
is used for tournament rods. It resembles some¬ 
what our Southern canes, but its surface is 
darker and the fibres reddish. It is harsh and 
glassy, soon dulls the edge of the plane, and must 
be handled carefully or the hands will be cut and 
scratched. 
Tonkin canes cost more than Calcutta. Rod- 
makers who use them will not say much about 
them. I do not pretend to know which is the 
better material. I will, however, state that I 
made two fly-rods at the same time, one from 
the best Calcutta I could obtain; the other from 
Tonkin. The Calcutta rod required twice as 
much time and showed many imperfections. The 
Tonkin rod was satisfactory. Both were exactly 
alike. The best French glue was used on both. 
Amateur Rodm&king. 
Philadelphia, Jan. 20.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have read the articles you are pub¬ 
lishing in Forest and Stream on amateur rod 
making with a great deal of interest. 
D. J. M. Stokes. 
40. 
Racine, Wis., Feb. 2.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I am receiving Forest and Stream 
all right and enjoy it very much, especially the 
articles on rodmaking. They are worth the price 
of the paper alone to any one who enjoys mak¬ 
ing his own outfit. 
Charles F. Browne. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any nezvsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
only. Should a joint be broken while you are 
FIG. 36. 
Tip planed to octagon section. 
FIG. 37. 
Tip ready for mounting. 
FIG. 38. 
Tip fitted with center and top. 
FIG. 39- 
Butt joint finished and ready 
iwwi?imtuiuulnminitt 
.1- 
..A.. 
Split bamboo tournament rod with cylindrical cork hand-grasp. 
~.-Ffti — I I I-1 : 
—r- 
iFs 
Bethabara casting rod. 
~i-r 
Jucara l’rieto casting rod with double cord-wound hand-grasp. 
FIG. 
