Thanks Rick, I think I'll be happy to spend the extra 10 bucks and go with your recommendation with the Pac Bay. I bought the stuff to make my own rod jig today and it looks like it should be fairly easy to build. Is there any reason why I shouldn't make my own rod jig? I also want to put a fighting butt on this rod, normally six weights don't have that, is that a problem? Here is the instructions I am following. Would this jig be OK for my first (and maybe only) rod I am building?
Step 1, The Base From the 1x2, cut three pieces 5 1/4†long. Put one aside for later. take the two remaining pieces, and glue/screw them to the bottom of the two 1x3 pieces, leaving about a 5/16†gap between the two 1x3’s. Be sure to pre-drill and countersink all screw holes to keep from splitting the wood. Set this aside to allow the glue to dry.
(Photo 1)
Step 2, The Rod Rests From the 1x4, cut three pieces 6†long, and two pieces 4†long. Set one of the 6†pieces aside for later. Take the two remaining 6†pieces and clamp them together. Mark and cut a “V†notch 1 1/2†deep in one end. Then Glue/screw the uprights (6†pieces) to the 4†pieces. Drill a 5/16†hole in the center of each of the 4†bases.
(Photo 2)
Step 3, Thread Tensioner Now, take the two pieces you set aside earlier. Drill two 1/4†holes in the piece of 1x2, far enough apart so two spools of wrapping thread won’t hit each other. On mine, they are 2†apart. Glue/screw the 1x2 to one edge of the piece of 1x4. Drill a 5/16†hole in the center of the 1x4, about 2†from the edge.
Thread the 3†bolts through the two holes in the upright, and secure them with a nut. These will hold your spools of wrapping thread. Tension on mine is supplied by two small pieces of surgical tubing (small springs will also work) I had to use the self-locking nuts because the wing nuts I tried kept un-screwing themselves as the spools turned.
Washers cut from a thin piece of plastic, and placed on both ends of the thread spools help the thread spools to turn smoothly. I added a small eye screw to the base to feed the thread from the bottom of the rod blank.
(Photo 3)
Step 4, Finishing/Assembly Sand lightly (if you feel ambitious, you can use a router on all the edges), stain, and apply a coat of you finish of choice. I just sprayed mine with a couple of light coats of matte polyurethane. Glue felt (or the fuzzy half of Velcro) to the “V†notches in the rod rests. I put some on the base to keep from scratching the kitchen table, too.
Then use the 2†bolts, washers, and wing nuts to connect the rod rests and thread tensioner to the base. The slot you built into the base is for your adjustments of these three pieces.
You should have enough excess wood left to make a separate rod rest (for longer sections or one piece rods). I’m going to make an extra upright for mine, and attach a drying motor, for finishing.
(Photo 4)
Simple Rod Jig ..not nearly as nice as the one above
Rod Building jig
Use 1/2 inch plywood or lumber to make your jig. Distance between V's should be about 24 inches. Height to bottom of V's should be 6 to 10 inches above middle board. Place felt in V's so rod blank does not get scuffed.
This is a simple diagram of a rod building jig. Fancy jigs can be made with rollers and a power motor to spin the rod while tying. They are also available for $100-200 commercially.