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Honestly, there isn't any play in this one, as-is. The play we were speaking of was in theory of using lazy susan bearings for uses other than what they were intended to do. The existing machine uses piano hinges, good call, I browsed alot of hinges & was surprised how much play/slop was in them, there is some in the piano hinges also, but like what Vodkaman said, the farther you spread it out, the less noticeable it is. (the ones on this machine are @ 8" long) Vodkaman, I totally get what you're saying & I'm blown away by how you understand without actually seeing the video PS Sorry kelly, thanks for the info on the bearings, those would work for bass sized plugs, but I'm stubborn & dead set on carving a 4x4 with this That means the ID needs to be around 5.5 - 6+ inches. Thanks all.

Pete, we think so much alike its scary. I actually tried that & agreed, it would work given the low rpm (@ 60rpm) & you're right a minimum of 3 bearings is all that would be needed. My issue with that design was axial load. In order to feed the stock I needed both sets of bearings, (or tubes as you have drawn) to house a one-way ratchet type system that would allow the stock to feed in one direction, but not the other (or back itself out) The lazy susan bearings are actually made for an axial load, but again I don't like the 1/16" slop, if you double that (one set stationary/geared & the other fixed to the Y gantry) that makes for 1/8 of play. You could scratch the whole ratchet design in the "thru" bearings if you could push the stock from the rear, but that means running a rack & pinion or something similar outwards to 8 feet from the business end. I hope that makes sense, i'm starting to confuse myself Damn, I figured Vodkaman would be all in this by now I wanted to bring this contraption to the MO gathering but it weighs almost 100 pounds & would have to go freight. We still have 20-some days to slim her down If I wouldn't have made it to do big game baits, it would've been much smaller.

A couple years ago we sent a fellow member, Tim "Chirmy" Myers to ICAST 2005 to get the scoop on the latest tackle trends for the coming year. (Chirmy, you're invited) For those of you who don't know ICAST is the "Super Bowl" of fishing shows where all the manufacturers exhibit their newest products. American Sportfishing Association We're looking for a small crew to cover the event on behalf of Tackleunderground. We will provide the media passes which gets you special access into the show & you are among the few who can actually photograph & record the event (public photography is prohibited) Those chosen will get free entrance & access to the "media room" with internet access available to forward information from the event. A few prerequisites: Preferably local to the general Las Vegas area, or able to travel. Competent article writer or a Photographer or videographer Transportation & lodging to & from the show (I think it's a 3 day event) You will need all 3 days to cover the area. You will be asked to visit & interview as many exhibitors as possible. Gather detailed information & report back to TU for a formal expose. Anyone with a background in journalism will know these assignments actually count as credit towards attaining membership into various writers guilds. If you are interested, private message me directly as we will be requesting our media passes soon & will need your info.

Hey Pete, I scored a few small lazy susan bearings which had a 6 inch ID, only problem is the bearings have a little play @ 1/16" (I know the US standard measurements are killing you ) do you know of a place to score some large ID bearings to pass the square stock thru?

The blade is a 6 1/2 Avanti...... 40 tooth I think. I used it because it was labeled to endure the most RPM's, its rated for 10,000 The grinder does 14,000 which is why it's run thru a speed control. I put an aluminum blade guard on it but still, if someone just walked in & fired it up, it could get hairy, which is why I stress "dont try this at home" That particular blade looks to do a 4x4 piece of wood & I made the linear slides over 2 feet long so in theory it will do a sizable musky plug (havn't tried it yet) I agree there would be more maintenance with a ball tip router bit, but Im having some issues with the grinder bogging down near the tail & a router (1-3 hp) wouldn't have that problem, but I could always upgrade to a table saw motor & throw a 10 or 12" blade on there. (I actually think thats how Lee Sissons machines run)

Yeah, I had my employee do the first run. What we're working on now is setting it up to feed a full stick instead of loading each blank. As-is it cuts @ 3-4 inches per minute. I'm working with my blade sharpener to modify the teeth from a alternate bevel to a triple chip. Another idea being passed around the shop is to switch to a router to increase safety. We have another machine sitting just for that purpose, but we're waiting on cogs/gears. Hey Pete, I've seen the machines your speaking of, actually I've researched this for years, There are alot of duplicators on the market, some commercial & some homebuilt, but every one I've seen requires a router & manual control. The one you're referring to has one tracer & like 20 belt driven heads, quite a beast. They've been upgraded to CNC but this is the only one I've seen that can run without manual control (without CNC) Thanks for the feedback.

