do you start the first guide in line with the reel,,, or at 90 degrees?

doesnt spiral wrap refer to a decorative wrap in a 'barber shop' style spiral? not where the guides line up??

im just asking, i dont know

do you start the first guide in line with the reel,,, or at 90 degrees?
Jim, I've built a bunch of them. Come over and take a look if you want some ideas...

I Like 45 , 90 , 135 ,180. Some go 60 , 120 , 180.

so your not talking about rod guides?

ill be quite now. :)

there are many options and opinions on methods for sprial wrapping a rod. generally, different builders prefer different methods. there is not general rule for spacing as the rod dictates the spacing. 0, 60, 120, 180 is a common spiral. the "bumper" method has one at about 0, 90 (but close to the blank and a small guide size), and 180. you really need to do a stress test to see where the rod wants the guides to be. good luck.

you really need to do a stress test to see where the rod wants the guides to be. good luck.

Thats how I figure placement. Get some surgical tubing, cut it up into small rings, use it to attach guides and flex rod to see where the guides want to go. There's a little more to it than that but hard to explain..I can show you if you want Jim...Give me a call..:soon:

What does that do for the spine of the rod? I guess I'm asking whats the advantage?

the advantage is that the conventional reel rod will not twist under load.

spine is an effect and has nothing to do in building a spiral wrapped rod. i personally still spine mine, but many rod manufacturers only build on the straightest axis on all rod types. the primary advantage on a spiral wrapped rod is no blank torque, which is typical on standard casting/conventional outfits.

if you want a demo, stop by the saltwater edge's booth at next weekend's risaa show and i'll have a few spiral rods there.

is there a link for the show?
Also to keep the conversation going, I thought that a rod wouldn't twist if you found the spine and kept the guides on it?

Tajon,

As Seawolf was hinting at Spine a rod is somewhat a myth amongst rod builders.

I and most builders spine rods, but even on a conventional rod with heavy load the line wants to seek the lowest point. This is especially noticable IMO on say big saltwater rods with high rollers. If your in a stand up belt and you loose your balance you'll feel the rod torque over a bit, even though it is built on the spine.

Spinning rods are never a problem. This is why some love the spiral wrapped rod. I have yet to do one just because I think it looks funny, someday will do it.

I did a boat rod spiral wrapped, 7' long. Works great. I placed the eyes on how it felt right and not necessarily at specific degrees around the rods circumference. I always add an eye or two anyways, and with braid it really doesn't matter. It is a fun project.

yes, big offshore "conventional"-type rods do have a large load, but these blanks are heavy and can absorb the twist. plus, you have a gimbal and you are generally strapped into the rod/reel.

the easiest rod to see rod twist is a bass or trout rod build as a typical conventional. put a reel on it, some line thru it and bend it at least 90 degrees. you will see the rod tip torque left or right as the line tries to get to the bottom of the rod, but can't because of the guide setup. so, the blank torques as it is not powerful enough to stop the line from getting to where it wants to go.

unless a customer specifically requests a "typical conventional rod" and i cannot change their mind, all of my boat rods are built spiral now.

risaa/ne saltwater fishing show link - http://www.nesaltwatershow.com/

I like the simple spiral. Set up the guides as a regular conventional. Then flip em all to the bottom except the first. Add one of the smallest size guides halfway between the first and second guides (it is reffered to as a bumper guide and doesn't count toward the total # of guides and doesn't fit the regular spacing). That's all thats to it. It works well, is simple and casts as well as any other setup. There is a fair amount about it on the rodbuilding site.