Carving lures. Not sure about material.

[Joshuabradbury]

Hi guys so I'm wanting to make my own lures (crankbaits, etc) and I'm really not sure about the wood. I don't have a big budget so I can't really afford balsa wood, I have some pine and a piece of willow. I've read that the pine is alright but I can'tfind anything about the willow. Is it alright to use willow or is it a bad idea?

[islandbass]

Maybe you can look up the density or buoyancy of both woods and balsa which quick google search would tell. If willow’s density is less than pine, my best guess is it might float better which means you can make bigger ones that would still float. Balsa from hobby shops can be bought as blocks and they are not that expensive. That is what I have used and all of mine have caught fish. 

 

Lastly, not all cranks have to float. The rapala countdown was designed to float so if your first one does sink, I’d still complete it. 

 

The thing/challenge you need to get right is determining the amount of lead you will need to make the lure balance correctly in the water. Good luck!

[crypt]

cedar is a good wood so is basswood.

[BASS302]

@Joshuabradbury

Wood densities:

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html

 

 

@crypt

BASSwood sounds great!

[BobP]

I’ve built wood baits for 20 yrs. Wood density is important and determines how your bait will behave.  The lighter the wood, the more lively a bait will be, other factors held equal.  Moisture content and wood grain are also important.  Kiln dried straight grain wood makes baits that are easier to shape and last longer.  Wood cost is a very minor expense (literally pennies per bait) compared to the amount of work you have to do to build a bait, so it’s a prime example of “penny wise pound foolish” to use inferior woods with unknown moisture content and wonky grain. We learn as we go regarding how to shape, sand, and finish a particular species of wood.  Change wood and you have to relearn how to build baits with it.  Making the blank, ballasting, adding hardware all have to be adjusted.  Best practice is to start with one or two good wood species.  Balsa, cedar, basswood are classic bait wood species for good reason.  

[Joshuabradbury]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it 

On 28/10/2017 at 7:51 PM, islandbass said:

Maybe you can look up the density or buoyancy of both woods and balsa which quick google search would tell. If willow’s density is less than pine, my best guess is it might float better which means you can make bigger ones that would still float. Balsa from hobby shops can be bought as blocks and they are not that expensive. That is what I have used and all of mine have caught fish. 

 

Lastly, not all cranks have to float. The rapala countdown was designed to float so if your first one does sink, I’d still complete it. 

 

The thing/challenge you need to get right is determining the amount of lead you will need to make the lure balance correctly in the water. Good luck!

I understand where you're coming from abput the balsa but only I have pine and willow. And in South Africa balsa is quite expensive so I don't think it would be worth it to buy balsa in the hopes of me being capable of actually making something from it. 

On 29/10/2017 at 6:44 PM, BobP said:

I’ve built wood baits for 20 yrs. Wood density is important and determines how your bait will behave.  The lighter the wood, the more lively a bait will be, other factors held equal.  Moisture content and wood grain are also important.  Kiln dried straight grain wood makes baits that are easier to shape and last longer.  Wood cost is a very minor expense (literally pennies per bait) compared to the amount of work you have to do to build a bait, so it’s a prime example of “penny wise pound foolish” to use inferior woods with unknown moisture content and wonky grain. We learn as we go regarding how to shape, sand, and finish a particular species of wood.  Change wood and you have to relearn how to build baits with it.  Making the blank, ballasting, adding hardware all have to be adjusted.  Best practice is to start with one or two good wood species.  Balsa, cedar, basswood are classic bait wood species for good reason.  

Thanks for the advice 

[islandbass]

Then just go with the wood you have.     Also, perhaps the crankbait shaped like the rapala dt flat series might be the ideal for a newbie to try. The shaping will be less and you’d be dealing with a rectangular shape instead of something elliptical like a bomber crankbait. 

 

Good luck and hope you keep us posted. 

 

[Joshuabradbury]

43 minutes ago, islandbass said:

Then just go with the wood you have.     Also, perhaps the crankbait shaped like the rapala dt flat series might be the ideal for a newbie to try. The shaping will be less and you’d be dealing with a rectangular shape instead of something elliptical like a bomber crankbait. 

 

Good luck and hope you keep us posted. 

 

Thanks for the advice. I will most definitely keep you posted. I have a design that I want to try so as soon as possible I will be going for it. I just have exams to focus on at the moment so as soon as I'm done with them I'm hitting garage to make it.

[islandbass]

That looks awesome! From the looks of it, I believe the placement of lead for ballast will be at the bottom most part of the belly. Basically, the place you will place the belly/bottom treble.

 

I take it you’re probably going to go with screw eyes instead of thru-wire construction. If the wood is solid enough like pine you should be okay. If is more like balsa you might want to consider a thru wire construction. 

 

One last tip. It will be easier to drill the hole for the belly and tail trebles when you block is still square unless you have a drill press. Lesson learned for me because I don’t have a drill press, lol. 

 

 

 

[Joshuabradbury]

1 hour ago, islandbass said:

That looks awesome! From the looks of it, I believe the placement of lead for ballast will be at the bottom most part of the belly. Basically, the place you will place the belly/bottom treble.

 

I take it you’re probably going to go with screw eyes instead of thru-wire construction. If the wood is solid enough like pine you should be okay. If is more like balsa you might want to consider a thru wire construction. 

 

One last tip. It will be easier to drill the hole for the belly and tail trebles when you block is still square unless you have a drill press. Lesson learned for me because I don’t have a drill press, lol. 

