Drilling Belly Weight Hole

[archeryrob]

I got a question, how are you guys holding a lure steady when drilling the belly weight hole. I was trying to use a 5/16" bit to drill the belly weight hole in a Rat-L-trap and the bit wobbled out the side due to the unsecure mount. Might have worked better if I had a 5/16 forstner bit, but my kit does not have one.

 

Rat-L-traps don't have a flat area to be pressing on when using the drill press. My other Crankbiats sre fine but these are drilled a funny angle with the weight more front.

 

[CarverGLX]

Build a holder for the lure using scrap lumber and square dowels. Glue prices of the dowels to a board to make a lure holder. Attach the board to another board at a right angle. A video of this is attached below. This is where I learned it.

Brad point bits help too. I use colt.

Edited December 14, 2013 by CarverGLX

[RayburnGuy]

Brad points are better then a regular bit, but they can still be hard to keep centered in soft wood or if your using wood that has a hard grain with soft sapwood surrounding it. I'm having much better luck with Forstner bits. I would suggest buying quality Forstner bits though. I picked up a set at Harbor Freight and while they do the job they don't seem to be that sharp. When you start having to put excess pressure on a bit to make it cut that's when you start running into trouble.

 

Building a jig like Carver described is the cheapest way to go to assure your baits are being held in the appropriate position. Another way would be to get a smooth jawed vice designed to be used with drill presses.

 

Ben

[BobP]

Don't know that I recommend it for anyone because it takes good hand control, but I use a cylindrical wood carving bit in a Dremel tool to drill ballast holes.  At 20,000 rpm, the bit will either drill its way into or burn its way through the wood.  You need to wiggle the bit a little as it drills and back it out occasionally because unlike a regular drill bit, the wood dust is not being carried out of the hole and can cause the bit to grab, which you definitely don't want to happen at 20,000 rpm while holding the bait in your hand.  Never got bitten, but I have had baits fly across the garage a few times.  But it does make a neat hole.

[archeryrob]

Yea, well it was just a standard bit. I guess I geta  brad point or forstner bit. Maybe even make a jig as all the Rattle traps have the same angles, so all sizes should fit on the jig.

[woodieb8]

forstner bit and a vice.

you could pre-drill a small pilot hole.

[RayburnGuy]

If I was going to buy a new bit it would be a forstner. And the reason I say to sepnd a few extra bucks getting a good one is it needs to be sharp and stay sharp. Cheaper bits, like those I got at Harbor Freight, just don't have the grade of steel needed to maintain a sharp bit. Not in my opinion any way. And dull bits, of any kind, can grab wood fibers instead of cutting them and this leads to tearing a hole instead of cutting it.

 

Ben

[mark poulson]

If you use a drill press vice, and clamp the bait between two scraps of wood so the edge is of the bait isn't unsupported and exposed, you stand a better chance of drilling without tearout, whichever bit you use.

You don't need anything fancy.  I'm sure Harbor Freight has a cheap on that will do the job.

[Matt M]

I use brad point bits for mine and they work well for me.

A mouse pad from a computer works well as a pad to protect the bait when you clamp it in a vice. The back side of the pad also has a slip resistant material.

[mark poulson]

I typically drill my ballast and hardware holes, or at least put in small pilot holes, while my lure is still flat on both sides.  That way I can use my shaping center line to be sure everything stays centered.

I drill my smaller hook hanger and line tie holes with a hand held drill, but I drill all my ballast holes with a drill press.  Bigger bits have too much leverage if they bind. 

Edited December 16, 2013 by mark poulson