Calviello CFH806BPJSE

I like to share my last rod. This one is an 8' #6 3/2 Hollow Build BiPower Jaguar Special Edition Series.

The "spirit" of a bamboo rod

As I said many times I feel that bamboo rods have life inside. That life is what gives to them its special feeling and keep us taking care of them as very valued properties. What make that feeling so special?... For me the making process is an important issue where we can help to maintain the spirit of material alive. There are three steps that are fundamental for this

1) Selection of cane and taper.
2) Nodes work.
3) Planing

1) Selection of cane and taper
I made my rods one at a time and as you know I'm a "onemanshop" maker, so my production is not more than 40 rods a year. This, allows me to make some own decisions about selection. I look to my poles on stock first and select them looking for the best ones for suitability to special types of taper. This means that if I decide that a pole will be great for a 7' #4 this is what I will do with that pole and nothing else. Spacing nodes, density of powerfibers, color, marks, straight all are the conditions that push me to one side or another on that decision.
I keep my poles marked with a paper sticker with my taper selection for each pole.

2) Nodes work
As I told many times all my making process is done by hand. The nodes work is my preferred step into the making process. I do it one at a time with two different kind of files. Begun the work with the pit protuberance that is cut with the help of a plane and finish with a meticulous work into the nodes. Them the nodes press and alignment process comes.
I work into this with a heat gun and a special vise the Record 51.

3) Planing
I designed a special machine that allows me to make easily the first triangulation by hand without using any mechanical machine. I own a rough machine, but really I hate to see all that pieces of cane flying in the air and also hate the sound of that machine hurting the cane.
I made all this process by hand, this allows me to know about each strip particularities.
I'm not trying to say that this is the best way to do it I 'm only trying to share my experience and my thoughts about how I feel confidence to make it.

I know..., this will take a lot of time, but I'm not a production company and this gave me the time to know about any of my rods. I made 30/40 rods in a year... I also know that I can make 100/120 using machines. I know the difference, I feel the difference, many don't but for me here resides "the spirit of a Bamboo rod".