Tom Morgan (1941 - 2017)
After selling the Winston Rod Company, which he had managed since 1970, Tom Morgan founded his own rod factory in Montana in 1991. His goal: to produce small batches of the highest quality rods. He suffered from multiple sclerosis and was wheelchair-bound. His wife, Gerri Carlson, became his hands-on manager and was responsible for finishing the rods.
With "The Morgan Hand Mill", Tom developed one of the most innovative tools in modern rod building.
Tom adapted the principle of machine-milling individual splices into a hand tool. The Hand Mill employs the unique approach of having the milling head simultaneously remove material from both sides of the splice, which rests enamel-side down on a height-adjustable bed. This results in perfect splice angle accuracy.
The hand mill basically consists of two basic parts, a
adjustable hand plane that holds the cutters, and an adjustable bed, similar to the planingform, that holds the bamboo strip.
Furthermore, any rod cross-section can be produced by simply changing the cutting head, whether 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 8- ...squared!
The Morgan Handmill
Rod making is a traditional craft. Craftsmanship is characterized by the continuous development and improvement of existing work processes. In my opinion, the Morgan Handmill is one of the few developments in the history of rod making over the last 100 years that truly represents a new achievement. It is a modern hand tool and the perfect alternative to the traditional plane and planingform for creating splices for bamboo rods. Furthermore, it offers a multitude of possibilities for experimentation.
My experience with the handmill
I have been working with the Morgan Mill since 2002. When I first saw Tom's concept, I was immediately convinced that this ingenious tool best suited my experimental nature.
Different rod cross-sections, hollow constructions, bamboo sleeves - many things became possible without having to acquire a new plane, planingform or special tools!
You can find more information about the individual applications or work steps in my blog.
Unfortunately, after the death of Tom Morgan (2017) and the sale of the company, coupled with significant price increases, the delivery service left much to be desired.
The time had come to build my own handmill replica - a wonderful tool!
