Morgan Hand Mill

Tom Morgan Bamboo Build Class #

These are the notes from the class. They were given out on sheets of paper. I’ve re-written them here and amended them where I needed additional notes.

Split Culms #

  • Choose culms. Bottom of the culms are used for the butts. Top of the culms are used for tips
  • Nodes are spaced closer together at the bottom. They’re wider at the top
  • The goal is for more power fibers at the bottom of the rod blank
  • Cut culms to 5-6’ sections: one for bottom & one for top
  • Inspect for depth of power fibers
  • Split into strip with star splitter, mallet & pipe. Put the tip of the culm up
  • Mark butt strips (B) and tip strips (T)

Strip Selection & Node Spacing #

  • Lay out butt strips with lowest part of culm to the right
  • Stagger nodes into 3/3 configuration1
  • Mark 8 strips to cut off (4 for each stagger). Thats 3 + 1 extra
  • Cut strips to length with chop saw or with hack saw
  • Lay out strips again in same node spacing config
  • Mark right ends in 2 different colors, one for each node alignment
  • Mark right end of each strip as butt section (B)
b b b r l r l r l e u e u e u d e d e d e B B B B B B

Repeat for the tip sections.

Prepare Strips for Planing #

  • Use froe to split & shave strips to consistent width and straightness
  • Sand dams with disc sander
  • Sand nodes on disc sander until flat & flush w/ enamel. Use a fancy sanding jig if you have one
  • Drill anchor screw hole 1" from right end
  • Separate butts and tips for separate planing
  • Soak strips in water overnight2

Rough Cut & Bevel Butt Sections #

  • Set up butt-roughing anvil
  • Check for trueness
  • Set butt taper from spreadsheet
  • Plane all butt strips to rough dimensions 0.070 over
  • Check for and repair curves using heat gun as needed
  • Choose 6 best strips and continue. Shelve the rest for future use

Rough Cut & Bevel Tip Sections #

  • Set up tip-roughing anvil
  • Check for trueness
  • Set butt taper from spreadsheet
  • Plane all butt strips to rough dimensions 0.070 over
  • Check for and repair curves using heat gun as needed
  • Choose 6 best strips and continue. Shelve the rest for future use

Heat Treat Strips #

  • Bundle strips and place in 325 degrees oven for 45 minutes
    • 45 minutes at 325 produces a “blond” color
    • 20 minutes at 350 can also be used
    • Reference needed for results of this
  • If using a forced air oven3, flip end-to-end after approx 20 minutes

Plane Butt & Tip Strips to 0.30 Over #

  • Soak butt strips in water
  • Set up butt-finishing anvil
  • Zero out each station
  • True the anvil if necessary
  • Set butt taper from spreadsheet
  • Plane butt strips to 0.030 over final taper dimensions

Dry Bind Strips #

This should be done at least once. Do this twice if time allows.

  • Lay out butt strips using alternating color coded ends
  • Number the strips from 1 to 6. This is the order for the strips for the rest of the build
  • Lay out strips on tape in order, 1 to 6
  • Roll strip 6 to strip 1 then work the strips together
  • Bind butt once in a binder

Check Sections for Fit #

This step is to remove glue seams (gaps) twists, and bends

  • Mark gaps and irregularities with a pencil
  • Sand and straighten and strips at gaps using a sanding jig

This step consists of slowly working down each of the strips, starting at the butt-end of the strip, and looking for gaps surrounding the nodes. If there was a gap at the node, place arrows on the enamel-side around the node. After all nodes are inspected, place the non-enamel side up in the sanding jig and sand this side. The gap

The gap (eventualyl will be a glue seam) exists because there is a “scoop” in the planed face. The intent of sanding is to lengthen that scoop so that when bound again, the strip can interface properly with its neighbor strip.

Final Planing of Strips #

  • Plane butt strips to 0.003 over final taper dimensions

This 0.003 over is to allow for enamel removal in a future step, plus moisture

Glue Up Section #

  • Lay butt sections in order (1-6) on tape. Place tape at both ends of strips
  • Spread glue with toothbrush on all surfaces of strips. Work from right to left spreading glue but skip the portions above the tape. After glue is spread everywhere, also spread onto the strips over the taped sections. Goal is to keep the tape dry enough for it to stick
  • Roll strip 6 to strip 1
  • Bind butt twice in binder (once in both directions)
  • Roll out blank on marble slab with palms, checking and correcting gaps and twists
  • Roll out blank on marble slab with tape roller, gentle pressure down rod
  • Hang vertically until dry, tip-side up, with a weight at the bottom to encourage straightness

Sand Enamel from Blank #

  • Cut off base of butt section
  • Sand each facet with rough and fine sanding blocks
  • When working on tip section, measure sanding strokes on each facet to ensure even removal on all sides
  • In class we were using Norton ProSand sandpaper in either 200 and 320 grit

#

  1. Common node spacings are Garrison-style, 3x3, and 2x2x2. See pg. 71 of Maurer & Elser’s Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod ↩︎

  2. An easy solution is vinyl gutters. Lowes items #279187 & #279191 combined with silicone or similar. ↩︎

  3. Check out Frank’s Personal Waste of Time Website. If that page goes down, try the Wayback Machine archive ↩︎