nedyarb Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have some lexan that I bought at home depot. The thickness is .093". I dont like how thick it is, so I went online and bought some .04mm lexan. Has anybody ever tried this? I am curious if it is too thin. It does flex a bit, but seems solid enough. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I guess you mean 0.040" (1mm). OK for short lipped shallow cranks. Half the weight and a good edge for creating action. I use 0.078" (2mm) for all mine. Dave Edited February 5, 2016 by Vodkaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Yes, .04 inches. I think it looks great, Im building 1 to 8 foot diving baits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I use .0625" (1/16") polycarbonate and .031" (1/32") circuit board for baits. There's certainly no "must do" as far as lip thickness. If yours seems stiff enough and durable enough, then it is. I like to settle on a thickness and stick with it because it helps reduce the variability that I have to contend with when building a new design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I use .0625" (1/16") polycarbonate and .031" (1/32") circuit board for baits. There's certainly no "must do" as far as lip thickness. If yours seems stiff enough and durable enough, then it is. I like to settle on a thickness and stick with it because it helps reduce the variability that I have to contend with when building a new design. X2 Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 6, 2016 Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 0.93 great if you use a table saw for lip cuts. I surmise your building bass baits. for the esox world lip thickness starts at the 1/8th up to 3/16ths.. rayburn has valuable statement. . especially for smaller cranks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 One thing I am still struggling with is getting the slots cut properly, so lets start from here1.5mm is the thinnest I have been able to source locally, I have a band saw and with that it would be easy to get a nice accurate slot, but the kerf is closer to 1mm. I could expand it with emery board or something similar. Though I would prefer to cut the slot in one step. I think I would have to bump up to 2mm lexan if I was to try a double cut on the band saw or if I seal with epoxy will that the gap be filled in enough to reliably mount the lip. At what size of bait would you jump up to 1/8" (table saw kerf) I was personally thinking 5" and up, or can it be smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Aulrich - I don't see the problem of making a second half cut with the bandsaw, assuming that the blank is still flat and not shaped. I prefer a bit of slop in the slot, to leave room for the glue attachment, and adjustment if necessary. If the body is already shaped, then you are going to have all kinds of problems, trying to control the direction and the angle and looking after your fingers all at the same time - not good, bordering on dangerous I would say. I have tried the single cut and then opening with a Dremel cutter, but it is messy, with the cutter binding in the slot. Also, I find that the cutter does not guide well and you lose the angular control. It's flat body and double bandsaw cut for me. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 If I need to widen the slot by a small amount instead of backing the blank out and starting another parallel cut I hold one side of the finished cut against one side of the blade as I back the blank out away from the blade. The blades teeth have a set to them so the finished cut is a wee bit wider than the thickness of the blade. This "set" is put into the blade to keep it from binding in the wood. By pressing one side of the cut slot against one side of the blade you are able to take off minute amounts and slowly widen the slot. Ben 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Thanks I'll give both of those a try. And yes blanks are still square, learned that lesson at my first attempt to learn to hand make bodies, last winter. This winter's attempt is going smoother at least it is until I test that first batch of lipless that I made over the weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 If you use Ben's backout cutting method (which I do) just be sure your blade is well tensioned, and go slow, with light pressure. Otherwise, it's easy to cause the blade to jump off the wheels. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 Thanks for catching that Mark. Seems like I'm always forgetting something these days. Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 With lots of use and practice, you get a 'feel' for the tools. You instinctively know what you can get away with and what you can't. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 With lots of use and practice, you get a 'feel' for the tools. You instinctively know what you can get away with and what you can't. Dave I got a "feel" for my bandsaw the other day. Let's just say I have a lot better idea of exactly where the blade is now. Ben 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 I got a 'feel' of my circular hand saw the first day I got it - nearly lost all the fingers of my right hand. The saw that I had owned years before, had a grip handle on the right side. My hand automatically went for it and touched the blade. Ripped a chunk of fingernail off two fingers, but I consider myself very lucky. The circular saw is a brutal tool. Take care around all power tools, but particularly circular saws, table saws and routers. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 I use a lot of small lip's and this limits the distance from my hand to the band saw blade, so a few years back I fleaBayed a 'Ticket Punch' which punches a nice slot any length up to about 3/4"' long, nail clippers are also good--- I use 1mm Polycarbonate though (.040 ") Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 (edited) When I use a table saw I use a jig I made to hold the bait square to the length of the bait and the width of the bait. The angle of the bill is controlled by to moveable arms. A holding board is large enough to keep my hands away from the blade. I use a height gauge to adjust the blade to the desired height. It's a slide jig that runs in the reset channels. It works pretty well, but has some limitations. I'm going to do some modifying to get more variables from it. To do this the bait does need a wee bit of square sides. I'm starting to have fixed profiles now, so the band saw is coming into play more. I went to a wood work store and bought and attachment to accept a 3/16" blade for the 18" band saw. Honestly I like the band saw better now. I feel more safer. Cheers, Dale Edited February 9, 2016 by DaleSW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 With both the band saw and the table saw I was planning I was thinking of some sort variant on a panel cutoff sled or tenon jig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 I use a lot of small lip's and this limits the distance from my hand to the band saw blade, so a few years back I fleaBayed a 'Ticket Punch' which punches a nice slot any length up to about 3/4"' long, nail clippers are also good--- I use 1mm Polycarbonate though (.040 ") Pete Pete, can you post a picture of your Ticket Punch. I'm having trouble visualizing how it might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 With both the band saw and the table saw I was planning I was thinking of some sort variant on a panel cutoff sled or tenon jig That is a smart idea! Making a sled with a hold down, and variable angles marked on it to align your slot for different baits, would work well if you want to make the same cut over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 Unfortunately a jig would not have kept me from making the boo-boo. It was sheer stupidity that got me. The band saw had started making an unfamiliar noise so I turned the saw off and started checking things such as a loose blade, bearing slack, etc. Found nothing so I turned it back on and the noise was still there. I wanted to see if there was any slop in the bearing of the drive wheel and decided to press my thumb against the running wheel to check for any sideways movement. Forgot about the teeth of the blade sticking out away from the drive wheel just enough to grab anything pressed against it. Like I said before. Sheer stupidity. I was lucky that it turned out to be little more than a good reminder of keeping your attention focused on what's going on around you. Also found out that blood really stains the puddin' out of wood and it's not a very good sealer. Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osutodd Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Blood scented crankbaits? Can you patent that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 injuries from the battle . oh ya.. I'm sure theres a few stories. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Sorry Bob, just got round to taking some pics. Hope you can figure out how it works. Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Sorry Bob, just got round to taking some pics. Hope you can figure out how it works. Pete Pete, I have a punch like that buried somewhere in my garage. It is open ended, and I never could figure out how it could be used. I think it was originally a leather punch that I picked up at a swap meet, just because it looked intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
