Building A Rod Wrapping Jig
by Steve Clark

When you get hooked by the addiction that is rod building, you are well off to simply use a cardboard box as your first wrapping jig before you know if you really want to get deeply involved in this craft. As you progress from your first rod you will most likely outgrow the cardboard box as a wrapping jig rather quickly and the need for a true wrapping jig will be found. Many wrapping jigs can be purchased from suppliers or even off Ebay for a decent amount of cash, but as craftsmen we already have the small skill needed to build our own. Building your own is just another way to get satisfaction from making your own equipment, saving a few bucks and being able to tailor it to your own specifications, as well as the fact that you may be surprised to see how little an amount of cash it actually costs.

The following is a step-by-step of a pair of jigs I built recently for myself and for a friend. The total cost of everything in one jig was under fifteen dollars.

To start off with you will need a few things.

Materials list:

Wood (I used ¾ x 4” Oak.)

Steel Dowel pins; 4 pieces, 3/4” long.

Wood dowel rod ¼”.

Thread tension device.

Velcro strips.


Step 1: Base
The first thing you need to do is cut the base for the jig. I chose 20” long for mine, so I could have a few adjustments for the one upright to change the size if needed (I will discuss this later on)…..After you cut you will now have a 4x20” long piece for your base.

Step 2: Uprights
Now cut your two uprights. I cut mine at 8” tall to have a comfortable height for my bench, but yours may vary due to your bench or table surface.

Step 3: Thread station.
Next, cut a piece of wood 4” long for your thread station center, as I call it (the place your thread spool and tension device will be mounted.) This piece will be 4”x4” after it is cut.

Step 4: Cutting the “V’s.”
You will now cut a shallow “V” into the top of each upright. This is what will hold your blank in place. There is no need to cut these V’s too deep, simply cut them about 5/8” deep which is sufficient for holding your blank firmly in place.

Step 5: Thread Guide.
Cut a ¼" dowel rod at twenty-one (21) inches. Then clamp your two uprights together so they are even with each other, and drill a ¼” hold through both of them so the hole is located ¾” inward from the edge and about 3” up from the bottom of the upright. Your dowel rod will end up with each end supported in the hole of each upright you just drilled, so make sure they are located in the same spot on both uprights (see pic.)



Step 6: Locating pins.
Rather than using screws I use steel pins to hold my jig together, so I can adjust the size quickly and store it compactly if I desire to take it on a trip with me.

On one of the uprights drill two holes, equally spaced apart, in the bottom of the upright, and transfer two matching holes to the edge of the base. The best way to do this is drill the base first, then stick a marking pin or pencil through the hole with the upright over the hole; that will mark where to drill the upright easily. Drill these holes only about 3/8”deep (half the length of the steel dowels.)



Now drill the other upright in the same manner, but center the hole in the base and upright since we will only be using one pin in this end (there's really no need for two pins in this upright.)



Step 7: Thread station drilling.
Locate a place where you want your thread tensioner on the small 4x4” piece we cut, drill a hole the same diameter as the base of the tensioner, then epoxy the tensioner in place. Next, drill a ¼" hole off to the side of the tensioner and epoxy a piece of the ¼" dowel rod about 4” long in that hole to hold your thread spool. For the last step on the tension station drill a hole in the edge of the station to insert the 4th of our steel dowels into. Then drill holes in the front edge of the base, so you can easily move your thread station side-to-side on the jig to match where you are working on the blank better (see pic.)



All that’s left is to cut some strips of the “soft” side of some Velcro to cover the tops of our uprights and press the dowels into place. For our “thread guide" I simply take a empty fly-tying thread spool and screw a small eyelet into it, then slide it over the dowel and slide the dowel into the uprights. This works very well for me (see pic.)



This pic shows the holes I have drilled every 3” so I can vary the width of my uprights to suit whatever I am working on.



I also put some small hooks at the tops of my uprights, facing down, to hold rubber bands in place to hold the blank down if I feel the need to.


You can add anything you would like to your own jig, as this is simply a suggested way to build one, but this one can be built in a couple hours with simple hand tools for less than fifteen dollars and will last you as long as you build rods.