Rod (tool)

“ An excellent tool, however, for cutting up rods of not more than 1⁄2 inch in diameter, is Elliott’s cutting-off tool shown in Fig. 1207. It consists of a jaw carrying steadying pieces for the rod to be cut up, these pieces being adjusted to fit the rod by the screw and nut shown. On the same jaw is pivoted a tool-holder, carrying a [I-306] cutting-off tool, which is fed to its cut by the upper handle being pressed towards the lower one. ”

“ Drill and Rods.—This method has long been used in Europe and elsewhere for deep boring. In the United States it is rarely employed for depths greater than 200 or 300 ft. The usual form of cutting tool or drill is shown in fig. 3. The iron rods are from 1 to 2 in. square, in long lengths with screw joints (fig. 4) . Wooden rods are occasionally used. For shallow holes (50 to 75 ft.) the work is done by hand, one or two cross-bars being clamped to the rod. The men alternately raise and drop the drill, meanwhile slowly walking around and around to rotate the bit and so keep the hole true. ”

“ The dead centre spindle is locked at each end of its bearing in the tailstock, thus securing it firmly in line with the live spindle. The ordinary tool feed is operated by a feed rod in front of the lathe, and this rod is operated by a disc feed, which may be altered without stopping the lathe so as to vary the rate of tool feed; and an index is provided whereby the operator may at once set the discs to give the required rate of feed. ”

“ It is most important that the ends of a rod or shaft should be squared up first, before the body is turned, for the removal of some slight inequality subsequently may cause the whole shaft to run out of truth. The center must be drilled with a small drill, and slightly countersunk. When the end is squared up, the center must be run back a little, so that the tool point may project over the drilled hole, and thus make it all true about the center, as in Fig. ”

“ The height of fall of the tool is always the [120] same, being determined only by the length of the disengaging rod M.
The blow having been struck, and the boring rod continuing to be lowered to the bottom of the hole, the catch J falls back into its original position, and engages again with the hook H, as shown in Fig. 177, ready for lifting the tool in the next stroke. ”

“ In order, however, to perform this last feat, it is necessary that the rod should be previously touched with metal of the same kind as that to be sought for. It is only in the hands of some few favoured individuals that the rod works, and even then it does so in various degrees; with some, being violently agitated, with others, moving slowly, and sometimes imperceptibly. ”

“ The Mountings for a Fly Rod Consist of a Reel Seat with a Straight Hood, a Taper, Snake Guide, Agate Angle Top, and Serrated Ferrule. The Toothed Ends are Wound with Silk to Afford Additional Strength
The Independent-Butt Rod
The independent-butt rod, in which the hand grasp contains the ferrule and the tip is made in one piece, is a favorite type with many of the best fishermen. This mode of construction may be used with all classes of rods, the light fly and bait-casting rods, and the heavier caliber rods used in salt-water angling. ”

“ When this rod or shaft has been pushed forward a stage, the lever rises again, until the next notch is reached, when the same thing occurs, and the rod gets a little nearer to the partition, in which, immediately facing the point of the rod, is a circular hole corresponding in circumference to the rod itself, so that ultimately the rod must pass through the hole into a recess between the partition and the end of the box. ”

“ Construction of an Enlarging and Reducing Pantograph.—Cut out of 1/8-inch oak, walnut, or beech four rods 5/8 inch wide and 19 inches long. Smooth them well all over, and make marks near the ends of each, exactly 18 inches apart. The graduation of the rods for the adjustment pivot holes is carried out in accordance with the measurements given in Fig. 187. It is advisable to mark out and bore each rod separately if you do not possess a machine which will drill holes quite perpendicularly; if you do, all four rods can be drilled at one operation. ”

“ REPAIRING A ROD. One day I broke the delicate top joint of my fly-fishing rod by catching the fly in a bush during the back throw.
Well, it's no use giving up fishing because your rod is broken; the thing to do is to set to work and mend it. It is an accident which often happens, especially to a beginner, and every Scout ought to know how to mend his rod.
My rod had snapped off a few inches from the tip, so I took the ring off the broken tip, and, after trimming the broken end of the rod with my knife, I put the ring on to this and thus made my rod workable ”

