flyreels are finished-thanks for the patience, guyz

[john elder]

i thought I'd let you suffer, laugh at, or laugh along with me as I see if I can make this happen...the good news is that with my projects, "this" is not defined until the last page...really improves the success rate Jim Wiegner (Jim: switched to the Teutonic Spelling) inspired (dared?) me to try to make a fly reel and I decided to see if I could make a bigger version of a little Pflueger reel that i particularly like. Below, you can see where I am at present and I'll add pics as things evolve..or devolve, as the case may be.

[Brian F.]

Ooooo my goodness

[john elder]

time passes...an hour and a half with files and bandsaw this AM:








And something Norm doesn't show you...the joy of wood is it's tremendous strength across grain...the sorrow is it's weakness down-grain...a lesson that I seem to have to re-learn periodically. A few years ago, this would have been stuck in the side of the garage wall. However, one of the lessons learned is that God invented Titebond II glue for this purpose and by this evening, only me and you will know if happened.

[Richard Lodge]

I thought I had the market cornered on skeleton fly reels, but you have me sitting here in stunned silence.
That's going to be one beautiful wooden skeleton reel. You've focused on exactly the great design and artistic cutouts that make skeletons so darned cool. Keep posting those photos. I can't wait to see the finished work - and I'd love to negotiate with you to add it (or one like it) to my stable of skeleton fly reels.
Are you going to the convention in May? If so, maybe you'll bring this beauty with you?
Best,
Richard

[john elder]

Thanks much for the kind words and vote of confidence, Richard. I have to pick my daughter up from college that weekend, so can't make NY. However, assuming these reels don't self-destruct, I hope to find appreciative homes for them...let's see how we do!

Incremental gains this AM...brought "Whitie" up to speed with an hour or so of filing/sanding. This one is made from Ash...the red one is Padauk.

[Harvey]

JE.
Your skills are amazing! A very dear friend of mine owns a branch of the Constantine Wood Center here in Ft. Lauderdale. John also prides himself in making very exquisite doll house furniture from exotic woods which sell for BIG bucks. I sent him the photo’s of the other two reels that you have made in the past. Yesterday, I was in his area and stopped by to say Hi and showed your first post on this thread. (I will forward the last one today) He, being a guy that is drawn to detail, was amazed also. I had to laugh when he stated that he admired the drawings and the ability to stick to them during your building process. He does just the opposite. He fashions the parts for his projects from a rough sketch then modifies it to fit his application then traces it for future use. I will keep him posted on your progress and please do the same for us.
Simply Amazing!
“H”

[Jim Wiegner]

Good morning John: Regarding your very informative Fleet post, just what exactly do you put into your Starbucks in the morning? Jim Wiegner

[Jim Wiegner]

Regarding the Starbucks post, obviously I should have had mine, as I got lost in the process. But since I'm here, may I join Brian and Richard in expressing my appreciation for the ingenuity and craftmanship being shown (and shared). John lends new meaning to the term Made With Pride In America. Jim

[john elder]

Tonight's therapy session was spent making a couple feet (couple hours)..made from pau ferro..hope I don't have to remake these with something else..tough wood, but the grain is pretty scary.









sorta starting to look like reels!

[Brian F.]

John, we need to see a shot of you with goggles on, covered in sawdust and stuff flying all over the place.

[john elder]

Ya know...if I didn't pick such odd woods to use, they actually make 1/4 inch dowels you can just buy! Masochist, I am...



ooh! ooh!..had to preview...starting to think I'm almost done...that means I only have to devine a working axle for the spool; decide the best way to pin the cross-members and make that happen; make the crank handle and counterbalance; design and build a gear and clicker mechanism that will work and not break in the first six turns; then spend appr. 6+ hours final sanding and finishing...then do the other reel...hmmm...then I just might have to make a rod to put one of these on.

[Brian F.]

John, hate to tell you this but the ash spool probably looks sharp in the Padauk frame too. Looking really good!

[Harvey]

Picky, Picky, Picky!
I couldn't make a white spool 'cause it would be red by the time I got done with the blood loss I would suffer. As Billy Crystal / Ricardo Montalban would say ' John Boy,You are marvvvvelous",

[m3040c]

Dear Mr. Elder,

I am new to this forum but i am also a woodworker that appreciates the amount of time, talent and skin that must go into a project like this.

