This is a step-by-step illustration on building bamboo fly rods with the help of Marco O.Giardina (MOG), a Master cane rod maker form Neaples, Italy. Variations to this preparation do of course exist. That's the beauty of cane rodmaking...

On the following link is a preparatory slideshow (about 15 MB), while on this page are the main moments with a few pictures taken by Alberto Poratelli.

Alberto, Marco and myself, we are all members of the Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association (IBRA).

STEP-BY-STEP ILLUSTRATED GUIDE ON HOW TO MAKE A BAMBOO FLY ROD

From China....

...To Marco Giardina (MOG)

1. Culm Preparation

2. Flaming the Culm (optional)

3. Splitting the Culm

4.Flattening the Nodes

5. Splitting again the Bamboo Strips

6. The Beveller (this part can be done by hand, using a wooden planing form). This creates 60° bamboo strips. 6 of them together will create the hexagonal rod.

7. Binding the Strips For the Oven

8. Tempering the Strips in the Home-Made Oven

9. Sharpening the Plane

10. The Planing Form

11. Glueing The Strips

12. Binding the Glued Strips and Let Them Dry Overnight

13. Removing the Glue

14. Inserting the Nickel-Silver Ferrules - A Very Critical Moment

15. Wrapping Guides

16. Guides Finishing

17. Inserting grips and Reel Seat

18. Finishing The Rod - (here the dipping method in a diluted polyhurethan varnish)

19. About 80 Hours for Final Result...

From Building Bamboo Fly Rods to my schoold moment in Sansepolcro, Tuscany (Italy)

...or wanna know know what to look at before buying vintage (or modern) cane rods?