Rounding of hardwood lures

[Aiden James Lures]

The easy, quickest and most accurate way is to use a router. A couple words of caution here, make a fixture to hold the bait, do not even attempt fingers, and use good quality router bits. The baits pictured were done with a router.

Yes, we use a custom jig that mounts to the top of the router table. We have different size quarter round bits for different size lures. Very fast, and accurate! The best, however, would be a CNC machine.

[optimax]

Riverman - I used to rout my 2" lures like this10 years back (30 at a time) and never had a problem, saved heaps of time, I used to sell them then. You just have to make a table to hold the plank and get an appropiate size 'round over' bit, I used a 20mm one. Cedar or some sort of pine is better than balsa , but I suppose balsa would work. Pete

I would start with a square blank start cutting the shape of the lure roughing the shape out while its still attached to the square blank.

Then you can use the square stock as a handle to shape route and get the body true. Then cut the blank off.

[Musky Glenn]

If rounding over flat sided baits, give double sided tape a try. Start with router and small round over and progress to desired shape on one side. Remove bait from tape and turn lure over using a new piece of tape. Don't try to reuse the same tape. Worked in our cabinet shop for small moldings and parts. Important, always go counter clockwise around the lure. Musky Glenn

Edited March 10, 2011 by Musky Glenn

[Fish With Teeth]

Here is the way I round my musky baits and it works great. There is a rubber sheet material that is manufactured in many different patterns and colors. It all has holes molded into the sheet with several patterns available. This material is sold in hardware stores as toolbox liner. You can also buy it at department stores or at the dollar stores where is sold as shelf liner for your kitchen cabinets. You can also buy it in the form of placemats for your kitchen table or coasters for your beverage container. Now, cut out a section of the rubber sheet material that is 3 to 4 times bigger that the biggest lure you make. Next, glue that piece to a board with contact cement. (It is important to glue the rubber sheet to the board). I use water based contact cement so it does not dissolve the rubber. Now, you have a very "grippy" surface to lay your baits on while you round the edges with your router. It is amazing how that rubber sheet holds the bait with just friction. This is very safe and quick and allows you to keep both hands on the router. I usually run 1 screw through the rubberized board into the work bench to keep the board from sliding around. I originally bought this stuff because of the interesting pattern of holes in the sheet. The stuff sold as shelf liner has just the right hole pattern to make an excellent walleye pattern if you use the right paint combo.

[Musky Glenn]

Fish with teeth, That shelf liner trick works better than double surface tape, Ease of application. Musky Glenn

[Fish With Teeth]

Fish with teeth, That shelf liner trick works better than double surface tape, Ease of application. Musky Glenn

Yup, It's faster and safer than any router table. And, no mess or nail holes to fill.

[ravenlures]

Try this out

Sanding drums from SEYCO

I don't have the site address but just google in SEYCO. They make a drum that fits in your drill press. Works great fof me.

SEYCO

P.O. Box 1900

Rockwell, TX 75087

972-771-6049

Crazywaynee

[VermontPhisher]

Hi

A while since my last posting so here goes.

I have searched for advice in the archives as to what is the best way of rounding off the backs of flat sided jerk baits but not really been succesfull. At the moment I am cutting out the shapes and then sanding by freehand the backs with a dremmel type drill with one of those tiny sanding drums. This is quite succesfull and gets the result I need but I just feel there must be a quicker, better and more efficient way of doing it. I bought myself a router and mounted that in a bench thinking I could just smooth the lure along the blade NO NO NO this has to be the worst idea in the world, my advice is dont do that its deadly!!!!!!! (I still have all my fingers but only by pure luck).

I am using Beech.

Regards

philB

Hello Phil,

Look into a type of sander that is called inflatable or bladder sanders. We have a few where I work and I use them to shape my baits sometimes. There is an inflatable bladder inside the drum that allows you to use various

kinds of pressure. If you are doing flat work you inflate it all the way, but for rounding you can use just enough pressure to hold the abrasive sleeve on the drum and it works like a charm. I am not sure how much they cost but they are easy to make if you can find the bladder kit.

[Firechief]

Riverman - I used to rout my 2" lures like this10 years back (30 at a time) and never had a problem, saved heaps of time, I used to sell them then. You just have to make a table to hold the plank and get an appropiate size 'round over' bit, I used a 20mm one. Cedar or some sort of pine is better than balsa , but I suppose balsa would work. Pete

The router idea from Blackjack is sterling. I cant wait to try it. I had also read where one fella used a piece of PVC pipe cut in half length ways to round off baits. He attached sand paper to the inside of the piece and sanded away. Labor intensive but could work.

[sammy01007]

I know this topic is for hardwood, but I have been trying to find new ways to consistantly sand Balsa and Basswood. Maybe this would work for hardwoods too. Making baits is one of my first experiences with woodworking, so please be patient. Here is my idea. Know the sanding drums for the dremmel, well what about taking a 1/2" tall sanding drum (without the sandpaper, just the inner rubber drum) and putting it on the dremmel. Then shaping it with a rat-tail file to a desire contour. The drum could then be covered with an expoxy and rolled in playground or aquarium sand (some sort of fine sand). Would this produce a custom shaped sanding drum, or am I just dreaming? I am not sure how long something like this would hold up.