RickJames Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Hey guys, Im usually just a lurker on the site and usually find all the answers to my questions in the search engine. lol. But....Im stumped... Ive been making a few solid resin crankbaits but Im having trouble cutting the slot square to the lure. I use my bandsaw and "eyeball" the slot but it takes ALOT of time for me and patience. Its not easy trying to cut a square slot on a rounded body. I know its ALOT easier cutting the slot on a table saw when the Wood is still a blank but thats not the case in my situation. I didnt want to add a slot to my mold since I enjoy playing around with different angles of the slot and placements. Im sure somebody, thats alot smarter than me, has thought of a solution to this problem. If anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated while I still have hair left on my head. lol Thanks all, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdL Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Sound like its time to make a U shaped wooden jig to hold the bait. Make the jig so that the bait is held solid enough to run across a table saw blade that has a tilt feature to cut the slot. If not then the jig will have to hold the bait at the angle of cut. But head this warning- ANY JIG YOU BUILD MUST BE LARGE ENOUGH AND HAVE ENOUGH HOLDING STRENGTH SO YOU DON'T GET INJURED. If you don't think you can make one then don't do itm on a table saw. Use a hand saw instead. I almost got a BAD D D cut by trying to hand hold a small piece to just trim off a short piece. In less than a blink of the eye the saw blade grabbed the piece threw it up at my face and deep cut my finger. Taught me a few important lessons. 1. I was very lucky that day. 2. Don't have to explain being stupid by not using a jig or fixture. 3. Didn't have to listen to the guys telling me how more ugly I am with a wooden piece stuck in my face. 4. Always think about safety before using the table saw (or any power tool). So far I have all my fingers and can see with both eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 If you have a bandsaw, make a jig and use it to cut the lip slots. It's a lot safer. I think Vodkaman said he used bondo. You can even use Fast Set 20 drywall mud, or Plaster of Paris. If you are going to cut a lot of slots, and the baits are all the same shape from a resin mold, I would say take the time to make an RTV mold to hold your baits, since it'll be worth your time in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 If you like trying different lip angles, it doesn't sound like a jig would be ideal for you. Cutting the lip slot accurately is one reason I don't use many pre-formed baits but I occasionally have to cut a slot in an existing bait. I use a piece of bendable plastic and mark where I want the slot. Then I use a Dremel with a fiber reinforced cutoff wheel to cut it. I don't try to keep it especially tight or small if there's any question my mark or cut are not straight and even. A larger slot can be an advantage if you need to adjust the lip. Then I mount the lip with epoxy putty. Pack the slot full of putty with a piece of stainless wire and push in the lip, smoothing out or removing putty as it is squeezed out of the slot. You can adjust the lip for a couple of minutes before the epoxy sets and it makes for a neat installation. Epoxy putty has a similar texture and density to wood. This isn't as elegant a solution as a dedicated jig but it's the best method I've found for one-off lips in round baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickJames Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks guys for the tips. I do remember reading a post from VodkaMan on his bondo jig he made, Ill have to dig that one up again. If I do come up with something worth sharing I will let everyone know here on the site. I had a feeling a custom jig was going to have to be made to accomplish this. Everyone's suggestions helps., Thanks again, Rick @BobP-- How do you use a piece of bendable plastic to mark the slot? Ive tried using thick paper to bend around the nose of the bait to pencil in a line for the slot. Seems to work ok. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 The advantage that you have is that all your bodies will be identical. You can use this advantage by making a molded jig. I have described how I did this in another thread: http://www.tackleund...__1#entry151195 unfortunately, the text is in post No2 and the pictures in post No11. Because of this unfortunate fragmentation, I have copied the relevant text and pictures to this thread: I made a mold of the rear end of the standard body, from Bondo, using a short length of PVC water pipe, glued down onto an old ceramic tile, as the mold box. I waxed the body, to prevent adhesion and made sure I only inserted half way, to prevent locking the body in the Bondo. A smear of wax inside the PVC tube helps, but the Bondo does not bind. A light side tap with a small hammer releases the pipe from the tile (slight chipping of the tile, but not a problem). RTV sealant or some other soft glue may be a better option, but I like the speed of CA glue. The advantage that you have is that all your bodies will be identical. You can use this advantage by making a molded jig. I have described how I did this in another thread: http://www.tackleund...