First I want to say thank you to the moderators on this site. The information on this site is phenomenal. I've learned alot.
I have gotton into painting baits this summer and have got that down pretty good. I now want to make a few baits from scratch. I'm new to wood working and have a few things I could use some help with. I've searched through the forum and really haven't been able to find the answers to these questions.
1) I want to make some baits fom cedar. I went to Lowes last night and the only cedar they had was the cedar with one side rough. I figured you guys were using a hobby type of high quality cedar, but they don't have this as a hobby wood. Is just a standard 1x2 cedar plank ok for cutting the shape? What size wood (dimensions) is the best for building flat sided baits like a Zoom copy.
2) After I work with cedar for flat baits I thought about attempting a copy of a D-bait II or Brian's B1-2 with balsa. What's a standard stock size for building these baits and do I find wood at a hooby shop or should I order it from www.balsausa.com?
3) After the primary shape is cut, is a knife (what kind?) and sand paper used for the rest? I'm un-sure about exactly how each bait is shaped since on the production type bait company websites (Stanford) they show them cutting bodies with machines they have set up for each bait type.
4) I've got a band saw. Is a belt/disc sanding machine a good investment and the best way to do the initial sanding? Lowes had these for $100.
If some one could help me with these questions I'd be on the way to producing a few baits. I think I have the lexan lip and wiring figured out from the tutorials, but the woodworking stuff is completely new to me.
Thanks again to all you guys who give up your time to make this such a great site. I'm a crankbait fanatic and have always loved wood baits, especially the little known custom made ones. I had so much fun with the painting completing a full bait would make it even better.
Mags
