Here are some pictures and/or drawings of straightening devices from various makers. If the name of the submitter is underlined, you can go to the submitter’s web site. If you click on the picture of the straightening device, you will go to a page that will give more explanation of the device.

Moon, Ralph - Tamegi

Bacon, Hal - Stretcher

Fultz, Jeff - Stretchers

Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening

Larsen, Ron - Strip Straightening “Oven”

Frank Stetzer’s “The Rack”

One of the universal rodmaking problems is how to get straight sections out of the binder. I use a hard rubber roller (an idea from Jack Howell’s book, The Lovely Reed) and I have a nice straight section lying on the bench, but when I move it to hang it up, it flops around and I’m afraid the strips will get out of position again. So, I combined the roller with an adjustable stretcher made from a 2x4, a door spring and a threaded rod. Once the roller gets the strips nested together so that the strip is straight, the tension of the spring holds it in place. That’s my theory anyway.

If I were making it over, I’d use a metal stud instead of a 2x4. The wood ones like to twist and warp as they dry out in the shop.

After checking for any twists, I lash a wire loop to each end of the section and these hook to a ball bearing swivel. Then, I tighten the threaded rod to tension the spring.

Once the rod section is under tension, I go at it with the roller. The rod is rolled, then rotated (that’s what the swivels are for) and rolled some more. Does it work? Well, sometimes.

Lots of  rodmakers  like  a slow-setting glue like Epon epoxy or polyurethane, because it gives them lots of time to straighten the rod section. I’d rather use a glue with a high tack and fast setup, so when I get the section the way I want, it will stay that way. If only resorcinol wasn’t purple!

That’s a piece of melamine shelf under the rod section. The strip is held the right height by the springs so I can roll it against the melamine.