HOME // CONSTRUCTION  // ORDER  // GALLERY // LINKS // ARTICLES

 

By George J. Roth

 

The wood this project began with was a piece of 1-1/2" x 3/4" x 10' oak.  Any wood will work.  I chose oak because it is hard, durable, resistant to splintering and easy to work with.  It results in a nice, clean product, as you will see below.  These pieces of wood were cut to 6" lengths.  The long length allows easy use of a cordless drill while the blank is within the clamp.  If it is too small, the drill chuck will strike the blank / cork and makes it impossible to lock the socket onto the nut.  This is true when gluing up the second section of the split rear grip.

 

A center line was drawn, where the blank will be placed.  Lines were then drawn to place the all-thread 1-1/4" from the edge of the clamp.  This will insure that the clamp will be strong and not break when placed under a load.

 

The center of the clamp section was then found and marked.  Using the square locked into position helps to insure that each of the holes will align when assembled.

 

This piece of wood was held in position by a pair of channel lock pliers.  A clamp would have been safer.  What ever you do, don't try to hold it by hand.  A 5/8" paddle bit was used to drill the hole which will eventually support the blank.  The size of hole you choose to drill should be determined by the outside diameter of the blanks you will be building.

 

The hole that the 1/4" all-thread will pass through is drilled with a Brad Point bit.  This hole was 1/4" and later englarged to 5/16" to allow free movement of the clamp pieces.  The center hole could have been drilled with a Brad Point bit as well.  The advantage of this style bit is that it results in a clean hole, allowing the clamp to perform better.

 

This shows how the 1/4" all-thread will fit into the clamp pieces.  The hole was later drilled to 5/16" to allow easier manipulation of the clamp.

 

A square was used to draw a line along the edge of the hole to act as a guide. 

 

Once the first cut has been made, move to the other side and cut your way back out.

 

This will result in removal of the wood, allowing the clamp to be used for split rear grip rods.

 

I'd suggest sanding each of the surfaces, including the edges, as it will make the clamp more comfortable to handle, especially if you are gluing up a large volume of rods.

 

This is the finished clamp.  I use two nuts locked on the bottom, which allows the use of a drill to move the wingnuts quickly when handle sizes vary.

This shows a clamp, along with washers, that are used to fit against the face of the cork.  Without the washers, uneven pressure will be applied to the section being glued because of the "U" shaped openings.  It will also result in permanent dents being pressed into the cork.  The split washer is used between the split rear grip, so it can be removed easily.  The solid washer can be used anytime it can be removed from the blank, after the glue up.

This is the cork clamp in action.  The split washer is on the left, which is the inside portion of the split rear grip.  The washer on the right side is solid and lying against the cork section that will later support the reel seat.  Cellophane is used beneath the washers to prevent the components from adhering to the clamp.

Oooops...don't let this happen to you!