Part 3: Shaving the Bark & Initial Sanding

The wood fly rod project resumed this weekend with removal of the blank from the drying jig, shaving off the bark, and starting on the initial sanding. I was quite happy with how straight the blank was right out of the jig – but I know from experience that a perfectly straight blank can sometimes develop a slight curve as the blank is sanded (Note: avoid the temptation to flex the rod blank at this point as it is most susceptible to developing cracks until it has been heat treated).

The rod blank is 9' 4" long and arrow straight at this point

The next stage in the wood fly rod build involves preparing the blank for the heat treating process:

The first step is removal of the bark; this could conceivably be done with coarse sandpaper but the dried bark is quite tough and it would be far too time consuming. The fastest way to remove the bark is by scraping it with a heavy hunting knife on a firm flat surface. To do this the blade of the knife is held at right angles to the blank as it is drawn along lengthwise. Work around the circumference in approximately 30-45 cm long sections before moving to the next section. Use even steady pressure as you draw the knife along and avoid allowing the knife to bounce or chatter. It is important to note here that the knife is used to scrape, not carve the bark off – carving (or letting the knife chatter as you scrape) risks cutting too deep into fibers and leaving micro-serrations that can lead to breakage.

 

Once all of the bark has been removed the entire blank is sanded. You want to smooth out all of the knots, divots, high spots, and imperfections to the point where the blank is perfectly round, smooth, and evenly tapered. I usually start with 60 or 80 grit sand paper and progress down to 120 as things start to smooth out. This is all done by feel with a small piece of sandpaper folded in the palm of your hand – the blank is pushed lengthwise back and forth through the sandpaper, and rotated as you work (It is a good idea to wear leather gloves at this point to avoid getting splinters, or burns from the friction with the sandpaper). Work the blank evenly from tip to butt; repeat the process until an even taper has been created along the entire length. Don’t worry about exact rod taper or flex at this point – you want to sand off just enough material to get the blank smooth and even so it can be heat treated.