“ If rings are used, they and the brass top should be large and fastened on with a whipping of silk, that adds much strength to the wood. Where a spliced rod is used, it is well to have a small ring of brass, somewhat similar to the reel-band on each joint, under which the end of the splice can be slipped before fastening it. ”

“ I have several times followed a line of water down to the shore, being rowed out in the bay, and found the water boiling up mixed with land weeds. At such a spot there is no movement of the rod except over the course of the stream. It is almost impossible to describe the sensation caused whilst using the rod; it is sometimes like a current of electricity going through the arms and legs. On raising one foot from the ground the rod descends. The effect produced when walking is that the rod has the appearance of a fishing rod when the fish is hooked,—the rod seems alive. ”

“ Sometimes the surface is rounded, but oftener it has six sides. These rods, when they are really good, are the best of all. Indeed, Americans may justly claim to make the finest rods in the world and also the finest lines. But I should not advise any of my readers to buy a split bamboo fly rod, because these rods are very expensive, they require very careful treatment, and if broken they must go back to the maker to be repaired. The fly rod which I recommend to the boys and girls of St. Nicholas is one with an ash butt, and the second joint and tip of lance-wood. ”

“ When it is intended to reduce the iron to a small rod, the cylinders have such a diameter, that three may be set in the same housing frame. The lower and middle cylinders are employed as roughing rollers, while the upper and middle ones are made to draw out the rod. When a rod or bar is to be drawn with a channel or gutter in its face, the grooves of the rollers are suitably formed.
[706]
To draw out square rods of a very small size, as nail-rods, a system of small rollers is employed, called slitters. ”

“ The best reel is one that combines lightness and durability, and is incapable of fouling your line, no matter how negligent you may be; a click reel of hard rubber and metal, with a revolving disk, the handle fixed upon the outer edge, and weighing, with thirty yards of line, about five ounces, will answer well. For lines there is, to my mind, nothing equal to the braided and tapered water-proof silk (size F) ; being the best, they are the cheapest, easily managed, and less liable to snarl or call for a tax upon your patience. For a rod always select one of three joints ”

“ The great defect in most rods is, that the play is in the middle, owing to that part being too weak, and like a waggon whip; with a rod of this kind, it is impossible to strike or command a fish of any size. ”

“ At powder-mills, arsenals, and all depots of inflammable materials, it is better to attach the rod to a post, raised for the purpose, a foot or two from the building, than to the building itself. If the building be large, there should be a rod at each end; and it is an additional security, if these rods be connected by a piece of metal, running from the one to the other, on the roof of the house. ”

“ A good method of working the reed is shown in Fig. 149, which is a back view. A is a rocking shaft supported by brackets, as a, on the top rail of the loom; B is a lever projecting towards the front of the loom, and the rod b from it supports one end of the reed; C is another lever on the shaft A, projecting backwards, and the rod D connects it with the tappet treadles, so that when the treadle is pressed down the reed rises; about 3-1/2 in. is the usual height for it to rise. F is the upper rib of the gauze reed, and F1 the lower one. G is the yoke of the reed. ”

“ It is familiar in the titles, showing the colour of their wands of office, of the gentlemen ushers of the three principal British orders of knighthood, the ushers of the Garter and St Patrick being “Ushers of the Black Rod,” and of the Thistle “Green Rod.” The use of a rod as a measuring implement has given rise to the use of the word for a measure of length = 51⁄2 yds. or 1621⁄2 ft.; this length is also named a pole or perch, the origin of the application being the same as in “rod”; as a measure of area, a rod = a square pole or perch, 301⁄4 square yds.= 2721⁄4 square ft., 160 rods = 1 acre. ”

