mainbutter Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 I saw a tutorial earlier where the guy cut his lure in half, carved a route on both halves for the wire insert, and glued the halves together.. I'm not too fond of the idea of cutting a wood body completely in half and gluing it back together just to do a wire-through lure.. I assume there are alternative methods?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesehead Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Start with two pieces of wood half the thickness before you carve. Stick them together with small pieces of double face tape carve then separate the halves with a putty knife. if you used too much or have a stubborn piece of tape apply some mineral spirits to the joint to soften the adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 @ mainbutter You might as well cut a slot at the belly of a one piece lureblank to epoxy in a wireform . A "Dremel" with a cutting wheel chucked works just fine for it , ....it works as well with a high bladed handsaw(a high blade provides better guidance for a straight cut) , but is quite finacky to keep the saw at straight course , especially when just commencing the cut . Need to chuck the blank in a vise to do this . Another , ....still more complicated way , is to drill a bore lengthwise centered through the entire blank(in a drill press with machine vise , drill from either side to meet in center of body) to lead a wire shaft through , bores from the belly acommodating the figure 8 hookhangers must hit that center bore , so that a central wire shaft could be poked through the inner eyes of the figure 8 forms . Off course all is epoxied as well during final assembly to seal off . All of these operations should be done BEFORE finally rounding off the blank , when still of rectangular cross-section(only the outline readily shaped) , it is still perfect to chuck it and you also have an angular reference for cutting belly slot , lipslot and/or furnishing pilot holes for eye screws(if no thru-wire requested) . good luck , diemai:yay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 If you're workng with fairly soft balsa, splitting a bait is no big deal provided you scribed a center line around the bait after you cut out the blank. I use a single edged razor blade. Rejoining the halves with 5 minute epoxy provides the bait with a reinforcing "backbone". Remember to wipe the epoxy out of the lip slot unless you are installing it at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CL Rods Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Well with Balsa, like Bob says scribing and cutting with a blade is relatively easy with Balsa with a little practice. However I have become fairly proficient at cutting a slot with a saw AFTER forming and shaping the bait versus totally splitting the bait. Crankbaits are a little more critical than topwater so you just need to go slow and stay centered vertically. And I am only doing this on BALSA baits. For Basswood and other woods, I use twisted wire in drilled holes. Something I learned from my dad and brother who were both master carpenters, for fine cuts, is to reverse the blade so the business side of the stroke is on the pull versus the push. Seems to work for me, and just get a very fine toothed blade and keep it tightened in the saw frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrophius Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 (edited) I have a Japanese pull saw that works great for this. They cut on the pull and unlike american saws, the teeth are flush with the width of the blade. It allows fpr a fine accurate cut. How to Make Square Cuts with a Pull Saw | eHow.com ^ this link is for something else, but it shows them and you can pick one up at Home Depot etc. Edited July 31, 2009 by atrophius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
