Wooden Lure Building Tools?

[Vodkaman 1,570]

In my opinion, in order of preference:

1 - belt sander, they are usually belt/disk combo.

2 - drill press. Accurate drilling, also flap wheel operation.

3 - band saw. I prefer a metal cutting blade. Rough body shape and lip slot cutting.

Dave

[gliders 190]

Hi Lizzie, nice story. You can't go wrong with a combination belt/disc sander, ( 6inch disk 4 inch belt) , a small bandsaw and a small bench/pillar drill. As I'm from Scotland, I can't recommend models, hopefully someone from U.S can help with that....glider

[gliders 190]

Snap !

[Vodkaman 1,570]

Great minds

Liz - next time it would be best to start a new thread. This is not a reprimand, just advice on best practice for the site.

I agree, great story. BUT, get back to school young man

Dave

[Chonch12 14]

On 10/3/2016 at 9:08 AM, mark poulson said:

A bandsaw, a drill press, and a belt sander, for stationary power tools.  Cut your profile with the bandsaw, rough sand the profile with the belt sander, add a centerline all around the profile, and then use the bandsaw again to cut your lip slot, and the drill press to drill your belly hook hanger hole.

Sanding blocks with different grits, starting at 80 to rough shape down to 120 for shape tuning.  For PVC, poplar and pine, I do some rounding over on the belt sander, but for balsa I do all rounding over by hand.

120 to 180 grit sheet sandpaper for final smoothing, 400 grit wet or dry for smoothing your sealer.  

Exacto knives or carving knives for details.

A cordless drill to install your hardware.

Water intrusion is deadly for wooden baits.

Once you have them final sanded, seal your wooden baits before you add the lips and hardware with runny super glue, including the lip slot and hardware holes.  Then use the 400 grit to knock off any grain that is locked by the super glue.    

Once the lip and hardware are installed, seal again with epoxy and wet sand before you paint.

Use a good top coat to finish your baits, because it is the only protection you paint jobs will have if you use water based paints.

I hope this helps.

Have fun!

This is such a great breakdown with just enough detail. I too just got into making my own wooden baits. Not sure where you are located but look at Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. I was able to get a Belt sander (only needed the pads) for $25 and a bandsaw (with a new blade) for $50. Of course you need to inspect what you are getting but it can save you a ton of money. 

 

[Big Epp 93]

These aren't fancy by any means, but I used minimal tools for them.  Top lure was done on a lathe and cut off with a coping saw. Middle lure was cut with a band-saw from a template, then finished off with a knife and sandpaper.  Bottom lure was cut out with a band-saw from a template.  I used a hand drill to drill for the hook hangers and weights, a drill bit and multi-tool to make and install the twist eyes.  All three were finished with spray paint and then dipped in a gym floor finish.

My favorite tool so far for making surface baits is the lathe.  It's easy to get symmetrical baits with it, and you can make all sorts of styles or baits.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Big Epp
names of the pictures didn't show up as intended.

[mark poulson 2,313]

On 10/10/2019 at 1:47 PM, Big Epp said:

These aren't fancy by any means, but I used minimal tools for them.  Top lure was done on a lathe and cut off with a coping saw. Middle lure was cut with a band-saw from a template, then finished off with a knife and sandpaper.  Bottom lure was cut out with a band-saw from a template.  I used a hand drill to drill for the hook hangers and weights, a drill bit and multi-tool to make and install the twist eyes.  All three were finished with spray paint and then dipped in a gym floor finish.

My favorite tool so far for making surface baits is the lathe.  It's easy to get symmetrical baits with it, and you can make all sorts of styles or baits.

Nice!