Heres a peek at one we've been working on. This prototype was made simply for proof of concept, it has many flaws & it's quite dangerous, please dont attempt. Once we're happy with the design, we'll make it available here. Our prerequisites were that the materials be readily available, affordable & be able to build & use in a small shop. Feedback welcomed. 8oSMf_1nLqE

I'm in the finishing business & if you want a finish thats HAPS free & LEEDS compliant, be prepared to pay for it. In your defense, it is the future, government regulations are cracking down on businesses that still use volatile chemicals. There was a recent movement in California to remove all traces of formaldehyde from sheet goods. Government is also giving incentives for those who go "GREEN" & I applaud the recognition for such activism. The Issue I'm experiencing is that coating manufacturers are way behind on comparable coatings, given, many strides have been made recently but If you go green you have to make compromises in performance & hope that the coating suppliers will catch up as soon as possible. I personally have never experienced any noxious gas issues with epoxy.

Yeah, Del @ del-mart.com can probably still get the raw material. I hear that it is much more finicky to work with as compared to our normal plastisols. I found a few styles that I liked & they sure do last, I think that one of the big reasons they're on the way out is that they will ruin every other bait in your tacklebox unless you store them separately.

I'm a cabinetmaker by trade & we use sawdust & various glues to make "Rue" for special applications (filler, thick glues, etc.) I would say yes, but if you are willing to take the trouble to do that I would recommend using any of the available 2-part urethane foams on the market, I'll venture to say it will be cheaper, more consistent & the learning curve will cut be drastically. 4 pound & 8 pound densities are often compared to wood in strength & density (flotation) some of the musky guys are using 16lb foam which seems bullet proof in my opinion. Cool thing is you dont need a pour hole, just a small vent somewhere in the mold. Lay one of the halves flat, fill it, close the mold securely & let the foam do it's thing. Staying on topic, simply place your diving lip in the accommodated slot in the mold & preferably a thru wire harness with the ballast anchored to it for easy production. Stiff RTV molds shine in this application. I've heard that priming the mold cavities before pouring will infuse the primer on the outer skin, again, saving an extra step. If you try it, document it & report back. I've made many foamies with barebones, vanilla techniques, but I'm a couple weeks behind you on trying the same scenario. All the best.

Maybe not directly. I know alot of people use eBay for initial exposure. Also, Check the shipping......... you can sell 50 baits for .99 cents if you charge $30 for shipping JMO

If it was transparent, it was likely polyester resin. Its very similar to the material used to make clear paperweights & corporate award type items. Hagens produces foam blanks with clear lips, one of the problems with urethane foam (a plus, in your case) is that it is extremely adhesive. if you cant clean it up with solvents before it cures, the only other way is to mechanically remove it (scraping/sanding/etc;) Ever hear of "Gorilla Glue" ? Its a foaming urethane resin Filled urethane resins (feather-lite & others) should be adhesive enough, one tip might be to add ridges, back cuts or even holes drilled in the embedded (hidden) section of your lips. Stringing the thru-wire back into the bait would help too. I'm starting to see opaque white (injection molded) blanks with clear lips being offered too, but they are likely made to mate with each other in a way that seats them securely & assembled in 2 parts after curing.

Lapala was cool enough to put some Rapala factory tour video on the web. Heres a snippet showing one of their test tanks.

That interests me V-man, I havnt figured out how to use a variety of lips in the same mold. Also, does your experiments allow for a variety of lip angles? Good luck my friends.

Theres a few suppliers offering a clear urethane resin. My research has shown that the max recommended thickness is @ 1/4" Fine for lips but not a whole crankbait. I'm almost sure any additives will cloud the resin. Most require a pressure cast to collapse air bubbles. The ones Ive seen are recommended for industrial use only due to the chemicals involved & require a post cure around 200 degrees for a few hours to achieve maximum hardness. All bad news for your particular application, however if you were looking to use a 3 or 4 part mold you could easily get below the 1/4" threshold. My recommendation, make your mold with the lip attached, then cast with featherlite or urethane foam with the lip inserted into the mold. There are clear hobby acrylic resins available but they are polyester based & not a high impact plastic IMO. I'd love to try exactly what you're trying to do so if someone can can enlighten, please do.

