swimb8s Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I am having a hard time making the " V " cuts for swimbait joints consistent, I am not glueing two halves together but rather marking and cutting with small bandsaw. Sometimes the cut on the bottom is cut more than the top or too far past center mark etc... How are you guys getting such clean and accurate joints ? Thanks for the help !! Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I don't cut a V, I cut a U shape, using the Dremel with a drum sander bit. Examine your joint movement. The object is to achieve clearance and hide the joint mechanics to pretty up the construction. If I was doing large numbers, I would consider a jig with an angular mounted router. You have to look at the problem and imagine the solution. The solution may not be what everyone else is doing, but that does not mean that you are wrong. If you cannot see the solution, post pics and a statement of your intent and you will receive a few ideas to choose from or guide you to different ideas. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimb8s Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Oh yes I like your wisdom !! I also really like your work too. Dave do you also make your own " figure 8 " s that are epoxied in swimbait for your pins to run through ? Thanks for the great info Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrobass Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I run into the same problem, I set the angle at 20 or 25* on the table saw and try to set the blade to half the width of my dowel. I think I've overcome this problem by simply testing it out on scrap dowel when I get it close, but holding the bait flat enough to make the angle go in the same way on both sides is proving to be a challenge. I've often ended up having to sand out my mistakes, which can be a very time consuming and meticulous process. I really like the idea of creating some kinda jig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I have made figure 8 links, from brass wire, soldered. It is fiddly, but once you jig up, you can produce a lot, consistently in a short time. The most important part is getting the sizes consistent and for this you have to think about a jig. Brass links are not very pretty though. I am experimenting with hinge plates of polycarbonate in place of the links. Haven't done anything on the project for a while, but will return one day. All my swimbaits are designed to dismantle. The pins are held in place with soft glue and the top coat. So if the bait needs servicing, the topcoat is stripped and the pin tapped out. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) I run into the same problem, I set the angle at 20 or 25* on the table saw and try to set the blade to half the width of my dowel. I think I've overcome this problem by simply testing it out on scrap dowel when I get it close, but holding the bait flat enough to make the angle go in the same way on both sides is proving to be a challenge. I've often ended up having to sand out my mistakes, which can be a very time consuming and meticulous process. I really like the idea of creating some kinda jig! I also use a table saw, set to 25*, and a miter guage with a sacrificial wood fence screwed to it, and cut my joints while my lure blank is still a rectangle. I do a test cut, use a square to mark a line up the wood face to the top, and then align my joint marks with that line, so that the joints line up from both sides. I don't cut all the way through, so the lure body holds together during the shaping process. I cut the joints through with a drywall knife after the lure is shaped and sanded. If you've already shaped the lure without precutting the joints, I would cut them all the way through, square, and then use Dave's idea of a dremel with a sanding drum, or a spindle sander, to creat concave faces on the back of each segment, and a belt sander to make complementary convex faces on the leading edges of the nesting segments. It all sounds complicated, but I've found that jointed swimbaits are very forgiving of my errors, like not being perfectly symetrical, or not having perfect joints. Just try and use a hinge system that's openable, like Dave said, so you can adjust your joints as you need to. For me, that's sst screw eyes and bicycle spoke pins. It also helps me to be able to top coat the segments separately, and then assemble the lure. Sorry to be so long winded, but it's easy to get frustrated, so I try to pass along what I've already learned, so you don't have to make the same mistakes. Good luck. Edited January 21, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimb8s Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thanks for the info guys, it's just hard to look at the work you guys do and see what mine is turning out like. But like always practice , practice !! Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