“ If we could fish by steam, a rod exceeding a pound and measuring over fourteen feet might answer well; but in these benighted days, while wrists are of bone, muscles, cartilages, and the like, the lighter the better. A rod—and if perfection is absolutely indispensable, a cedar rod—of eleven or twelve feet, weighing nine or ten ounces, will catch trout. Cedar rods can only be obtained in America, and then only on compulsion; but this wood makes the most elastic rods in the world. They spring instantly to every motion of the hand, and never warp. ”

“ Figure 1 represents an alcoholic furnace, illustrating the expansion of a brass rod by heat. A cylinder of tin, fifteen inches in height and five in diameter, is hinged to a base of wood and arranged so as to tilt to the left. A lever fifteen inches long opens and closes a damper; this lever (an umbrella rod) is inserted in a pivoted rod of wood two inches long, supported in a square frame made of an inch strip of tin bent twice at right angles and soldered to the cylinder. ”

“ I had changed rods and lines to-day, having borrowed one from Rodman—a Montreal rod, larger and stiffer than the other: although heavier, I could cast better with it than with the Irish rod. Unluckily, there were only about seventy yards of line on the reel, and the next fish I hooked proved to be the most furious of all, for he first ran out forty yards of line, and before I could get much of it wound up again, he made another and a longer run, taking out all my line to the end, where it was tied to the reel: of course he broke loose, taking away my fly and two feet of casting-line. ”

“ Very small rods to be made in numbers are usually got out by means of special devices which leave the fitter but little to do; indeed, sometimes the machine work is so accurately and finely fitted and finished as to finish the rod without the aid of the vice hand, save to put it into its place upon the engine or machine. As, however, the dimensions of the rod increase, this method of manipulation is in practice departed from, and the filing, fitting, and adjusting operations increase. ”

“ The most familiar example of the use of a connecting rod is in the steam-engine, where it is used to connect the rotating crank with the reciprocating piston. The rod itself is made of wrought iron or steel, and is generally circular or rectangular in section. ”

“ A rod constructed by hand, by an experienced rod-maker, of thoroughly seasoned and [26] carefully-selected split-bamboo, in six strips; in length suited to the character of the water and the fishing upon and for which it will be used, having good balance (not heavy in or out of hand) , strength, adequate casting power together with a pleasant and resilient action, a speedy not a slow rod, not too pliant nor too stiff, and, finally, beyond reproach in the matter of guides, windings, handgrasp material, ferrules, and so on. ”

“ The bearings to the shaft, on which the front roll revolves freely, are eccentric to the roll, and a partial revolution of the shaft moves the front towards the back roll, pinching the board. To an arm which is secured to the front shaft is fastened the upright rod, the upward movement of which opens the rolls, and whose [II-256] downward movement closes the same; the weight of the rod being sufficient to cause the hammer to rise. ”

“ When not in use, rods should be kept nicely stowed in a moderately dry place, and they ought to be well scraped and revarnished every three years; should the joints become loose by shrinking, they should be slightly moistened. Should any accident befall a rod while fishing, and you should not have a spare top with you, your only remedy will be to splice your rod. To do this the ends of the broken pieces for about two inches must be laid parallel to each other, and then tightly bound together with waxed silk, or very strong yellow hempen twine. ”

“ The first of these, the wooden rods or poles, are made of cypress or yellow-pine, twenty-five feet long, two and a half to three inches in diameter, planed round and smooth, armed at each end with iron, the upper a screw-shank, the lower a screw-socket. For convenience, there should be, belonging to the set, poles of half and quarter length, also an iron rod or two, of full or half length; these last being required after some depth is attained, to prevent the wooden ones from floating or [Pg 540] being pushed up, as the water fills the bore. ”

“ Each tooth is rounded up, sled-runner fashion, at each end so it will point forward and slide along over and close to the ground without catching fast. There is an iron pull rod, or long hook, attached to each end of the center bar by means of a bolt that screws into the center of the end of the wooden center shaft, thus forming a gudgeon pin so the shaft can revolve. ”