Ehner024 Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 I am just starting into hard lures after doing a lot of hand pouring. I am curios if Basswood is a decent piece of lumber for a jointed swimbait. I have seen some people posting about PVCs, and resin types, but I think I want to go for a hand carved feel with a rock solid hardware. Since I am just starting out I am curious what a great base is. Thanks for any info. Ehner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 A lot of guys use basswood on here to carve their baits. I myself use yellow pine and carve with power tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 To me it's mostly about buoyancy and at 23 lb/cu ft nominal density, basswood makes a good medium density body. White and red cedar have similar densities but basswood shapes and sands so well that I prefer it over other hardwoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 I do have to say that my pine is a little tricky to detail the the grain in it so I leave little to no gill details on my baits. The dark grain is a lot harder than the lighter parts of the wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 (edited) Personally, I don't consider Basswood to be "rock solid". It is a great wood for sanding, shaping, has uniform grain...... it is really more of a soft wood then a hard wood. BUT, I use it if I am only going to use wood and not just making a prototype I will make a mold of for future resin. Good overall choice IMHO. Edited December 25, 2014 by Anglinarcher 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ehner024 Posted December 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Thank you all. I will start with basswood and see how it goes. Maybe a resin in the future, but I like the idea of wood carved. Again thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Agree with archer, not my fav wood for most lures, only carving. I would suggest you use poplar, you can get it at Home Depot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 (edited) Most of my wood cranks have been from basswood and have used poplar, cedar, and palouwina. I saved some big tooth aspen from the last project in the shop and am interested in trying it also as it falls around basswood on the janka scale. None compare to the ease of carving basswood as it doesn't splinter with the grain and cross grain cuts smoothly as well. It can get fuzzy with small detail (like cutting in individual scales) but can be sanded out with ease. Basswood can be found for cheap also, depending on your area of the country and connections. The last timbers I got were free as a lot of the smaller hobby mill guys come across it when doing selective harvest. It is horrible for heating and outside of carvers no real demand for it at the scale these guys deal in. I use basswood for most of my cranks and agree it isn't rock solid but a well built lure out of basswood or balsa will get you years of use out of a bait. Much more likely to lose on a snag than wearing it out. I like wood lures and have made foamies from wood cranks and still prefer actually the process of making the wood cranks. I can churn baits from molds but personally don't get much satisfaction from the process. Sealing the bait and hook hangers is critical and where some have issues with wood baits in general. That is were the alternative PVC, resin, etc.. excel as water penetration becomes a non factor and of course they are more robust in terms of wear. Disclaimer: I make bass cranks things would be different if I fished for something else (not for sure that is fishing at that point but different subject all together ) Edited December 26, 2014 by Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinityLureCompany Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I mostly use Cedar but have used basswood since there is so much around my in laws house since they are woodcarvers. It works great if you want to do some personal carving on your lures. Like Travis I do suggest sealing with a wood hardener then sanding the raised grain off. This really isn't and option. I have learned you are not going to learn without trying, and yes have successes and failures but that is what makes it so much fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I am just starting into hard lures after doing a lot of hand pouring. I am curios if Basswood is a decent piece of lumber for a jointed swimbait. I have seen some people posting about PVCs, and resin types, but I think I want to go for a hand carved feel with a rock solid hardware. Since I am just starting out I am curious what a great base is. Thanks for any info. Ehner Ehner, If you're just starting out, and don't have any bad habits yet, try using PVC trimboard for your building materials. It is easy totally waterproof, strong, easy to carve, and easy to paint. Because it is waterproof, I can make a crank, test float it to get the ballast right, and even fish it with no paint at all, and it's fine. I am a hobby builder, and make lure just for myself and my fishing buddies. I am always looking for ways to save time in the building process. Eliminating the need to seal a wooden bait before I can ballast it saves me a day in my lure building process, and that's important to me. Using the trimboard, water based airbrush paint, and Solarez, I can build, paint, and finish a crank and fish it the same day! If I'm not fishing it the same day, I'll dip the painted lure in AC1315, which is thinner and lighter, so I get as buoyant a lure as possible, and still have great protection for the paint job. When I use PVC, the top coat is only there to protect the paint, not to protect the wood. The Azek trimboard I use is as buoyant as medium balsa, so I can make almost any crank I want to. Because it has no grain, carving and shaping is much easier. You can google Azek and find out where to get it. Their decking is a little stronger, and a little less buoyant, about the same as poplar, so it is fine for lures, if that's all you can find. All of my newer baits are from the trimboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinityLureCompany Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Mark I have never even considered using that, but now that makes me want to try some. Getting the whole thing balanced without sealing or painting would be a HUGE advantage! Thanks. