A machinist needs the following lengths of 1-in diameter rods: 8 in, 14 in, 6 in, 27 in, and 42 in. How long a rod is required to supply all five pieces? Round up to nearest ten.

Step 1 ：The machinist needs to add up all the lengths of the rods he needs. This will give him the total length of the rod he needs. The lengths are \(8 in, 14 in, 6 in, 27 in, 42 in\).

Step 2 ：The total length of the rods is \(8 + 14 + 6 + 27 + 42 = 97 in\).

Step 3 ：Since the question asks to round up to the nearest ten, if the total length is not a multiple of ten, he will need to round up to the next multiple of ten.

Step 4 ：The rounded length is \(100 in\).

Step 5 ：Final Answer: The machinist needs a rod of length \(\boxed{100}\) inches.