Results of the Mic-ing - Sue K.

RodM. list,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Another long post here.   It's raining again in Colorado and the rivers are
high !  No fishing this weekend at all, and probably wiped out now until
through the spring snow runoff.   Around here, that can mean into July.
Second best, if ya can't do, then talk about it !  

This post ?    Amazingly the subject matter is very narrow and should
consume only a few-lined post.  Not to be.   In the manner of anyone overly
enthused about the cause-of-the-moment, I shall expand significantly.

And the cause-of-the-moment ?   Cane of course.
And the over-enthusiasm ?  Managed to perform and record a taper.

My thanks to those of you who posted both publicly and privately with
advice on how I could do this.  Consider if you will, a person like me that
hasn't had any experience with work tools. After I completed this exercise,
I was sitting there thinking about it --- likened it to someone who has
always wanted to be a painter, has no knowledge of the tools of the trade,
nor how to use them, yet because of the draw and lure, presses on
regardless.   And then ends up talking about it ad nauseum to anyone who
will listen  *VBG*  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

To the Caliper-Caper then  :   

I DID give up almost immediately on writing down all three measurements for
the length of the rod.  My unscientific observation on this Moran rod I
calipered is that most of the three measurements had at least two that
matched, with the third being slightly different ( usually diff by .001 and
.002 ).  Only when I got down into the 60" and 70" stations did the three
measurements vary, two would be the same and the third off by .004    But I
DID take three measurements and averaged them in my head.  


Let me recount what I did.  

  Put a 60" piece of tape down on table, marked off every 5" with marker.

  Put small pieces of nylon tape on caliper jaws and reset to 0000

  Put smaller pieces of tape on the rod indicating the 5" point, 
      so when I lifted the rod up to measure, I knew where to 
      measure ( see below for this one critical problem in the 
      process ).

  Made sure the caliper was still at 0000 after each 5" measure.

  Where the guide wrap was at the magic 5" increment, I moved to 
     closest open spot and noted.

It was not easy holding the caliper as steady as you think you should.
Plus, here was my biggest problem !  It appeared from one person's advice
that I should put the rod down on the table next to the tape.  Which I did.
  Then perform the measurements by leaving the rod on the table and just
turning it to get the three measurements.   That did not work at all for
me.  The guides would make the turning process a problem and the rod
essentially would 'bounce'.   PLUS, the caliper was not easy to hold nor
read in a perpendicular manner to the rod  ( does this make sense ? )  

Instead then, after I measured the 5" increments and put small piece of
tape for the first three or four measuring points, I would take the rod
from the table, stand it up on the floor and use the caliper in a
perpendicular manner, looking 'down' on the digital read out.

The Tom Moran, 7'6", two piece, two tips.  I only measured one tip.  Just
for fun will do the second tip today.

The tiptop guide is 5/8" from the top of the rounded part to the end of the
guide.   Then there is another 1/4" of wrapping extending down on the cane.
 So a total of 7/8" before I got the first clean cane point of measure.

7/8"      .071
( 5" = guide wrap in way )
5 1/8"    .098
10"       .121
15"       .141
20"       .155
25"       .163
30"       .178
35"       .188
( 40" = wrap in way )
40 1/8"   .201
( 45" = male ferrule, .242 )

At this point, put the two sections together firmly, seated male to female.

50"        .234
( 55" = wrap in way )
54 3/4"   .247
60"       .253
65"       .267
70"       .279
75"       .293
80"       .377

For that ferrule measurement up there at the 45" point, would I average out
between the 40" and the 50" measures ?  and come up with what ?  Obviously
the cane underneath the ferrule has been shaved down and wouldn't be a true
mid between the 40" and 50" measurements.  

I didn't do the graph paper.  I am not building a rod, just experiencing
the first-ever caliper.  So many processes to do, that I had to foresake
something and the orderly tracking of the three numbers, thence to be
graphed was not done !   Maybe I will with the littler rod.  I like that
stick better anyway  :-)

Sorry this is so long.   
There ya have it.   Will do the Constable today.