Sandpaper (coarse, 60 grit; medium, 150 grit, and fine 200+ grit emery.)
Materials:
Bottom Board (3-1/2” wide x ¾” thick x 12” long) – This is for the thread holder portion of the fly tying materials rack.
Top Board (1-1/2” wide x 1-1/2” thick x 12” long) – This is for the tinsel / sparkle holder portion of the fly tying materials rack.
4 pieces of Hollow Aluminum Tubing (1/2” OD x 36” long) – Later cut into a total of 7 pieces each 10” long.)
3 Brass Rods (3/32” OD x 36” long) – Later cut into a total of 17 pieces each 6” long) Finish of your choice (Tung Oil, Varnish, stain, etc.)
Instructions
Cutting the Materials:
The fly tying material rack can be manufactured of any wood that you like. I made mine out of oak. If you purchase wood that is longer than 12”, you will need to first trim each piece to an overall length of 12” (see photo below.)
The brass rod and the aluminum tubing come in pieces that are 36” inches long. This material can be purchased at your local Builders Square or Lowe's Hardware store. I have used the 3/32” diameter brass rod since I like the look better than the thinner rod (1/8” diameter) and it seemed like it would be more durable. If you want to save a little money, you could substitute 1/8” diameter brass rod. You will need to cut the brass rod and aluminum tubing into smaller sections. The brass rod should be trimmed into a total of 17 pieces, each 6” in length. The aluminum tubing should be trimmed into 10 pieces, each 10” in length. (See photo below.)
Sand all of these pieces to bevel the ends to eliminate any sharp edges.
Drilling the Boards:
Next, drill the bottom board to hold the brass rods. There are two rows of holes for the brass rod. The first row has seven holes, all ½” from the front edge. The holes are spaced out at 1-½” on center. The middle hole should be located 6” in from the end (center of the board length.) The second row has eight holes all 1-¼” from the front edge. The holes for the second row are also spaced out at 1-½” on center.
The top board is drilled to hold seven of the ½” diameter aluminum rods. The holes are spaced out a 1-½” pitch and centered down the length of the board. Placed the center hole 6” from the end of the board (middle.)
Note - The holes in the upper corners of each board are for brass rod. I drilled all the way through the top board and part way through the bottom board. These brass rods hold the top board in place and allow me to feed wire materials under the board (I tried this but it does not work very well. It is very difficult to hold the wire in place and it keeps getting tangled.) You may want to simply screw the two pieces together and eliminate this feature.
Finishing:
After you have all of the drilling completed, spend some time sanding down the boards to eliminate any layout marks you made and eliminate any rough edges. Apply the surface finish of your choice and re-sand if needed. I thought mine looked nice without any finish, so I left the wood natural.
Assemble And Fill With Your Tying Materials:
Hatches Magazine Subscription
Price: $6.95 for each issue
The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.
