Looks like you cut a very nice angle on this one. There's lots of surface area where the two pieces meet which will make it very strong. I like it!

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Rick

テンカラ。小さなストリームのシンプルさ。
My Tenkara Rods:
13' Ayu, 12' Yamame, 11' with a conversion handle, and an Ito.

My Wife's Tenkara Rods:
12' Ebisu and 13.5' Amago, 12' Iwana with a conversion handle, and an Ito.

Wood selected, mostly dry, handles carved, joints cut and bound, frame sanded, initial coats of tung-oil.

Here are the first pictures of the semi-finished tenkara tamo. I will now be working on finishing them as I wait for the mesh nets for each of them.

Jeffrey pine tamo:


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yYws_KQ0QUo/TEUOl ... IM3943.jpg

Manzanita tamo, one-of-a-kind:

_________________
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Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

Beautiful! Very nice looking tamos. The manzanita net is going to be something special.

_________________
Rick

テンカラ。小さなストリームのシンプルさ。
My Tenkara Rods:
13' Ayu, 12' Yamame, 11' with a conversion handle, and an Ito.

My Wife's Tenkara Rods:
12' Ebisu and 13.5' Amago, 12' Iwana with a conversion handle, and an Ito.

The zip ties are very handy, the only thing to really be aware of is that they will mark the wood and the marking needs to be sanded off. I'll try to use soft cord in the future as much as I can or wrap something on the wood before using the zip ties.

Bobbin and thread worked okay, I really just used it because I had it near when looking for something to keep it all together. Even though I used heavy thread (Unifloss thread) it kept breaking off every so often. I need a better material for that, but it was at least precise for the wraps, and soft enough not to cut the wood.

I figured bamboo toothpicks should work, the only drawback is their open pores when you cut them, but I figured they would be pretty strong.

_________________
__________________________________________
Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

Daniel, those look very nice.

Daniel, do you mind sharing a few dimensions? I'm mostly interested in the handle diameter and joint diameter (joint where the circle is made).
I have collected a piece of Juniper that I think could work well, but am concerned that it might be too small.

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Tenkara Guides

Hi Erik,
I'm away from my office so can't get exact measurements, and it will likely vary a little depending on the species used. As a visual reference, the frame's arms are perhaps a little thicker than most ballpoint pens, closer to the diameter of a sharpie pen (including on the part they are joined), and the handle can be anything you feel will be comfortable (e.g. similar to a rod handle?).

Most important, you'll need to get a feel for it. Do the arms seem to bend well (that is, not crack)? But, not so easily that they are flimsy and would give in under too much weight? Are they pretty firm and seem to stay in line with each other and with their original angles when weight may be put on them? The frame is the most important part, and that needs to be strong and firm.

I'd very strongly suggest you always do this before cutting a branch, it'll save you a lot of work later and make sure the net is good. I've been looking at many trees non-stop for the last 10 days and though I've found a couple of branches with the proper angles, I have not yet found another branch that would work well, in some the frame arms were too flimsy, in others they were not of similar diameter to each other, etc. Still looking.

do you have pictures you could post?

_________________
__________________________________________
Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

Thanks for the reply Daniel.
Mine is too thin - back to wandering around aimlessly in the mountains.
I did gain a valuable lesson though - desserts are not the best place to look for nice clean lines, the branches tend to grow in every direction due to the lack of moisture and high winds. Next time I'll look in a higher precipitation environment.

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Tenkara Guides

After a bit over a month I was able to finish my first net today. This is the manzanita net, which, after looking at more manzanita bushes than I can remember, will probably be one-of-a-kind.







How I got the mesh for this one is a sad story, but since nothing is permanent I won't dwell on it, last week I was hiking down a very steep trail to one of the most beautiful streams I have fished to date, and ignoring the rule I have had since I was about 10 of always walking on the side of my feet, this time I fell on my back, slid down for about 15ft, and the net I had acquired in Japan took its last breath! Unfortunately I don't believe it will be possible to fix it, through I'll try to soon.

_________________
__________________________________________
Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

I'm sorry to read about you loosing the net you bought in Japan but I must say it's resurrection via a manzanita bush is a beautiful thing. I am very impressed by your workmanship. I'm sure this net won't be sliding down any hillsides in the too near future. Happy fishing with your new net Daniel. It's something to be proud of and make sure I see in September.

_________________
Rick

テンカラ。小さなストリームのシンプルさ。
My Tenkara Rods:
13' Ayu, 12' Yamame, 11' with a conversion handle, and an Ito.

My Wife's Tenkara Rods:
12' Ebisu and 13.5' Amago, 12' Iwana with a conversion handle, and an Ito.