Hand Carving Lures

[benm98]

I use mostly hand tools to shape and form lure bodies. Right now I have several knives, rasps, a coping saw and some other small saws. What other tools do you guys use?

[BJBarron]

I use a scroll saw to cut out the blank then I use a cut in half pill bottle with sand paper glued to the inside to round the edges over. That's all I use for the flatsided baits.

[Tracy G]

I use my dremel and cordless drill a lot also.

[kajay920]

- table saw for the blanks

- scroll saw for the profile

- belt/disc sander to true up the profile and do the tapers

- dremel for most of the shaping (I've even made some custom concave sander heads)

- carving chisels for details

- scraps of sand paper

 

I like the idea of the pill bottle or maybe a scrap of small diameter PVC pipe, you could leave part of it round for a handle.

I use old belt sander belts because they last longer.

[Nathan]

I hope Gene (Lincoya) checks in here..The man is a master at carving lures..or carving in general..he has now started carving fish..Nathan

[mark poulson]

I hope Gene (Lincoya) checks in here..The man is a master at carving lures..or carving in general..he has now started carving fish..Nathan

 

How does he get them to stop wiggling so he can carve them?

[Matt M]

I use a ball rasp chucked in a rotozip (Dremel should work) to create the mouth on top waters.

[Nathan]

Like I said Mark..The man is extremely talented..besides..They don't wiggle for long..lol..Nathan

[mark poulson]

     

[FrogAddict]

- table saw for the blanks

- scroll saw for the profile

- belt/disc sander to true up the profile and do the tapers

- dremel for most of the shaping (I've even made some custom concave sander heads)

- carving chisels for details

- scraps of sand paper

 

I like the idea of the pill bottle or maybe a scrap of small diameter PVC pipe, you could leave part of it round for a handle.

I use old belt sander belts because they last longer.

Kajay,

 

How do you make the custom concave sander heads?

[kajay920]

FrogAddict,

   I start by drilling a 1" hole in a piece of hardwood with a hole saw. Take the first piece of wood and place it on another scrap of hardwood remove the hole saw's 1/4"pilot bit and run the hole saw through using the first hole as a pilot guide.You can use the pilot bit to just barely enter the second piece or find the center of the new plug by other means later. Or you can cut 3/4" off of a 1" dowel. 

   Now drill a 1/8th inch hole into your plug with a drill press. Drive a machine screw through the center, add a washer and nut to hold it steady and chuck it into your drill press. Once it's in your drill press use a square sanding block to true up the circle and grind in the radius. I used a lathe chisel while it was in the drill press. A lathe would be nice for this step and probably a lot safer than how I did it. (might not want to do this part in an OSHA inspected shop) I also had to file down the threads of the screw a bit to get it into my dremel chuck but it works. 

   After a test spin I glued some sand paper off of an old belt sander belt. Be sure to cut to the exact length. Use a bunch of rubber bands to hold it tight while the glue dries. Sanding belts are tougher and last longer but they are rigid so make sure that you bend and "knead" it so that it will conform to the radius of your plug. 

   After the glue dries, remove the rubber bands, chuck it into the dremel and sand away.  I have to slow down the dremel a bit because its heavier than the factory sander and it still causes more vibration. I only use it for rough shaping.

I need to make another with a tighter radius

Here is the one I use.

[bassguy]

I cut my PVC blanks out with a scroll saw then use my 1" belt sander to finish to the template line. After the blank is drilled for ballast, hook hangers and lip slot, I then carve with an Exacto knife. I know, it's really dangerous, but I've been doing it so long, I have a

lot of respect for those blades. Once it is carved to the desired shape, I use the dremel with a coarse drum sander, (the one that's around 1/2" in dia.) then hand sand smooth.

 

Jerry

Edited February 20, 2014 by bassguy

[Travis]

Once I get the blank knocked out and then profile on the bandsaw I usually end up using an assortment of carving knives to rough stuff out and get overall shape and details I want. Then the dremel and an assortment of sanding paddles, picks, etc..... 

[mark poulson]

Hand carving is inherently dangerous, because we invariably slip when we're carving, being only human.

If you're not going to use the "chain mail" gloves and protectors OSHAC requires here in CA, having sharp tools and the right tools is really important. 

A good, sharp carving knife makes it much easier and safer.  Most injuries are caused by trying to force a cut with a dull tool.

One reason to use a thicker bladed carving knife instead of an exacto or a drywall knife (I use both) is that the blade is more rigid, and you can control the depth of the cut better by varying the angle of the blade.  Because it it thicker, you can use the back or shoulder of the blade to help control it, too, and the handle fits your hand better.  And the steel in a good carving knife will hold an edge (stay sharp) much longer than a thin exacto or drywall blade.

As Nathan said, Gene (Lincoya) is the master carver you should contact for real carving tips.  I don't have a contact number for him, but Nathan probably does.

[FrogAddict]

IMG_0651.JPGFrogAddict,

   I start by drilling a 1" hole in a piece of hardwood with a hole saw. Take the first piece of wood and place it on another scrap of hardwood remove the hole saw's 1/4"pilot bit and run the hole saw through using the first hole as a pilot guide.You can use the pilot bit to just barely enter the second piece or find the center of the new plug by other means later. Or you can cut 3/4" off of a 1" dowel. 

