One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

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Old Man River
Eel
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One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

Post by Old Man River »

Well, here goes, I made a short post on Crucians thread re straightening a split cane boat rod, and that I was going to make a simple "Scarborough " boat reel to match it, as always, my main aim is to do things as cheaply as possible,using only bits and pieces in my workshop waiting to be reborn,and in addition things that are left over from other "jobs" This was not going to be a bespoke reel, I am neither up to that skill, nor have the tools. It is going to be a reel to be used out on a charter boat where it gets a bit bashed around and abused, so made to " Near enoughs" and not "Bang ons " as we used to say when I was an apprentice joiner.

That being the case I had a rootle around and found what I needed.

A piece of timber from the back of an old scrap wardrobe, another short end of pine planking from a shelving project, a short piece of angle iron from a cut up steel bed frame, a short bit of broom handle,a piece of flat brass plate from an old letter box, a bit of steel tubing, some used and reclaimed brass screws and brass screw cups, and some nuts and bolts from my odds and sodds box. Oh, and some paint tin ends of stain and varnish ,again left over from other jobs.

Tools... well,I have a few, what was used were.. a small hobby bench sander, a coping saw, an electric drill, , a compass, and a few spanners, some cramps, a screwdriver, a hacksaw, a file, a centrepunch,a hammer, a couple of taps and dies, some drills, sandpaper, wire wool and lots of elbow grease.

Here are the bits of wood, I have already cut out the circles by hand for the sides and centre of the reel, I have marked up where I intended to bolt the bits together , I amended that idea and used brass screws instead ,so the outsides of the reel were marked up with the compass to give equal spacings to the screws, you can see all the other "raw materials " as well.

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Here I have drilled out the centre hole in the sides and centre bits of wood, glued them together,using waterproof wood glue bolted them together and clamped the sides as well, it should be quite strong enough .

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Whilst I am waiting for the glue to dry , I drilled through the centre of the bits of broom handle,put a bolt through the middle of the handles, and sanded them into a reasonable shape,using my electric drill as a makeshift lathe, once done, I used some Mahogany stain to give them a finish.

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Now the glue has set, I have fastened the reel body on a bit of steel studding, clamped my electric drill in the vice and using this rather Heath Robinson setup sanded down the reel body.

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Here you can see I have used the same Mahogany stain on the reel body, I have also polished up the bit of brass ,cut it to size, and drilled it out for the handles to fit and the "centrepin " bolt to fit through. If you look at the centre of the reel,you can see there is a bit of steel tubing I have fitted, it is a tight fit to the body, but also glued, the centre "bolt" fits the steel tube snugly, so it acts as a bearing to prevent wear.

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Now I am working on the reel seat, it means a bit of work shaping , cutting , filing and drilling the angle iron.

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Here I have finished the reel seat, it just needs cleaning up and painting . I have also given the reel a couple of coats of Yacht varnish, and fitted the brass screws, either side, I don't think they are necessary, but they were there, so got use anyway,belt and braces I suppose. I have also fitted the handles and brass strap, again the brass is not really necessary, but it looks nice so it ended up being used.

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The reel seat has been Hammerite painted and is drying.

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And now is all put together, spins like a top, fits the screw fitting on the rod butt, just waiting to be spooled up with line, and will be used together with the cane boat rod this coming Friday, on a rough ground trip on a Charter out of Hartlepool, hoping for a few Cod.


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I managed to keep the cost down to nothing, just a bit of time spent, which as I dont charge myself, in the scheme of things doesnt matter. I know almost all posts on the forum are linked to freshwater fishing, I am hoping that this "Cane and Pin" thread related to boat fishing in the sea will be OK ? I wil try to maybe get a picture or two of the combo being used as they should be , and not just hung on a wall.

Thanks for reading ..

I should just add, Health and Safety never quite made in through the door into my little workshop. :Thumb:

OMR
Hurrumph....... whatever happened to Handlines ?

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BendSomeCane
Crucian Carp
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Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:19 pm
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Location: Barnsley, Yorkshire

Re: One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

Post by BendSomeCane »

Will you be using it on friday D ??
BSC
http://bendsomecane.blogspot.com/
By the grace of god a Yorkist

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Old Man River
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Re: One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

Post by Old Man River »

Of course , I also have a spare set for you if you fancy it ...

OMR
Hurrumph....... whatever happened to Handlines ?

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LuckyLuca
Barbel
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Location: Oxfordshire

Re: One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

Post by LuckyLuca »

Like that a lot OMR!
Both Heath and Robinson would be proud.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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Crucian
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Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:20 pm
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Location: Watchet, Somerset.

Re: One for Crucian, a Heath Robinson Scarborough Reel.

Post by Crucian »

Don't know how I missed this, I really like that and it goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good result :Hat:

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