Jointing wood baits

[fourbizzle]

If you are lacking a bandsaw, how do you guys cut in joints on large wood baits? The scroll saw has proved infuriating with a shaped bait, so I am next going to try cutting the joint in with the scroll saw before shaping the bait (read: while it is rectangular) and then using a weak glue to stick the bait back together for shaping. once shaped, pop the glue and final sand.

Is there a simple solution (minus expensive tool purchases) that I am missing? Maybe just using a radial miter saw with the depth guage set?

[lockjaw]

If you're talking about joints like on a swimbait, then yes, cut them before you shape the lure. It makes it a lot easier. I suppose any saw will do as long as you can control the angle and depth of the cut.

[BobP]

I think cutting the segments before shaping is a good idea if you can find the right glue. Maybe a couple of dots of contact cement or a strong double sided tape? I've been cutting mine after shaping by drawing a line around the bait guided by a rubber band or a piece of string, then using a Dremel with a thin cutoff disk to do the work. I like to angle the cut back toward the upper tail so a fish following the bait from below won't see the segment gap.

[RiverMan]

Coping saw.

RM

[jrhopkins]

get a cheap miter box and hand miter saw. i cut mine on my tablesaw before doing the shaping. second, don't glue them. use double sided duct tape. it will hold your pieces together just fine and you don't have to sand off the glue residue

[mark poulson]

capnsully gave me a tip that works.

Cut the joints while the lure block is still rectangular almost through, but leave about 1/8" in the middle uncut.

Then, while the lure's still square, drill the hinge holes.

Someone else here posted another tip about using a center pin on the drill press to make sure your holes line up, drilling 1/2 way from each side, slowly.

While the lure's still square, drill your hook hanger and ballast holes. Use your lure outline on the block to gauge the depth you need for these. If you don't got deep enough, but have the holes started, they're not hard to deepen after the lure is shaped. And, if they're too deep, you can wad up some newspaper and jam it into the hole before you add the hangers or ballast, to get rid of the extra depth. It's all sealed, anyway, so the paper isn't a problem.

Then you can shape your lure, finish your joint cuts (I use a dovetail saw, a little, fine toothed handsaw), and you're good to go.

Remember, you can drill your pin holes a little farther from the finished joint if you want to, since you're probably going to steepen the angle of the joint on the hinge pin pieces anyway, to get a free swinging joint.

[fourbizzle]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Hadnt considered the table saw. With the depth and fence set properly, that should be a no brainer.

Big DUH! on the hand miter box, I think I have one laying around.

General consensus is, whatever the method, cut first and shape later?

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

Well I guess like always Im doing it butt backwards!!! I carve the whole lure out!!! Then I take a BAND Saw and cut my bait.. I mark a center line on the picece then I set my table angle and cut down the center line of each part.. But I guess it depends on how your putting it together... Good Luck..

[Snax]

What I do for my own swimbaits is to first cut out the shape with the band saw then rout the edges with a round over bit. Since my swimbaits are 1" thick I use a 1/2" bit.

Next it's back to the band saw to cut the bait into the body sections it needs ie: two section, three section style.

Now for the tricky part! To get my angled cuts I use my router again with a 45 degree angled bit. I have a quick release wood clamp that I use to hold the small swimbait body sections and I'm careful to make sure that the pieces lie perfectly flush to the router table before routing. I've seen a miter clamp used for this purpose also. The clamp keeps my precious fingers away from the router blade and provides stability as I hold it with two hands while routing. Do one side then release the clamp and flip the piece over once again making sure that the lure is flat against the router table before routing the other angle.

Now I go back the band saw and cut out the two notches where the pin will run through the two screw eyes. Again I use my clamp (which has plastic grips to hold the wood by the way) to keep my fingers away from danger. The plastic grips are important because you don't want to accidentally contact the router cutter with anything metal!!!

The other sections groove where the two screw eyes sit is achieved using the router again but with a 90 degree cutter. I use a router fence to ensure that the groove will be routed perfectly down the center line of the piece. You can adjust the height of the cutter to make a shallow or deeper groove depending on what you want. With this particular router bit you hold the lure section by hand up against the fence and then slide it from left to right over the cutter while maintaining downward pressure. Voila, a perfect groove for your screw eyes!

I'll have to take some photos to help explain all this but hopefully you'll understand.