__1#entry151195 unfortunately, the text is in post No2 and the pictures in post No11. Because of this unfortunate fragmentation, I have copied the relevant text and pictures to this thread: I made a mold of the rear end of the standard body, from Bondo, using a short length of PVC water pipe, glued down onto an old ceramic tile, as the mold box. I waxed the body, to prevent adhesion and made sure I only inserted half way, to prevent locking the body in the Bondo. A smear of wax inside the PVC tube helps, but the Bondo does not bind. A light side tap with a small hammer releases the pipe from the tile (slight chipping of the tile, but not a problem). RTV sealant or some other soft glue may be a better option, but I like the speed of CA glue. make sure the master is up against the side of the pipe, this allows plenty of material for the next process. A length of scrap wood or something similar may be necessary to hold the master in the Bondo, while it sets. Using the belt sander, I sanded a flat on the mold, parallel with the lure body. This flat rests on the belt sander table and holds the blank at the correct angle for slot cutting. The sanding of the flat will take some tweaking to get it perfect and will require a few sacrificial blanks to get it right. If you are making your own blanks, this is not a big problem, but if you are paying $3 a POP for them, it may be a little painful. If you sand too much off, you can always glue a piece of wood to the base and continue adjustment. Another modification would be a wooden base with three adjustment screws to fine tune the alignment. This allows you to cut decent slots, but you are still controlling the angle and depth by freehand. You can take the jig to the next stage by building a sliding plate. With this arrangement, you can control the slot position, slot angle, slot width and slot depth. A little more construction work, but the work only has to be done once. If the use of the plate is not obvious, I can try to explain further if necessary. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickJames Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 The advantage that you have is that all your bodies will be identical. You can use this advantage by making a molded jig. I have described how I did this in another thread: http://www.tackleund...__1#entry151195 unfortunately, the text is in post No2 and the pictures in post No11. Because of this unfortunate fragmentation, I have copied the relevant text and pictures to this thread: I made a mold of the rear end of the standard body, from Bondo, using a short length of PVC water pipe, glued down onto an old ceramic tile, as the mold box. I waxed the body, to prevent adhesion and made sure I only inserted half way, to prevent locking the body in the Bondo. A smear of wax inside the PVC tube helps, but the Bondo does not bind. A light side tap with a small hammer releases the pipe from the tile (slight chipping of the tile, but not a problem). RTV sealant or some other soft glue may be a better option, but I like the speed of CA glue. The advantage that you have is that all your bodies will be identical. You can use this advantage by making a molded jig. I have described how I did this in another thread: http://www.tackleund...__1#entry151195 unfortunately, the text is in post No2 and the pictures in post No11. Because of this unfortunate fragmentation, I have copied the relevant text and pictures to this thread: I made a mold of the rear end of the standard body, from Bondo, using a short length of PVC water pipe, glued down onto an old ceramic tile, as the mold box. I waxed the body, to prevent adhesion and made sure I only inserted half way, to prevent locking the body in the Bondo. A smear of wax inside the PVC tube helps, but the Bondo does not bind. A light side tap with a small hammer releases the pipe from the tile (slight chipping of the tile, but not a problem). RTV sealant or some other soft glue may be a better option, but I like the speed of CA glue. make sure the master is up against the side of the pipe, this allows plenty of material for the next process. A length of scrap wood or something similar may be necessary to hold the master in the Bondo, while it sets. Using the belt sander, I sanded a flat on the mold, parallel with the lure body. This flat rests on the belt sander table and holds the blank at the correct angle for slot cutting. The sanding of the flat will take some tweaking to get it perfect and will require a few sacrificial blanks to get it right. If you are making your own blanks, this is not a big problem, but if you are paying $3 a POP for them, it may be a little painful. If you sand too much off, you can always glue a piece of wood to the base and continue adjustment. Another modification would be a wooden base with three adjustment