Making Thicker Wood Crankbaits

[esoxbuckeye]

I'm starting to make musky crankbaits out of wood. I want to make a bait that is thicker than the lumber I can find at Lowe's or Home Depot. What is the best way of glueing boards together that will be in the water all of the time? I would think wood glue or epoxy would be the answer but I don't know which method would work best. After I glue the boards and plane them to the correct thickness should I try to keep that seam as the centerline of the bait or does that matter? Thanks for the help!

[philB]

I'm starting to make musky crankbaits out of wood. I want to make a bait that is thicker than the lumber I can find at Lowe's or Home Depot. What is the best way of glueing boards together that will be in the water all of the time? I would think wood glue or epoxy would be the answer but I don't know which method would work best. After I glue the boards and plane them to the correct thickness should I try to keep that seam as the centerline of the bait or does that matter? Thanks for the help!

Polyurethane adhesive is the answer, I use it to glue all my baits together and love the stuff. A bit expensive but worth every penny. I like the way it foams and fills and there is no stronger bond.

[.dsaavedra.]

use a 4x4 lol surely your lure can't be any thicker than 4 inches!

[BobP]

I use epoxy to join the halves of baits I split for thru-wire frames. It lets you to insert the hardware and ballast inside the body so that there are no holes to patch when the halves are joined. In your instance, I'd use a little hot glue to join the halves temporarily while I cut the lip slot (do this first!) and shape/sand the bait.

[VermontPhisher]

Epoxy works or go with the 4x4 DSV suggested. If you must join use good quality clamps and adhesive . If your are still freaked out about strength, pegs or biscuits will do the trick. I know how much it sucks to lose the big one so I tend to over build. Good luck with your Project.

Edited March 27, 2010 by VermontPhisher

[esoxbuckeye]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm on the right track right now and will be able to get that 1 1/2" thickness I'm looking for that I can't find at Lowe's or Home Depot.

[hook seter]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm on the right track right now and will be able to get that 1 1/2" thickness I'm looking for that I can't find at Lowe's or Home Depot.

I use ape glue it realy works.

[StrykerLures]

PhilB where do you buy your Polyurethane adhesive?

[rofish]

Esoxbuckeye,

If you want to glue 2 pieces of lumber to make a thicker wood, then plane the resulting lumber to the thickness you need, this will lead you to an unsuitable piece of lumber to make crankbaits. When you plane this wood, chances are that the center line will not be actually in the center. So first you need to plane the lumber you have to the same thickness, which is half the thickness you need for the lures, then cut out 2 pieces of the outline of the lure, which you will then glue together with the through wire in it. Secondly, if you have the lumber with the center line made out of glue, it will be quite difficult to drill holes in the center line for ballast and tow eyes. So if you want to use the stock you have, do the planing first.

For my through wire crankbaits I use epoxy to glue them together - fast curing epoxy. Perfect bonding. Cannot compare with polyurethane adhesive, since I have not used it.

First I make the 2 parts perfectly equal, using a disc/belt sander, then I drill 2 through holes in them, where I put 2 toothpicks, which fit snugly, to keep the 2 parts together while shaping/sanding, because such operations are easier to make without having the wire eyes already in place. Then I install the hardware and glue the 2 parts together.