jbrandon47 Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Trying the Mud Hole DIY kit to build some rods and am having trouble finding the spine. I even bought a spine finder which I can't seem to get to work. I do like they say and I bend the rod and rotate it with the other hand and wait for it to jump into place, but I guess what gets me is that it seems to do that on both sides. Are they both the spine? Should I be looking for something specific? When using the spine finder I bend the rod down and it wont rotate the ball bearings very well to where I'd say Ah Hah! Any help would be much appreciated. Here is the MudHole DIY video for finding a spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Spine is caused by the layering effect of how they make rods. Usually there is a thicker side to a rod blank and this causes the spine. Another way to find spine is to lay the large end on the edge of a table with the tip end sticking off the table. Rotate the rod slowly and see if it raises or lowers the tip as you roll the big end across the table slowly. If there is no difference that is unusual and is easier to build as you can turn it which ever way you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braided Line Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Do a search on :Find the spine on a rod blank. There are several links to your answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washougal Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) Spline finding is of no value to you, the end result will be the same no matter what you do. Lots of myths here, the casting rod will twist with guides on top no matter what you do, casting accuracy will not be affected no matter what you do, the line and lure will always follow the path of your swing, no matter what. Power difference is so miniscule I have yet to find anyone who can get it right anymore often than they can judge a coin toss. Sage and many other high end builders have never splined their rods, they build on the straightest axis, which the vast majority of the time is nowhere near the spline. A straighter rod looks nicer than a crooked one when you look down the rod while using it. The spline is not a stiff spot where everything finishes in a straight line, it is a naturally averaged spot that most blanks will align to when stressed, but not all rods will have a spline, and some have two, and many are not 180 out from each other. The material the rod is built with is spiralled down the mandrel getting stiffer and thicker for durability as it progresses down to the butt. The fibers on most rods are running straight down the blank, but the tapered material's shape leaves a spiral that is sanded out after baking. On many of my unfinished blanks I can still see this spiral and sometimes a bit of the glue ridge from the closely spiralled cellophane wrapping process before baking. Edited March 5, 2017 by Washougal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilpdriverrat Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Blanks will generally have more than one spine. Ignore the spine and build the rod on the straightest axis. Forget what you read about spine...it really is irrelivent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 8, 2017 Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 I agree it's irrelevant to the function of a rod. However, it can be a little off-putting to pick up a rod and see it bends left or right, so I want mine built with the bend either up or down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washougal Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Bend up, or down = straightest axis. Bend up will deflect the tip a bit straighter with the addition of you guides and wraps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
