RiverSmallieGuy

I primarily use 3/4" and thinner. My thinnest stock is 3/4" by 1" by 6-12", and the gap in the fingers on my scroll saw is a little over 1", so it cannot press the stock down at certain angles. That is the primary reason for the epoxied Lexan.

So essentially, clamp a second surface to the table like a 3/4" slab of pine and that would work? That's probably the safer option. I have some big steel C clamps, so Im probably gonna try that.

Hahaha

So, the "foot" on my scroll saw cannot reach all the way to the table and there is a gap between the two fingers, so would it work to epoxy a piece of Lexan to the bottom of the foot joining the two fingers so that there is no gap to where I can essentially have one arm that is transparent and lower to effectively cut thin pieces of wood or Lexan that would be thinner than the gap between the two fingers. I know the way I worded it was a little hard to understand, so let me know if you are confused.

I think that .024 is wayy to light for really any kind of lure, just my opinion, but the general consensus for lures where pike and bass are present, you want .032 for smaller lures, .041 is a good do-all wire size, and .051 is great for the really big lures (7"+). This is how I operate with wooden lures, but it should be fairly similar.

I should add, I am not a swimbait guru, but I was giving my personal experiences with wakers.

Absolutely true!

haha I get it... I make references that are not helpful all the time! I didn't know what that arm was for, I thought it was like a guard on a bandsaw...

I didn't even know what that arm was for lol, thanks man!

So, I really need to apply some force on it downward then, I have just been barely holding it down to the table. That would probably help.

What do you mean when you mean foot? Are you meaning a pedal, a stand?

The woods I use are Douglas fir, pine, cedar, basswood, and balsa

As a person who has just now gotten their scroll saw, I was curious about something. In the little bit I have messed with it, the wood would sometimes get stuck on the teeth of the blade and jump up and down on me, is this a product of the blade being dull or am I using it wrong? I know that there are different blade tensions and TPI's but I don't really know much about that. If it helps, the scroll saw I use is the Ryobi SC164VS 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw.

Very true with your line tie observation. Design is a compromise, and you can change the location of the lip as well to change the effect of the line tie location.

I forgot to mention something-- if you are trying to figure out what to do for your baits, you can always look to other baits for inspiration. I am not saying just blatantly copy somebody else's lure, I am just saying learn from other baits that work. Other than that, just get some experience and try new things and you'll learn what to do.

Forgot to mention here: the other difference with resin is the weight of the resin vs the weight of the wood. Leverage is why I bring this up.

Wakebaits are one of the simplest of the swimbait category to make. As for lip angle, you don't want always want to use a 90 degree lip. I often like to use a lip from 75-85. Lip thickness is also a very important topic when it comes to making wakebaits. With a larger bait (say 6"+), you need a thicker lip and with a smaller lure (say 4-5") you don't need to go as thick. Your lip needs to be able to withstand the impact of hitting rocks, or wood without snapping. As for the joint segment ratios, I would just take the length of the entire lure and divide it's length by how many joints there are. I tend to go with a 45 degree angle joint on my swimbaits. You also need to consider joint spacing. This determines how much motion there is in the joint and could determine how wide or aggressive it swims. Weight and balance, I would weigh it similar to any other non glider swimbait, except floating and with a lip. Tails should be soft plastic or jointed Lexan tail.

Haha, not a bad idea! One of the cool kids that wont post until 2023...

Kinda sad. On the soft plastic lure category, there are 46 entries and 26 different competitors. Do I need to say more?