I didnt mean to come off rude & it's true that alot of infomercials use deceptive marketing such as starved fish in test tanks & private stocked ponds, however the banjo will catch fish & I believe there is some nugget of truth to the instinctual eating of crippled prey. It's demonstrated throughout the animal kingdom. wounded prey requires less energy to catch. The Banjo "style" of baits has produced fish for me when nothing else would.

I'm a woodworker by trade, so this question gets asked from time to time. I agree with all above, including added light of different spectrum for the painting/finishing area. Lights on opposing walls (like an automotive sprayroom setup) More electrical than you need, including 220V & 3 phase just in case the CNC bug strikes you Dust extraction, preferrably in-floor with electric controlled blast gates. Dust collector & compressor housed outside. Air scrubbers overhead anywhere you plan on standing. In-floor radiant heating for those northern folk, central A/C for my place. Best tip I've heard if you're building: figure out how much space you'll need & build it 3 times bigger. Cool thread

I find myself defending this bait more than I should. The "original" banjo minnow (before all the add-ons) is a nicely designed & effective bait. It's achilles heel is that it was indeed marketed via late night infomercial, which only thru popular opinion, instantly makes it a "rip-off" Any of you dismissing this bait actually fish one? or are you just passing on the comments you hear. Just curious, because I have fished them & every knock-off or similarly designed bait and they have been productive for me. The infomercial may have turned off alot of people but the owners are laughing all the way to the bank. The question asked was: Anybody use them/like them in fresh water or salt? Answer: I have & like them, however there are other variations from other manufacturers that produce just as well. I personally like the "Scattering shad" from Renosky, very similar in design, however it has a skirted tail. You also dont need to rig it like a Banjo, simply rig it like a normal bait. They are becoming harder to find. The Zoom Fluke as mentioned before has a similar design, however I find the girth of the fluke deters the action, they swim more like a darter rather than "swimming". They are available everywhere. The helicopter lure, I have, in the original packaging bought at a yard sale. I keep it around for when I need a good laugh & consider it a novelty item. Roland Martin will promote anything.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/docks/11199-tu-gathering-april-25-27-2008-a.html

Gonna act like I didn't see that.

Thanks for the positive feedback fellas, this how-to is an old one but I did try casting lead with this method & it works but the mold life suffers tremendously, Id be surprised to see more than half a dozen successful casts before it failed. Also, this particular method involves opening the cavity to pour which is quite dangerous, if you want to cast low temp metals w/ silicone, take Bruce's advice & look for a high-temp silicone for best results. Quantum Silicones offers a silicone I did test successfully using a 2 part mold. Best of luck

depends.... (sorry, had to.) You're right, move'ded it.

There was a conflict between the gallery and a recently added feature. I worked on the problem, tested it in the latest versions of IE (7.0.5730.13) & Firefox (2.0.0.12), both work on my machine. To clarify, the problem occurs when trying to expand a thumbnail in a gallery post that contains more than one image in the set, correct? If you still have problems, post here, with enough replies, I'll revert the settings & go back to the old style viewing (page re-load vs shaded pop-up) Thank you for the feedback & sorry for any trouble.

Thats precisely the problem with Yahoo, our automated emails either go to the "bulk" (spam) folder or they are rejected completely, which they then bounce right back to my email (hundreds per day) This link should help you get our emails out of the bulk folder: I want this email! But it went into the Bulk folder. What do I do? - Mail For the thread display options, they are adjusted thru your UserCP: http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/profile.php?do=editoptions I apologize for any trouble, We're working on the yahoo email fiasco.

Hi Fellas, I recognize some virtual faces from stripersonline. welcome aboard. I have a question for you salty gents, what is the preferred material for striper baits? Maple? some other hardwood? Balsa? Basswood? I watched a discussion over on stripersonline where some of you are working with closed cell PVC, any pointers? Thanks. P.S. Braveviper, you know you can download your messages to your PC & wipe your PM box clean? just a FYI, I have 450 pm's if you care to know