About that blank coming out of the chuck: If the blank is not perfectly aligned with the centerline of the lathe, the blank wiggles in the chuck with each revolution and will work out of the chuck. Try to adjust the blank as level as possible: Getting the centerline of the blank, not the tapered outside, as true to the centerline of the lathe as possible. Not easy to do by eyeballing.
In the machine shop, this is easy as we have a precision lathe and precision dial indicators to “dial in” a shaft that is chucked in the metal lathe. Not so with a rod lathe. Besides, rod blanks are not true enough to warrant the use of a dial indicator. So calibrate your eyeballs!
Back to rod building:
A rubber band or several layers of masking tape on the butt end of the blank helps to keep the blank in the chuck. I use bicycle innertubes and cut wide sections to make wide rubber bands, better than the skinny ones you buy at the stationary area of your favorite store. Most guys already do this.
If your rod stands are the spring loaded type, the below modification will also help to keep the rod from jumping out of the stands. This will work on any similar wrapper, like the Pac Bay.
The roller stands for my Alps Wrapper have the spring loaded upper arm. The one that allows a rod to jump out when you leave the wrapper to itself when drying finish. Pretty annoying!
Original stand on the left, modified stand on the right. Note the “carriage bolt” securing the swing arm on the modified stand instead of the screw on the original.
You will need a supply of small carriage bolts, these are No. 10. You handy guys know what a carriage bolt is: A smooth rounded head with a short length of square shank just below the head, to grip the material the bolt protrudes through. Invented by wagon and carriage makers a long time ago, hence the name “carriage bolt”. Small No. 10 bolts are hard to find: But an endless source is the dog crate manufacturers. They are used to assemble dog crates and have a nice black plastic wing nut that looks as if it was made to fit the Alps Wrapper stands. I have a good stash from using crates for animal shipping, the new crates have extras included and I toss them in a container for future use.
You may also use standard screws and metal wing nuts, but I think the plastic wing nut looks better on the rod stand.
They look like this:
The one on the right has the square turned down to round, reason for this explained later.
First step, drill out the swing arm hole using a 3/16” drill.
Deburr both sides of the hole. I am using a 82 degree countersink, anything similar will work.
Drill out the hole in the stand with a 3/16” drill. You may have to run the drill up and down a few times, we want the carriage bolt to swivel freely in this hole, as it is held in the swing arm with the Loc Tite.
Back to those two carriage bolts: I have a metal lathe and turn down the square portion of the shank so it is a snug fit in the swing arm.
I take the turned down carriage bolt and the drilled out swing arm and assemble with a dab of Loc Tite on the turned down portion of the shank, push the bolt into the swing arm and let it cure.
Below is the final product. The wing nut looks like it came from the factory. And we still have the spring to hold the swing arm out of the way when loading the rod blank.
Raise the arms, load the blank, flip the swing arms down, tighten the wing nut snugly.
I wrap a few layers of masking tape around the butt of the rod, this gives a “cushion” to absorb misalignment in the chuck. Combined with the modified rod stands, your blank will no longer jump out of the Alps wrapper.
Modified stand on the right.
A link for the dog crate carriage bolts:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/vari-kennel-repl-bolts?sku=DKV1&ne_ppc_id=237621180&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI15n6waGY3AIVkONkCh0EsgK0EAQYAiABEgKScfD_BwE
I have also posted this topic on other rod building forums.
In the machine shop, this is easy as we have a precision lathe and precision dial indicators to “dial in” a shaft that is chucked in the metal lathe. Not so with a rod lathe. Besides, rod blanks are not true enough to warrant the use of a dial indicator. So calibrate your eyeballs!
Back to rod building:
A rubber band or several layers of masking tape on the butt end of the blank helps to keep the blank in the chuck. I use bicycle innertubes and cut wide sections to make wide rubber bands, better than the skinny ones you buy at the stationary area of your favorite store. Most guys already do this.
If your rod stands are the spring loaded type, the below modification will also help to keep the rod from jumping out of the stands. This will work on any similar wrapper, like the Pac Bay.
The roller stands for my Alps Wrapper have the spring loaded upper arm. The one that allows a rod to jump out when you leave the wrapper to itself when drying finish. Pretty annoying!
Original stand on the left, modified stand on the right. Note the “carriage bolt” securing the swing arm on the modified stand instead of the screw on the original.
You will need a supply of small carriage bolts, these are No. 10. You handy guys know what a carriage bolt is: A smooth rounded head with a short length of square shank just below the head, to grip the material the bolt protrudes through. Invented by wagon and carriage makers a long time ago, hence the name “carriage bolt”. Small No. 10 bolts are hard to find: But an endless source is the dog crate manufacturers. They are used to assemble dog crates and have a nice black plastic wing nut that looks as if it was made to fit the Alps Wrapper stands. I have a good stash from using crates for animal shipping, the new crates have extras included and I toss them in a container for future use.
You may also use standard screws and metal wing nuts, but I think the plastic wing nut looks better on the rod stand.
They look like this:
The one on the right has the square turned down to round, reason for this explained later.
First step, drill out the swing arm hole using a 3/16” drill.
Deburr both sides of the hole. I am using a 82 degree countersink, anything similar will work.
Drill out the hole in the stand with a 3/16” drill. You may have to run the drill up and down a few times, we want the carriage bolt to swivel freely in this hole, as it is held in the swing arm with the Loc Tite.
Back to those two carriage bolts: I have a metal lathe and turn down the square portion of the shank so it is a snug fit in the swing arm.
I take the turned down carriage bolt and the drilled out swing arm and assemble with a dab of Loc Tite on the turned down portion of the shank, push the bolt into the swing arm and let it cure.
Below is the final product. The wing nut looks like it came from the factory. And we still have the spring to hold the swing arm out of the way when loading the rod blank.
Raise the arms, load the blank, flip the swing arms down, tighten the wing nut snugly.
I wrap a few layers of masking tape around the butt of the rod, this gives a “cushion” to absorb misalignment in the chuck. Combined with the modified rod stands, your blank will no longer jump out of the Alps wrapper.
Modified stand on the right.
A link for the dog crate carriage bolts:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/vari-kennel-repl-bolts?sku=DKV1&ne_ppc_id=237621180&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI15n6waGY3AIVkONkCh0EsgK0EAQYAiABEgKScfD_BwE
I have also posted this topic on other rod building forums.
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