screws to fine tune the alignment. This allows you to cut decent slots, but you are still controlling the angle and depth by freehand. You can take the jig to the next stage by building a sliding plate. With this arrangement, you can control the slot position, slot angle, slot width and slot depth. A little more construction work, but the work only has to be done once. If the use of the plate is not obvious, I can try to explain further if necessary. Dave Thanks Dave for spending the time combining that together. I will give that a try before I spend any more money trying to make a different jig, considering I have all the supplies you list. I'll keep everyone posted on the results. Thanks again, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) Here is another slot cutting jig. This jig is designed for cutting slots in hand carved and ‘one off’ lures, that would not be suitable for a molded jig. It is basically a chop saw design, for mounting a standard circular saw, which can quickly be removed for other duties. The jig is permanently mounted to the bench, relative to the bench vice, used for holding the work piece. A stop pad is fitted to prevent the cutter getting too close to the steel jaws of the vice. The beam is sprung from the top cross bar, tensioned so that the cutter is almost weightless and requires only to be lowered into the work piece. When not in use, the beam hinges back and rests against the top cross bar, prevented from falling by a hook arrangement (not shown). The beam hinges on a 12mm diameter screw thread and can be moved left/right, fine tuning the cutting position, by the crank wheel. Safety is an important issue with a jig like this, as circular saws are nasty, unforgiving monsters. As I am the only one using this machine, I feel that with sensible procedures, that it is fairly safe. I may add a polycarbonate flap behind the cutter, but as close inspection while cutting is not required, it seems hardly necessary. Obviously, the slot is not exactly flat, due to the circular cutter, but the slot can be dressed up with a Dremel cutter if necessary. The vice jaws are lined with soft rubber, to prevent damage to the lure bodies. I have only just finished the build and it is working very well. It looks quite complex, but it can easily be built in half a day if everything is to hand and you have the appropriate tools. I would like to use it a while, to make sure everything is good before releasing designs, but if anyone was interested, I would be happy to prepare a set of PDF files. As usual, halfway through the build, I get more ideas of better designs, but I am committed to this one for now, but may put the designs on CAD for future consideration. Possibly a router attachment with forward/rear travel, for cutting hidden slots (a problem that cropped up not so long ago). This will be mounted on its own beam. With a spigot (not shown) for electric drill attachment, the beams can be swapped in about two minutes. Dave Edited June 21, 2011 by Vodkaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Dave, Your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me! I vote for the band saw jig, having spent enought years learning the dangers of circular saws, including table saws, and small work pieces. I still have all my fingers, but I did notch one once, and I have a zipper on my leg courtesy of a worm drive saw. I have also cracked a rib from trying to work too small a piece on the tablesaw. I know people cut off their fingers with bandsaws, too. But it takes some doing, and a really high pain threshold, since it takes a lot longer, and a lot of effort, to push your finger through a bandsaw blade. In my experience circular saw accidents happen at the speed of light, or slightly faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenfeather Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Hi Rickjames, Not sure if this applies in your situation, but if your baits have the line tie and hook hangers installed prior to cutting the lip slot, you can make a simple jig using them as your contact points. Just make a platform a little larger than your bait, Than apply small blocks, just thick enough to lift the bait off the platform surface, for the line tie and hook hangers to sit on. Now remove some of the platform to allow clearance for the bandsaw blade. If your line tie and hookhangers are inline with the center of your lure, than your cut will be perfectly perpendicular to them. You can get fancy and put little pins to position the lure and also reference the edge of the platform to a fence or sliding T square. I just hold it steady and eyeball because I'm usually just doing one. If you have a lip slot that intersects the line tie than this won't work. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickJames Posted June 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Lots of GREAT ideas fellas, I appreciate everyone of them!! I have not had the time to get in the garage in the past few days, but when I do, I will try to make something. Thanks! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
