Author Archives: dave49

Mill Alignment

Posted on May 14, 2015 by dave49

A feature of my new “HiTorque Mini Mill” is that the column (supporting the head) CANNOT be tilted to allow drilling at an angle. This lack of tilt is a positive feature because it means that there should be no … Continue reading →

Posted in Alignment, Milling | Leave a comment

Radius Turning with the Compound Slide

Posted on May 11, 2015 by dave49

“Any tool can be the right tool.” – Red Green I put a “waist” on a reel knob by moving the tip of a lathe tool bit through an arc. The radius of this arc is 1.8 inches and makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Knob, Turning | Leave a comment

A New Mill

Posted on May 8, 2015 by dave49

I finally did what many have told me I should do, and that is get a bigger mill for my reel work. This is a Model 3990 from Little Machine Shop. It is several times heavier, stiffer, and more powerful … Continue reading →

Posted in Milling | 4 Comments

Swarf Pan

Posted on April 25, 2015 by dave49

I have been collecting waste chips from the lathe in shallow pans made of folded poster board, placed in front and back of the lathe base.  To make a more effective collection, I recently bought an aluminum “full sheet” baking … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Turning | 2 Comments

Wood Stabilization

Posted on March 26, 2015 by dave49

When a reel is specified to have a wood knob, I typically finish the wood with Tru-Oil. Then one reel came back to me with a tight knob. I know that it originally rotated freely; the wood must have shrunken. … Continue reading →

Posted in Knob | Tagged | 4 Comments

Rounding the Corners

Posted on February 24, 2015 by dave49

The is the rear end plate of reel S/N 52, screwed to a tool plate while I round off the corners of the pillar lugs. This is a fussy operation, with fine positioning of the Y and rotary axes to … Continue reading →

Posted in End Plate, Milling | 2 Comments

Spool Porting

Posted on February 13, 2015 by dave49

The “ports” are holes in the flanges of a spool, made to reduce weight and to provide ventilation for a wet fly line. Today I am using my rotary indexer to port a group of 5 spools. I am building … Continue reading →

Posted in Spool | 4 Comments

Ready for 2015 Trico Season

Posted on January 20, 2015 by dave49

July is a long way off, but I am ready. Last summer, local rodmaker Bob made a 6’7″ 3wt rod that I really liked. So he and I did some bartering and I wound up with this near copy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Rods | 1 Comment

Handling Large Bar Stock

Posted on December 11, 2014 by dave49

My current reel design has a brass or bronze frame. The “5 weight reel” is a little less than 3 inches over the pillar lugs, and the “3 weight” is a little less than 2.5 inches. I made the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Work Holding | 2 Comments

Greg’s Reels

Posted on November 27, 2014 by dave49

Greg is a bamboo rod maker and Grayrock attendee. He has the plans for my first reel design, and has recently completed two examples. He even set up an anodizing cell and then dyed one of the part sets. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reels by Readers | Leave a comment