welcome to the club
Senor Elmo, and don’t forget to seal that pole.
Yo Fatelmo
When that closet pole breaks on you, (and it won’t take a lot), make sure you have a back up of some kind
I’ve made a few poles here’s how to do it. I found a standing, just died, ash about 10’’ at the base. Cut it to about 14’ laid it on two other log to get it off the ground, snapped a centerline and split the log with the chainsaw.
In the shop snapped another line and put it on the table saw. Now using that straight edge against the fence, started cutting the half log down into rough poles. This would work a lot better on a bandsaw.
Now with pole in a vise, or some sort of hold down I use a Drawknife I cut the cut the square pole into a round pole. I use a pair of outside calipers to check the work. once it gets close I use a Belt sander, and/or a jointer plane to smooth it out.
Nothing fancy for the lower end, I cut a 1" long piece of 1"ID black steel pipe, trim the pole to fit in it at about an1 1/2’’ cut the trim part thru the center slide the collar on and drive in a wedge in the center cut to keep the collar on. Finish it with BLO or your favorite finish and your ready to go.
I thinks Fat Elmo
– Last Updated: Dec-15-07 8:23 PM EST –
will be happy with that HomeDepole for a while. I just recalled this talk with RavensJester, who has a couple websites for the home-depot pole and the 2 pc. "texas towers" economy aluminum pole. This was last april or may and I was concerned with the wobbliness of my home depot pole. well, after doing about another 60 hours of rock infested cl. 1 and mostly 2, this pole is still going strong. I've replaced a couple copper endcaps 'cuz they've worn thru, but the pole is hangin tough. I have supplemented this with a 1.5"x .065 6061-t-6 ledge climbing monster, but I still finding myself heading for that old closet rod. Anyways, here's Freds take...
http://www.npmb.com/cms2/forum_viewtopic.php?13.71350
I find the main need for two poles is in case the first one gets stuck or dropped.
Please enlighten me …
I have made many different ‘poles’ of various OD/IDs up to 20’ per section for different applications.
Please tell me, what is the preferred or desired OD ? Should this or does this have to stay the same throughout ? Good / NG ?
ASSuming stiffer the better right ?
Confused … buoyant is NOT good ?
Does a pole normally get used symmetrically or asymmetrically as pertaining to its length ?
Just wondering … thanks.
i think whatever
– Last Updated: Dec-16-07 8:02 AM EST –
works for you is the right way to go. Seems like in aluminum 1.125x.058 wall is standard; I might try that for my next poles except the local distributor went way up on his prices. Aaron and I use the 1.5"x.065 wall monsters happily, maybe we just don't know any better!! I know Fred is our local guru and he experiments with flats, pitches etc... on his wood poles. They had the ACA nationals at my local poling spot last may/june, and it seems like all those guys were using the 1.125" aluminum.
Fred has a nice site for an economical 2 pc. aluminum pole here.
http://ravensjester.smugmug.com/gallery/517955#21319710
Personally, I think buoyant is a neccesity and I use both ends of my poles, also a neccesity for where I pole.
Stiffer is better
but not so stiff that there isn’t any give. A little give and a little spring is easier on the shoulders and elbows.
Ideally, there should only be enough buoyancy to float the pole in the case of the inevitable dropped pole. Too much buoyancy can sometimes make setting the pole into the bottom difficult, especially if your angle of attack is too shallow.
-rs
Great site, Matt
After ah’ bust me closet pole ah’ll try a two piece aluminum. Thanks.
FE
Thank Fred, Elmo
I don’t think you’ll break your Home-depole, but a spare comes in handy when those nasty rocks want to snatch your pole away from you. I live about 30 minutes away from Yarde metals, which Fred referenced. I checked for Riverstrider a couple months back on a 12’ length of 1.125x.058x12’ 6061, and I think they wanted $85. I got my 1.5x.065 for $80 so I guess inflation hit hard. If you ever join our mutual bud BobR on one of his numerous Shepaug trips, or come out on your own, I bet we could get Fred to join us in his seatless kevlar Bell Chestnut. One of my numerous mentors, along with Aaron, Bob, dang near everyone I paddle with.
Polling dimensions, compromises
The second-ever pole I ever used, after the spruce sappling I whittled up on Farm Island, was an old antiquey thing somebody had in their barn up in Maine. It too, was from a sappling and was fatter at the bottom end than the top and had an iron foot on one end (the fat end, which is how I dedeuced it must be the end that goes in the water). So, wherever that old-timey thing came from, they were not particular about a uniform dimension for the pole diameter.
Having busted my only closet-rod pole, I’m of the opinion Elmo will bust his pole. If your boat control is good enough, and you can avoid putting a lot of sideways bending force on the pole, it should be okay. With my skill level, I wouldn’t trust the closet rod. Slap some glass and resin on the center 8 feet of that pole, Elmo, and I’ll change my vote.
I was out polling yesterday. Recent rain had my local (no rapids) waterway surging. I’d estimate current was 2 to 4 mph, fastest in the narrows. And a lot of places where I was forced to go to get between strainers and such, the water was too deep for effectively poling. So I was looking like a windmill with the old kayak stroke, and wishing my 12-footah was a 14, for a little extra stroke power. I tried sliding the pole side to side, like a greenland “storm” paddle, and that seemed to help, but it decreases the stroke rate. Stroking faster without the slide seemed about equally effective. Flailing away with the pole, making scant headway, I’d think, man, I need a 14 footah. Then I’d get tangled in overhead branches, and I’d think, man, this would be a B. with a 14 footah. Canoeing sure is a sport of compromises.
The old-timey thing with the iron foot, I bet they never kayak paddled with that.
First high water we’ve had down here in months, and there was months’ of accumulated stuff moving in the river. I picked up trash that came to me (didn’t go looking for it, would have filled the boat in the first mile), including football, basketball, numerous tennis and small rubber balls. A soccer ball and softball escaped my grasp. All I needed was a baseball and steroid-filled syringe and almost all the sports would have been represented.
~~Chip
rain Chip, man I’m jeolous
– Last Updated: Dec-17-07 4:55 PM EST –
Riverstrider, Eckilson,Wickerbutt,Tommy C-1, my son Aaron and I were supposed to go poling Saturday, but 21 degree temps and a foot of snow put the kibosh to that. When making like a riverboat, I find bending my legs and hunching over helps get mo' pole in the water. I find reaching for the paddle seems more sensible and probably looks less insane to the walkers on the banks, so I reach for the paddle every now and again :-)
Of course, bending the knees and hunching gets my eyes closer to the river and makes it easier to see those "Be like Barry" brand syringes floating downstream from the little league field. ;-0
Thanks guys … if anyone is interested
in building a composite one please feel free to call me. An ‘ultimate’ one would be tapered wider towards the middle as far as construction goes IMO.