Crankbait lip

[Sfrye37]

Hey guys I am new to lure carving and this site.  I have came up with a free hand design for the body of the crankbaits I am carving and I also freehanded the first couple lips I used on them.  I am wondering what is the easiest way to cut the lips.  I am using 1/8 lexan right now and it is very hard to cut the pattern out and get it right . Any help would be appreciated. 

[SW Lures]

If you are set on making lips yourself then, I use a scrolling saw or band saw, sanders to smooth down and files to complete the shape. If you have a table vice  you could use a fine tooth saw blade that is thin and can cut a radius I would think. You can also use an hack saw and cut straight lines and round by sanding. I have heard of people using an coping saw. I've never looked for a fine tooth blade for mine so I couldn't tell you if one is even made.

There are sites that sell them ready to go. One is lure parts online which a lot of people here call LPO.

Dale

[azsouth]

best way to cut lexan or polycarbonate is with a carbide saw or router Imo, yes you can cut it with just about any saw but leaves more work for clean up....use a torch on the edges to make them look great

[ravenlures]

If you are going to make just a few lures then go with the two above, but if you plan on making a lot of lures then purchase the lip first close to what you want in the size of the lure you are making then all you need is  a small adjustment to the size of the of the lure to fit the lip. Saves you a lot of work  and the lips are always the same.

Wayne

[BobP]

A low tech way to do it is to cut a lip with metal shears.  I cut about a millimeter outside the line and then sand it down with a Dremel tool mounting a fine grit sanding cylinder.  Buff the white edges clear with a felt polishing cylinder.  Wiss yellow handle straight cut shears are less than $15 at a home center.