Dremel

[TeddESP]

I was looking at a cheap dremel the other day and thought that might be an easier way to make lures. Do any of you use one? I usually whittle them but I'm low on lures and I wanna bust some out any ideas?

[Vodkaman]

If you are using soft balsa, the Dremel is OK, but if the wood is any harder, I would stick to carving and use the dremel for final shaping. I do all my carving on a belt sander. Wear a dust mask when using a Dremel type drill.

Is it an actual Dremel? I ask this because when I started out, I went for a cheaper drill of the same type and burned out two units in less than a month. I then forked out the money for the Dremel and it is still going strong after four years.

Dave

[islandbass]

I bought a dremel thinking along the same lines, and prefer hand carving. However, it does come in handy for drilling holes. I do use it, but sometimes I like the therapeutic intangibles hand carving provides.

[BobP]

I guess personal preference plays into it, but I use a Dremel for 90% of my shaping, hardwood or balsa, with a 1/2" dia. Dremel fine grit sanding cylinder. I have a couple of Dremels and a Foredom rotary tool (bigger, more power). But I still use a cheap Dremel two speed model 285 more than the others. It's just the handiest. I run it at 15k rpm (low speed) most of the time and mine has a few hundred crankbaits under its belt. One thing I particularly like - Dremel has great warranty service. Break it and they'll have a reconditioned Dremel in the mail to you very quickly. Excellent service! I've only had to use it once in 10 yrs though.

I also use my Dremel for drilling eye recesses, screw and ballast holes. With the right bits it's amazing what you can do with one. The only other power tool I use is a scroll saw to cut out the basic crankbait blank and cut the lip slot.

[TeddESP]

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I ended up purchasing said dremel and it is name brand one. I wanted to stay away from the battery ones because I thought that might be a hassle so I picked up one with a cord. After playing with it for a while I agree with islandbass 100%, I would rather carve by hand. Any suggestions on really helpful bits I could use? My plan is to make at least 10 of each different pattern of lures. Any suggestions are still greatly appreciated. I will post pics soon as I'm getting ready to do some saltwater fishing and I'm carving a lure and using a dremel for another one. Thanks!

[Vodkaman]

You made a good decision going for the mains cable version. Mine is a battery powered Dremel. I bought it thinking it would be handy for waters edge adjustments, which it is, but in the workshop,it is a real pain when I forget to charge the battery after some heavy use. A mains Dremel is on my shopping list.

My Dremel gets used for drilling twisted eye holes, sanding ballast hole filler and any concave shapes that I cannot reach with the belt sander. If I want to drill a precisely located hole, I use the Dremel with a pointed bit attachment, because I can get in close for good control.

If I were to do any carving details like gill plates, lips, fins etc, it would be with the Dremel.

Are you looking for carving or Dremel tips?

Dave

[Fishwhittler]

I don't use my rotary tool for initial shaping, but I do use it for rough-sanding after carving the lure. A rotary tool is also useful for a whole bunch of other things, such as bill shaping, grinding, and drilling.

[.dsaavedra.]

i use my Dremel extensively for lure building

[TeddESP]

I'm looking for any carving, dremel, or tacklemaking tips.. I'm pretty new and just wanna learn as much as possible. If any of you know any forums specific to making lures, I'd be interested.

[.dsaavedra.]

get a structured tooth tungsten carbide bit. they are boss for carving wood.

[BobP]

I agree the toothed tungsten carving bits work very quickly but they do tend to leave a ragged surface that requires lots of sanding. When it gets down to accurate rounding over, I still think a 1/2" dia Dremel fine sanding drum is hard to beat. They are cheap and last a long time. There really is no "trick" to shaping a symmetrical crankbait. Crankbait have complex curves and it becomes an art form to shape them by eye, so try to avoid that wherever possible. Make it more a craft project than an art form. What I have found most useful is to mark rounding over and sanding limits with a compass. Do it while the lure blank is still "square". Mark a center line all around the bait to locate your hardware elements. If you are going to taper the bait, mark lines on the top and bottom with a flexible straight edge and use a belt or disk sander to do that task. Then use the compass to mark lines on the shoulders and the lower sides, plus the top and bottom, within which you will round over the wood. Sand down the sharp edges to your limit lines and then blend everything into smooth curves with the Dremel sanding cylinder.

I guess any compass will work for a mark-up, but I use a quality draftsman's compass.

[.dsaavedra.]

I agree the toothed tungsten carving bits work very quickly but they do tend to leave a ragged surface that requires lots of sanding. When it gets down to accurate rounding over, I still think a 1/2" dia Dremel fine sanding drum is hard to beat.

this is very true, the tungsten bits don't leave you anywhere close to a finished body. they are just great for ripping off a lot of wood fast for your rough shape.

i like to do the major rounding and tapering with the tungsten and then go over that with a coarse dremel sanding drum to get rid of all the grooves left by the tungsten. after the coarse dremel bit i start to sand by hand starting with 80 grit from a belt sander and moving up to 400.