I just wanted to ask that when you complete this project would you consider making the body and fenders for the Corvette I am restoring? Ash wood would be a fine choice.

The world needs more people like you.

Mike

[john elder]

Thanks, guyz...Brian, I'm making the two reels same, so that everything is interchangeable...have to see what the wood combos look like when they have been finished...also, I usually build two of most new projects, in case one of them goes ballistic, I have another chance without starting from scratch. And Mike...don't know about that Corvette fender...might not make it thru a trip to the shopping mall parking lot!

Mostly sanding and boring things this weekend..not worth a pic ...but turned the handles and counterbalances from cocobolo this AM, which was quite fun. If you haven't tried woodturning, you need to! Very rewarding..instant gratification..and even a Ph.D. can do it

gotta start somewhere:



Oh, there they come:




Hah! these should do!

[m3040c]

I am impressed with the reel and your craftmanship. Do you log the hours you spend making a set of reels. I would say your labor is worth about $50.00 an hour. I wonder where that would put the value of a original "John Elder" reel.

If you made the Corvette fender I bet it would be the other cars in the mall lot that would be in trouble.

mike

[john elder]

Lots of things take up time when you are shooting from the hip, but the process is fun, regardless. I turned a couple buttons for the clicker knob:



But they looked too small, at 3/8 in diameter, so back to the lathe. I think these look better, at 9/16 in.:



Next, had to make "gears" for the clickers...I'm using a phenolic resin-treated linen material, which doesn't have grain concerns and puts up with some abuse without the need of much thickness..not going to have much room in there. The teeth were made by drilling holes in a circle, then cutting the circle at mid-hole:





(as of today, I'm estimating about 20 hours invested so far...hey, i could have been on the couch watching TV!)

[john elder]

Well, time to start cheating...I haven't developed the required love of fine sanding as of yet...I can get down to 320 grit pretty easy these days, but I'll have to work toward the 1000 grit level. At any rate, I pre-finish my parts to emphasize the areas that need work...still more to do on these spools, but looking okay:




Now, can't put it off any longer...have to figure out how I want to do the x-members for the frame. I need a way to pin them in...will try to turn some cocobolo to 1/8 in tonight, with buttons on the ends...but may have to resort to 1/8 in brass rod all the way thru for strength...either way, first need to get some center holes drilled in the x-members. Here's a trick I picked up to do this, with small round parts, to ensure hitting the middle. You use a brad point bit to drill almost thru a waste board, so that just the brad point comes thru the other side...that's dead center on the hole...has to be a tight fit for your dowel, which you then put in the hole, then flip to the side where the brad point came thru...off to the drill press, then remove the drilled dowels at the band saw:

[Brian F.]

Slick idea. MORE, MORE!

[john elder]

sorry, Brian...mostly just coasted this weekend (Ouch! sorry!)



Hey, the albys are 100 miles out...got to get ready!

In any event, made some decisions re x-members. Reinforced with brass rod and will put pau ferro or cocobolo caps on the outside:

[Brian F.]

OK, now you did it...now we gotta see the lures too!

[Ron Mc]

yes, with wooden treble hooks.

[Jack Bright]

John--Will there be a 40 yard size? I would be interested. . . Jack

[john elder]

This is just down-right eerie, jack...it said "40 yd" right in the center or the rod seat when I turned it over...tomorrow

..More later with the lures, Brian..and Ron, afraid the wood hook would go bye pretty fast on the troll..and that's where these lures are headed...at least once!

Making the plugs for the outside of the x-members...here's another way to make dowels that's pretty slick...picked up from Fine Woodworking Mag a few years ago. You cut square stock (3/8 in. here) and drill a hole that diameter half-way thru the jig..then drill the other half the size you want the dowel (1/4 in. in this pic). Bring the blade up til it just cuts the stock, shy of the out-feed diameter, then feed the stock while turning it...faster the better and if it's longer enough, you put it in a drill chuck to crank it fast...this one was done by hand:



can then turn down to as small as 1/8 dia., if you use the right wood, using a metal tap...pic tomorrow...this AMs were out of focus.

[john elder]

A.D.D.? Me?! ...but I digress..





Now, what was I doing?...oh, yeah...reels...back soon!