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Mike, I too have been interested in the PVC. As far as I'm concerned Mark is THE GUY to go to with help as far as PVC lure making goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Mike, I too have been interested in the PVC. As far as I'm concerned Mark is THE GUY to go to with help as far as PVC lure making goes. That's very nice of you to say. I have made most of the mistakes, I think, so please feel free to ask me any questions about PVC you might have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel3495 Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 OK Mark, You have got me to revisit PVC. Last year I was fishing till dark, jamming home, carving, painting, rigging then pretty much right back to the lake! There was not much time for sleep. A fast build is going to be a must for this spring. I searched and read a lot of your posts on the subject. But some were from 2012-2013 and was wondering if maybe some things have change. Are you still sealing with the super glue to keep it from bubbling the paint? Looking at the vintage woodworking site, there seems to be a few different choices, plus traditional finish vs. wood grain. Is there one exact one you prefer? The s-waver you recently made had a screw eye to hinge pin connection I believe? How do you think this will hold up on a large swimbait, say 10" 5-6 oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hey, wait a minute! "If you're just starting out, and don't have any bad habits yet, try using PVC trimboard" So Mark, using wood is a bad habit? Sheesh, you Southern Cali guys! "Life in the Fast Lane. Everything, all the time." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowhunter Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Glad you brought that up Bob, this has been going on for quite some time. Nearly anytime a question is asked about wood someone jumps in touting the benefits of PVC. Heres a question, what are the health benefits observed when machining PVC? NO THANKS!!! If I don't want to worry about sealing wood properly I would, and have, made molds and pour resin. Still, and this is only my opinion, the best lures I have ever made were handmade from, you guessed it WOOD! Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Actually I don't care what a guy chooses to make baits from. I figure "Beauty is as beauty does". If it runs great and catches the heck out of bass, it's a great lure. Period. I just couldn't resist tweaking Mark when given the chance! I prefer working in wood. My best baits have all been wood and I don't care for all the electrically charged PVC dust hanging around the garage and my sinuses. And personally I think "a need for speed" is not conducive to me making the best baits I can. God knows,I have too many crankbaits hanging around the garage as is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 OK Mark, You have got me to revisit PVC. Last year I was fishing till dark, jamming home, carving, painting, rigging then pretty much right back to the lake! There was not much time for sleep. A fast build is going to be a must for this spring. I searched and read a lot of your posts on the subject. But some were from 2012-2013 and was wondering if maybe some things have change. Are you still sealing with the super glue to keep it from bubbling the paint? Yes, I do, or I use my finger dipped in denatured alcohol to spread my bill-setting excess epoxy all over the bait. Looking at the vintage woodworking site, there seems to be a few different choices, plus traditional finish vs. wood grain. Is there one exact one you prefer? I am currently using up the 12' piece of 1X4 Azek trimboard that I have. After that, I'll try and get more from a new source, since my local lumberyard closed early this year. The s-waver you recently made had a screw eye to hinge pin connection I believe? How do you think this will hold up on a large swimbait, say 10" 5-6 oz. For bigger swimbaits I use two .092 sst screw eyes for the first two joints, and two .072 screw eyes for the tail, since it doesn't have a hook. I like the bigger eyes for the first two because bigger swimbaits are heavy, and I think there is a lot of strain on those joints, both in casting, and after a fish is hooked. People talk about a big bait giving the fish leverage to rip the hooks out. I think it also puts more strain on the joints, but I could be wrong. Just my gut feeling. One of the nice things about using two eyes per hinge is I don't have to worry about one unscrewing, which has happened to me in the past with one really loose tail joingt . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Actually I don't care what a guy chooses to make baits from. I figure "Beauty is as beauty does". If it runs great and catches the heck out of bass, it's a great lure. Period. I just couldn't resist tweaking Mark when given the chance! I prefer working in wood. My best baits have all been wood and I don't care for all the electrically charged PVC dust hanging around the garage and my sinuses. And personally I think "a need for speed" is not conducive to me making the best baits I can. God knows,I have too many crankbaits hanging around the garage as is! Bob, I prefer working in wood, too. I love the feel of wood in my hands, and the smell, and the way a handplane shaving curls off with a really sharp blade. But I hate trying to seal wood to make it waterproof, particularly with jointed lures, and just the time the whole process takes to build lures from wood. I've only just recently been able to take more time in my building process, but I am still sticking to PVC. If I want a balsa bait, I'll call you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
