clemens rod wrapping lathe

Was wondering if anyone out there is or knows ssomeone who is selling a used clemens rod rapping lathe. I posted a post a couple days ago and found out that the setup costs about 725-750 dollars. Hopefully I can find a used one that is in decent shape for a little cheaper. Thanks in advance, Derek.

Unless your a commercial builder, my question is why waste the money? I build for my own personal use and for some fiends, so 6 rods a year might be about it. I have an artical posted on my Fishing Page about building rods on a budget and I still use the same basic equipment to build my rods. The most expensive items I have are the 3 ball bearing rod supports I got from Clemens, at about $100 per pair. I think the drying motor I got out of Cabelas years ago for around $15 and it still works great. I use my variable speed drill for reeming out the cork and spinning the rod when sanding the handles. I made my own thread jig that holds about 4 spools, again no real cost involved. I had a metal shop build me 4 tapered (small to large) 12 inch long rasp type files that fit in my variable drill for reeming out the cork. All in all, very little money invested and the finished product is as good as anything that could be built on a $800 setup. Heres a picture of some of my thread work <img src="http://www.rgsiroisco.com/buttwrap.jpg" border="0"><img src="http://www.rgsiroisco.com/buttwrap1.jpg" border="0">

Think of all the blanks and supplies you could put that $800 towards. Well that's MHO anyway, tight lines.

Thanks form the info Got-Stripers. I am actually planning on building many of these rods to sell on ebay and possibly a local tackleshop. which is why im interested in the power wrapping machine. That is some beautiful work you have done on those rods, do you know of any books that could show me some of those designs. I agree with you 100 percent on the price of the clemens being very high, which is why i am interested in getting used one for a lot cheaper. Thanks again for your help, Derek.

[Got Stripers]

Dale Clemens custom thread work or rod building or something to that effect, don't have it in front of me. It has tons of patterns, good instructions on setting up the wrap, which is always the hardest and most important part of any good wrap. Building quality custom rods is still a one rod at a time deal. Sure maybe you can finish several at once with a multi-rod dryer, but again why bother. I just clear off my kitchen table, crank up some tunes, lay out two of the ball bearing supports, with a third on an extension for the long stuff and go to work. I found an old power wrapper at a going out of business sale years ago and although it worked fine, I still would rather wrap by hand because I always get better quaility.

Good luck with your search.

I think you might have some difficulty finding a used clemens lathe. Try www.rodguild.com, they have a rod builder's guild message board there and someone on that board might be able to help you. I would suggest you go with the clemens lathe whether you find a used one or buy a new one. Either way you wont be wasting your money. Another important factor to consider is the amount of space you have available for rod building. A clemens lathe should be permanently mounted on a base board on top of a level work bench or table with plenty of flourescent light overhead. For surfrods, you should have at least 12.5 feet of table to accommodate a 12 ft surf rod and the wrapping motor. A permanent work area is a great help because it allows you to work a little bit at a time and keep a cleaner, more organized work space. If you are confident enough of your abilities that you think you're going to eventually start selling rods, you'll definitely need a permanent work space and it wont take long to pay off the machine with a half dozen rods.