   Now drill a 1/8th inch hole into your plug with a drill press. Drive a machine screw through the center, add a washer and nut to hold it steady and chuck it into your drill press. Once it's in your drill press use a square sanding block to true up the circle and grind in the radius. I used a lathe chisel while it was in the drill press. A lathe would be nice for this step and probably a lot safer than how I did it. (might not want to do this part in an OSHA inspected shop) I also had to file down the threads of the screw a bit to get it into my dremel chuck but it works. 

   After a test spin I glued some sand paper off of an old belt sander belt. Be sure to cut to the exact length. Use a bunch of rubber bands to hold it tight while the glue dries. Sanding belts are tougher and last longer but they are rigid so make sure that you bend and "knead" it so that it will conform to the radius of your plug. 

   After the glue dries, remove the rubber bands, chuck it into the dremel and sand away.  I have to slow down the dremel a bit because its heavier than the factory sander and it still causes more vibration. I only use it for rough shaping.

I need to make another with a tighter radius

Here is the one I use.

 

Thanks Kajay, I think I get it. I hear you on the danger level of using your drill press that way. I use a ball rasp on my drill press for my popper mouths (on the lowest speed) and once in a while it'll get away from me.

[mark poulson]

I use my drill press for popper mouths, too. I have an old wooden jawed Jorgenson wood clamp that I use to hold my lures, and go really slow with a 3/4" bit.  I finish them up with a dremel and drum sanding sleeve.

I made some poppers using the new artificial wine corks (don't ask) and found I can carve the mouths with an exacto knife.

A through wire with some lead wire wrapped on the tail wire, between the body and the tail treble, and a Spro swivel for a belly hook hanger, pushed up from the belly so the through wire passes through the top eye of the swivel, and it's good to go.

Needs no waterproofing (or paint, if you are in a hurry) and it sands on a belt sander.  Just go slow, because the sander will melt the "cork" and grab if you go too fast.

I paint mine with nail polish, because I'm always in a hurry, and there's no need for top coat with nail polish. 

[Lincoya]

Nathan,

 Checking in!! Thanks to you and Mark for your confidences in me! Yes, I am carving fish and haven't carved a lure in well over a year. I am also learning to carve animals. I just finished a bobcat today, as a matter of fact.

 

 I use (for basic crankbaits):

Band saw for cutting out the profile

1 x 30 vertical belt sander for the front and rear tapers

1 extremely sharp (sharp enough to literally shave with) carving knife

 Thumb guard

 Fingernail sanding sticks available at Walmart

 

Gene

[Tman69671]

I just run off the profile of my lures on the bandsaw. Then I have an open wheel disc sander with like a 40grit wheel I use to shape the lures. The goes onto the foam sanding pads.

[Trout Tramp]

The PVC pipe works a treat as you have so many diameters of pipe for a start and then depending how you cut the pipe

straight down the middle or slightly to one side of the middle you can make some great little sanding tools

you can even place the sand paper on the outside of the pipe this way you can sand concaved & convex curves if that makes any sense

Cheers

Trout tramp

[mark poulson]

Check in the Hard Baits Gallery, or the Home Made Tool forum.

There used to be a picture of a grooved plywood sanding disc that Pete "Hazmail" made, with a half round groove around the perimeter that he glued pieces of sand paper into.  It was mounted on the shaft of a stationary motor, and he used it to put the same radiuses on all his baits.  

Judging by his baits, it works really well.

[FrogAddict]

Mark,

 

Now you have me thinking. I wonder if I found an old pulley or something similar and mounted it to my drill press and attached sandpaper if I could make a nice rounded radius sander for my flat sided lures?

[mark poulson]

Personally, I'd be nervous having a big plywood disc rotating horizontally like a frisbee, and only held by a chuck.  A little vibration might loosen the chuck enough to launch that thing, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere around when that happened!  Talk about slice and dice!

Pete's motor was horizontal, so the wheel rotated vertically, like a conventional grinding wheel.  That way he could use a tool rest if he wanted (not sure if he did), and the motor looked to be mounted solidly in some way to his workbench, so it was stable.  I seem to remember he had several discs with different radiuses in each.

 

My father did the same kind of thing as Pete, using our 10" Sears Craftsman table saw and a homemade 10" plywood sanding disc.  He machined an angled face on the plywood on one face, so he was able to sand beveled edges.

He made a lot of furniture with it, and never had a problem.  As a matter of fact I still have that saw, and it still works.

But he never made the half round edge detail that Pete uses, which is a really slick idea.

[barr5150]

I made something similar for use on my cheapo harbor freight lathe. I glued a couple pieces of 1x6 together, turned them round then gouged out the center and glued in some sand paper. The finished disk is right about 4" round. It hasn't come loose on me yet but I do worry about it!

[mark poulson]

I made something similar for use on my cheapo harbor freight lathe. I glued a couple pieces of 1x6 together, turned them round then gouged out the center and glued in some sand paper. The finished disk is right about 4" round. It hasn't come loose on me yet but I do worry about it!

 

Have you tried using a live center to stabilize it?

[barr5150]

The tail stock side has a live center. Like I said I haven't had a problems yet but it does seem a little scary. At least on the lathe it's held on both sides and I think you would notice it slipping before there was a problem. Using the same disc on a drill press your only held by one side. I'd hate to catch that thing in the forehead if it decided to come out!