 

 

 

The plan was to put the lead on the bottom most part of belly all along so thank you for cementing that for me. 

 

I am not too sure about how to do a through wire however I also didn't plan on using screw eyes because I don't know how strong it would be and I'm not exactly willing to gamble on it. My plan was to make eyes with wire that I would twist around itself and then fixing them in with epoxy but any advice on the topic is highly appreciated. 

 

I will definitely drill the holes before shaping, thanks for that piece of advice.

[islandbass]

That is a better option than screw eyes. Kudos to you for going that route.  

[BobP]

I make wire hardware from .041” SOFT temper Malin brand stainless steel wire from McMaster-Carr online.  Easy to bend accurately with hand tools, plenty strong.  Even in balsa, I don’t use thru wiring any more, I just make the line tie and hangers longer and epoxy them into drilled holes.  Have’t had one fail yet.

 

always cut the lip slot and drill the holes while the blank is still in the “square” condition just after cutting out the blank.  And remember that symmetry isn’t just important, it’s everything.  It takes some skill to carve and sand out a crankbait.  Measure and mark everything you can before you start removing wood and that helps.  And yeah, flat sided baits are much easier to shape than round or oval baits.

[Munkin]

9 hours ago, BobP said:

I make wire hardware from .041” SOFT temper Malin brand stainless steel wire from McMaster-Carr online.  Easy to bend accurately with hand tools, plenty strong.  Even in balsa, I don’t use thru wiring any more, I just make the line tie and hangers longer and epoxy them into drilled holes.  Have’t had one fail yet.

 

 

I use this same method for wood baits.

 

To make mine I put a nail with the diameter of the lie tie I need in the vise. Bend the wire in half and then I use pliers to twist until it is snug.

 

Allen

[Joshuabradbury]

On 03/11/2017 at 6:20 AM, BobP said:

I make wire hardware from .041” SOFT temper Malin brand stainless steel wire from McMaster-Carr online.  Easy to bend accurately with hand tools, plenty strong.  Even in balsa, I don’t use thru wiring any more, I just make the line tie and hangers longer and epoxy them into drilled holes.  Have’t had one fail yet.

 

always cut the lip slot and drill the holes while the blank is still in the “square” condition just after cutting out the blank.  And remember that symmetry isn’t just important, it’s everything.  It takes some skill to carve and sand out a crankbait.  Measure and mark everything you can before you start removing wood and that helps.  And yeah, flat sided baits are much easier to shape than round or oval baits.

Thanks for the advice, it is very helpful ☺

On 03/11/2017 at 4:52 PM, Munkin said:

I use this same method for wood baits.

 

To make mine I put a nail with the diameter of the lie tie I need in the vise. Bend the wire in half and then I use pliers to twist until it is snug.

 

Allen

Thanks for the advice it is very helpful ☺

[scaleface]

I have some cedar I will send you . I'm finished making lures .

[Munkin]

Try some pvc trim board from Lowes.

 

Allen 

[Joshuabradbury]

7 hours ago, Munkin said:

Try some pvc trim board from Lowes.

 

Allen 

For what though?

[Baitmaker]

Here is approximately where I would add the ballast weight for that design of yours. Shown a hair large, but close in proportion to what I use for my cedar (mid-rising) floating crankbaits. 

[Joshuabradbury]

1 hour ago, Baitmaker said:

Here is approximately where I would add the ballast weight for that design of yours. Shown a hair large, but close in proportion to what I use for my cedar (mid-rising) floating crankbaits. 

Thanks for the advice. That is pretty much along the lines of what I had planned for it. I really appreciate the tip especially because you know what's going on better than I do ?. 

[Munkin]

14 hours ago, Joshuabradbury said:

For what though?

It is a plastic wood substitute.

 

Allen 

[BobP]

Pvc trim board is a white expanded foam board used for house trim pieces that carry no structural load. crankbait builders have substituted it for wood.  Different brands have different densities but a lot of it runs around 20 lbs/cubic foot, similar to cedar or bass wood.  It is closed cell foam board so is naturally waterproof.  Some guys like it, some would rather work with wood.  i’m In the latter group because I don’t like the fine pvc sanding dust that sticks to everything and the need to fill all the small surface cell voids before painting, plus I prefer using the various densities of different wood species.  But it does have its advantages.

[Joshuabradbury]

4 hours ago, BobP said:

Pvc trim board is a white expanded foam board used for house trim pieces that carry no structural load. crankbait builders have substituted it for wood.  Different brands have different densities but a lot of it runs around 20 lbs/cubic foot, similar to cedar or bass wood.  It is closed cell foam board so is naturally waterproof.  Some guys like it, some would rather work with wood.  i’m In the latter group because I don’t like the fine pvc sanding dust that sticks to everything and the need to fill all the small surface cell voids before painting, plus I prefer using the various densities of different wood species.  But it does have its advantages.

Thanks. I think I'll stick to wood, I haven't seen any around here and so probably easier to stick to the wood.

[Joshuabradbury]

I tried carving a lure but the wood kept on chipping and breaking so it did not work for me. Good thing I didn't buy everything for it yet. 

[soflabasser]

On 10/28/2017 at 4:04 PM, crypt said:

cedar is a good wood so is basswood.

 I agree cedar is a good wood for lure building.

[BobP]

Knives:  there’s a huge difference in “a knife” and a good wood carving knife.  Wood knives usually have small thin blades, with a handle large enough for good control, and need to be sharp enough to shave hair with.    A good knife makes rough shaping a lure easy and fast compared to sanding.