Template jig for making lure bodies

[exx1976]

In my post about getting the screw eye holes in the EXACT middle of the lure, I had mentioned a jig I made for use with a flush trim bit on a router table.  It occurred to me that some folks might like to see it.  So, here it is:

 

 

 

 

 

Used 1/2" plywood for the base, and did the profile for the back of the lure on the band saw and then the belt sander.  Drilled 5/16" holes, then used a forstner bit to recess the heads of the t-bolts so it would sit flat on the router table and the t-bolts wouldn't scratch things up.

Used a 3/8" trim bit to route the slots into a piece of 3/4" plywood.

Got the t-bolts, the knobs, and the toggles all from Amazon for like $15 or something like that.

I can create additional 1/2" plywood templates, and just move the hold down from base to base depending on what lure I want to produce.

The base is 24" wide and the back of it is 6" away from the back of the lure (where the router bit would be).  The bait this makes is 8" long, so I've got plenty of room to keep my hands away from the router bit.

Only change I think I'm going to make it to add some fender washers under the knobs.

This particular setup works great for this lure since the belly is flat (all except for by the nose, but that takes 5 seconds on the belt sander to create that small contour).  However, if I decide to make one in the future that has a contoured belly, it would be easy to do.  I'd just create another base from 1/2" plywood, and if the lure was 8" long again I'd do the back profile maybe 3.5" off one end, and then the belly profile 3.5" off the other end, leaving a 1" gap between the two profiles.  Then I would cut another piece of 3/4" plywood, and cut the negative of the back contour into it, then add toggles.  I'd use the toggle base shown in these photos with the flat side to get the back profile, and then I'd flip the bait over, move it to the belly profile side of the template, and the back would fit into the toggle base then.  Hopefully I explained that well enough.  I'll be sure to come back and post pics when I do it.

 

As my buddy says:  "I used my tools to make tools to use my tools."

Edited December 14, 2020 by exx1976

[Big Epp]

This looks great!  I'm thinking about making something like this as a way to speed things up and keep edges symmetrical.  Any tips now that you've had it for a while?

 

[azsouth]

Nice job! a lot of people don't want to spend the time or effort to make jigs but it is the way to go if you want to be able to copy a bait.

[mark poulson]

On 3/22/2021 at 2:57 PM, azsouth said:

Nice job! a lot of people don't want to spend the time or effort to make jigs but it is the way to go if you want to be able to copy a bait.

That is the only way to safely use a router table to shape lures.  It is amazing how fast a workpiece can be thrown, or pulled right into the cutter, along with you fingers.