mitcheal Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 Has anyone here had any experience in cutting cranks out with laser's? Are they still too expensive for the little guy or has that changed over the years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 Hi, This subject has been discussed before and if my less than perfect memory serves me it was Skeeter that mentioned the cost of laser-cut baits. He will probably chime in this thread soon but if not send him a PM. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 A laser cannot round the edges of a bait. It can only cut flat surfaces. I am sure there are exceptions in industry, but most businesses have standard engraving lasers. The price I got was 40 cents per body and per lip. Contact a laser engraver. They will give you a price. They pay allot for those machines and are usually happy to keep them busy earning money. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitcheal Posted October 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Skeeter, Thanks for the comeback. With more than 25 years in the aerospace industry, I witnessed the first lasers used to cut some pretty exotic materials. Their accuracy was awesome, but speed was lacking. Some materials could be cut much faster with high temperature torches, EDM machines and acids. However i see now that laser cutting equipment has been modified to cut almost anything imaginable, including wood. I will take your suggestin and contact some laser engravers to see what pricing is like. What is your suggestion for rounding flat blanks other than sanding or perhaps dangerous routing. I could never hand sand accurate enough to insure cranks, especially large musky sized cranks, could be produced that would not run erratically when trollede at speeds above 2.0 knots, which is a common way to fish them here in MI. That's why we use spoons for salmon, they can be trolled at high speeds. There are a number of custom musy lure makers here and in other musky states, but their methods are pretty hush, hush, and I don't blame them, they have worked long and hard to get where they are in this business. I generally use poplar or white cedar, but if I got serious., I would look into imjection molding certain types of baits. I was privy to some of the techniques that Charlie Helin used to mass produce his highly successful Flatfish after a friend of my bought a bunch of stuff from an estate sale held after he passed. It appears as if gang lathes were used, similar to the ones used for manfucaturing gun stocks. These lathes ran off of wooden dies or models that had to be replaced often. Ingenious for their time however. Perhaps eventually we will all be able to afford lasers for our own workshops. They would probably save a few fingers, but also take the individuality of our lures away. Thanks again for responding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Mitcheal, For the small time guy there is no shotcut to rounding the edges other than sanding or routing. That is why making crankbaits is so labor intensive which is also why good ones are so expensive. You are right about routers being a dangerous way to go. But if you have some engineer in you and can design jigs to hold your work then it can be done safely. Gang cutting crankbaits has been done, but cutting crankbaits in this manner allows for a fair ammount of waste. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 I use a router on my baits without any jig at all...just my fingers, all seven of them, lol. Seriously though I am nervous every time I use the router, it's the most dangerous tool I have for sure. Be careful! Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Light cuts, many passes and beware of the end grain. The router works for me, but like Jed, I'm hyper-aware every time I use the router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 If you don't have a jig to hold your work then use a rubber based grout trowl. You can get them at Lowes for less than $10. It is the safest way to hold a small piece. Start your cuts in the top of the rounds of the back and belly. Otherwise you stand a greater chance of the piece kicking out or gouging. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
