Selection, splitting and staggering.

Straightening

Basic Beveling

mm fly rods

Heat treating

Hand planing 1
Hand planing 2

Gluing

Final dimensions

Attaching hardware

Wrapping

Finish

Rod sock and tube

Wrapping a bamboo rod is almost like wrapping any other rod.  the big difference is the fact that there is little tension on the flats.  All the tension is on the edges.  The traditional wrap is silk, and I  do some silk wraps, but my background in rod building was nylon and I still use a lot of it.  especially white.  why?  Because white has a tendency to disappear under some finishes, like varnish.

 The first step it to pick out a color or colors you believe will be attractive on the specific rod you're wrapping.  I like earth tones, browns, greens and the like.  White and black tipping seem to work the best.  I try to stay away from some color combinations.   Remember Spar Varnish will darken the wraps.  

I'd like to say that I came up with a unique way to wrap, but I didn't.  I do it like a lot of people.  I use a bobbin, much like a fly tying bobbin.   I hang the bobbin over the edge of the work bench and wrap until I'm done or the bobbin is up to the bottom of the thread guide.  Then I just pull out another two or two and a half ft.  If I mess up.  I can unwind the rod and the weight of the bobbin keeps the thread tight. 

One of the things that makes a rod look good is trim wraps.  I use a few on my "Makers" rods,  just enough to give the rods a little personality.  but for the most part I keep the trim wraps down to a minimum.  They take a lot of time and effort.  They can add more than twice the amount of time it takes to wrap a rod.