scant Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 Newbie here to the lure making world. I want to try making some flat sided crank baits. I have an ample supply of paulownia, poplar, white pine and various hard woods. What is my best choice to start with? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 If you're just starting out, look for some Azek PVC trimboard. It's totally waterproof, machines like wood, very buoyant, and is hard and strong. I use it, and can shape, weight, paint, and top coat a lure in a day, using Solarez top coat. If I want to, I can fish it ten minutes after the top coat is cured, which takes three minutes in a UV nail light box. Otherwise, all of the woods you listed will work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekoutdoors.co Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 I think a lot of guys who make them out of wood use bass and balsa wood. Must be easy to carve. I have never made any but that would be my guess. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 Paulownia,poplar and white Pine are all good choices..especially the first two...Nathan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 I use what ever wood suits me at the moment. Or more importantly whatever is available for cheap! I'm not familiar with Paulownia so I can't say. Pine can be difficult because it has bands of hard and soft wood that make up the rings of the tree. The soft and hard rings can make the surface of the lure appear wavy because the soft wood sands away easier that the hard rings. Poplar is an excellent choice, considered a hardwood but is very soft and easy to shape. I use a lot of it because a lot of interior trim is made from poplar and I get scraps from work. I have a bunch of walnut from a tree I had cut up so I've made some of those. A little hard to carve but has an awesome sound to it when you put a rattle in it because of its hardness. I use a scroll saw and dremel to shape it. Also less buoyant so works well for deep running, or suspended lures. I came across some Cuban mahogany that is very buoyant and wonderful to carve, tight grained so it sands very smooth. Honduran mahogany would be similar but is a little more porus. I've also used the PVC trim board and I like it but you do have to be cautious not to heat it when running power tools over it. Not a show stopper, just something to be aware of. Purple heart is the hardest thing I've ever carved. Very dense and has oils in it that will burn the wood very easily with power tools. I actually made one where the spots on the lure were simply burnt in with a polishing head on my dremel. Makes a great novelty "naked" lure when no paint is applied. Maple, very hard but looks good on a naked lure. Cherry is pretty hard but easier that maple and walnut to carve. Bottom line is there is no right wood or best choice. What you have available is usually the best choice. But then, I don't make production lures. I do this to spend less money, have fun and to be creative. My wife says I'm a procraftinator. But that is another thread. Keith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 Although there is variability among samples of the same wood species, you can get a general idea of wood buoyancy from an average density chart. Paulownia density is 16 lbs/cu ft, white pine is 21.8, and yellow poplar is 26.2. Paulownia is a light hardwood that is a good substitute for 16 lbs/cu ft "heavy balsa", which is often used for shallow running baits where low density increases the buoyancy and liveliness of a bait. Paulownia often has considerable grain effect with light crumbly dark grain beside dense white grain, which can make hand sanding a challenge. But it does not require through-wire construction, which is an advantage. White pine has considerabe grain effect too. I use basswood for medium and deep diving baits, which has a similar density and no grain effect. Poplar is the heaviest of the 3 woods and I've never used it, though it is reportedly easy to work and popular with some builders, especially for larger musky baits. Density is a critical factor. It determines how you must ballast a bait to get the performance and degree of stability you want. And the amount of ballast and its position in a bait make a big difference in the bait's action. A balsa bait with lots of ballast that weighs exactly the same as a clone poplar bait with little or no ballast will behave very differently because the internal weight distribution is quite different. On smaller bass baits, you need to be careful of the wood you use or you may find the finished bait with hardware installed will sink or will have dull action because you chose a wood that is too dense/heavy. Building good crankbaits is not easy. One thing that makes it easier is gaining experience with a particular wood so you can predict how it will perform when you use it in a new bait. So if you are just starting out, it helps to choose a species or 2 and stick with them for awhile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt M Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 I use cypress for my baits. If it's available in your area I recommend it. It works well with hand and power tools. It is also rot resistant. It was the go to wood for duck decoys back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Sounds good Matt, I'll trade you a chunk of black walnut for some cypress. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 26, 2014 Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 Just remember to use a dust mask. Most woods that are really rot resistant have oils in them that are hard on your sinuses and lungs. If you have allergies, they can be murder! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt M Posted January 26, 2014 Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 Good point mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 If you are just beginning then balsa is the best way to go. It is inexpensive, easy to obtain, easy to shape, easy on your tools, and very forgiving with weighting. It is the way to go. After you get use to making some baits you can try something else if you want to. Skeeter 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Well Scant, We haven't heard back from you much. What did you decide to go with? How have your choices turned out? It's always nice to see the outcome of so much advise or opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scant Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hey guy. Verdict is still out on wood usage, but initially using the paulownia. Cut some flat sided cranks out and the wood shapes easily. Been sidetracked with sick child but hope to seal, prime and paint this week. Will post results. Thanks for the info. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat28 Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 I tested various species for flat cranks last summer, just for fun. I can confirm a theory that seems to repeat itself in various ways with guys working with foam or wood. Lighter wood with more ballast leads to a wider wobble or more action. I tested seven inch pike / musky baits I made out of maple, cedar, pine, basswood and birch. Shape and lips remaining the same, and ballast location as well, the heavier woods gave me a tighter wobble and greater depth with slow rise. Lighter woods required more ballast but were very lively with a wide wobble. Both realities are good depending on the conditions. Testing is at least half the fun of it. Pat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Bob, which wood do you use for your cranks? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbert Posted July 26, 2020 Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 It wouldn't cost much to go pick up some balsa and that's exactly where i would start if i could do it all over. check out this article https://mightyfinelures.com/wood.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGagner Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 Lot's of choices but I use white pine or cedar (the deck boards are 1" thick) Both woods carve nicely. Hardwoods are denser so the buoyancy characteristics can be tricky and of course they carve harder. I think some woods are more regional. You guys have mentioned some woods I've never used or heard of. They just don't grow here. You can't turn around without running into a white pine tree here in Maine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 (edited) Check out the "Why PVC?" sticky at the top of the Hard Baits Forum. Yesterday, I carved, lipped, weighted, test swam, and primed a crankbait. Today I'll finish painting it, and tomorrow I hope to take it for a swim in the CA Delta. Edited July 27, 2020 by mark poulson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 This is the bait, painted and top coated. I'm playing around with a pumpkinseed color scheme. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 Looks great Mark! I've also never use Paulownia, and am an opportunist when it comes to wood, but of what I've used I'd say I prefer cedar and PVC. I got the PVC from cut-offs on a deck I did last summer, then ripped off the hard top and bottom on a bandsaw. The cedar is also scrap from various projects. For a raw bait, treated pine looks great! Use a dust-mask, but don't be too afraid if it's fairly new, only the old stuff has arsenic in it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGagner Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, mark poulson said: Check out the "Why PVC?" sticky at the top of the Hard Baits Forum. Yesterday, I carved, lipped, weighted, test swam, and primed a crankbait. Today I'll finish painting it, and tomorrow I hope to take it for a swim in the CA Delta. Using wood it usually takes me about 3-4 hours to complete a bait from drawing to water unless it's segmented, then add another 30 minutes or so per segment. I was wondering how the pvc held up when you drop hot lead into the ballast hole drilled into the bottom. Does it melt or will it stay solid till the lead cools? That would be my only issue in giving pvc a try. Edited July 27, 2020 by DGagner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 A lot of builders don’t pour hot lead into their baits. You have more control using piece of lead or powdered lead and sealing the hole in the bait between safety, added time, expense of melting pot, harder to get an exact weight, limiting the way you can weight your lure and possible damage to your blank is why pouring hot lead into your lure is not the greatest option in my opinion just something to consider 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 Right Hillbilly, thus far I've been using lead weights, split shot and barrel weights. A lot of guys have mentioned lead coil, which I'll probably try when I can find some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGagner Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 21 hours ago, Hillbilly voodoo said: A lot of builders don’t pour hot lead into their baits. You have more control using piece of lead or powdered lead and sealing the hole in the bait between safety, added time, expense of melting pot, harder to get an exact weight, limiting the way you can weight your lure and possible damage to your blank is why pouring hot lead into your lure is not the greatest option in my opinion just something to consider I can see your point. The lead pot I have lets me put lead in very precisely. If I should put too much I can drill a bit out without having to cover it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 For me, the wood choice was never a factor mainly because I am not involved with carving details. If carving is your thing then the best idea is to Google ‘best woods for carving’, then see what is available on the list in your area. I am looking for action in my lures, which means a light weight wood. Balsa would rate highly on my list, but the intricacies of finishing balsa requires great care as the grains (annular rings) are harder than the filler wood, so it is difficult to end up with a smooth even surface. And then there is the surface fluff to contend with. But not a big deal. The advantages of balsa in lure action are huge. My local wood is albesia, a wood that you have probably never heard of. It is extremely cheap and used for basic construction work. It is also used for cheap carving for the tourist industry. Its density is around 30g/cm³ which puts it in the category of a heavy balsa and perfect for what I want for my lures (cranks). It is strong enough not to require through wiring even when grappling with ten pounders. Easy to carve and shape and most importantly; light for action and room for ballast tuning. The first thing I do is cut off a rectangular section, measure LxBxW and weigh the piece, this gives me the density. Throughout construction I can weigh the body and know exactly how much ballast I need to insert without having to float test. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
