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Re: how to make a lipless swimbait?
Balsa is a very soft wood. I don't think it would be my choice of wood for a jointed swim bait. I have a 6" four piece pine lure sitting on my work bench that I haven't finished yet, because the wood is so buoyant I will have to add a ton of ballast to get it to float right, and there's just not enough room in those small sections. It was something I made, early on, to play around with the physical challenges of hinging. It was a great help in figuring things out, sort of like assembling a wooden cabinet dry first, to see what needs to go together in what order, so, when the glue has been applied, you don't forget a step and ruin all your work.
But, as I said, I probably will never finish it. Wrong wood.
I've settled on poplar. Some people use basswood, some fir, some oak, some cedar. It really depends on the actual piece of wood you have to work with, and how heavy it is. Pine can range from super light, like the easy-to-carve piece I used for that prototype, to some really heavily pitched stuff, which is heavier, and which I actually use for my surface gliders, which are one piece.
I'm sticking with poplar or fir for my jointed lures, since both woods are strong, heavy enough to require relatively minimum ballast weighting, and are still easy to shape and finish.
What ever you finally choose to use, know you probably won't get it right the first, or second, or even third time. But each attempt will get you closer, and teach you something.
Life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the ride.
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