brand new to all this

[ReefDonkey8]

First off, I wanted to say thanks to all who make this site amazing.  So much knowledge here.  

I have a family member selling off some tools, and I wanted to get an idea of some tools that I should be on the lookout for.

I already called dibs on his belt sander and band saw, but I was also wondering if I should scoop up his router.  I see people are always hand carving and sanding to round out their crankbaits and other wood baits, but I was wondering if a router bit would make this an easier task.  I never see vids of anyone doing it that way, and I was wondering if there's a particular reason for it.  Can I get y'all's opinions on that?

 

Thanks guys !!

[Vodkaman]

Welcome to TU.

Routers are gnarly, scary, dangerous tools and have little application for the work that we do. I have used a router to round over flat sided lures, but that is about all as far as lures go.

A drill press would be a very useful addition. A bench vise too.

Dave

Edited July 25, 2020 by Vodkaman

[ReefDonkey8]

Thanks Vodkaman.  Yeah, I figured they'd be a no-brainer for rounding the corners, but have never seen them used.  I knew there was a reason, just didn't know what it was.

And yes, getting a drill press and also a bench vise.  Also got my hands on a lead pot as well for melting ingots for ballast.  

As far as colors go, I'm not all that much of an artist, so that will certainly be something I'll practice on.  Living in Texas, most of the water out here is stained.  On a good day you'll get 3-5' of visibility on the lakes I fish.  As far as colors go, I'm thinking most of my main colors would be the yellows, oranges, and greens.  They seem to be more visible in the deeper waters.  Contrast would mostly be black.  I'll mess around and paint a few.  They won't catch fisherman, but I don't think bass care all that much about that.

[BobP]

You can use a router table and a hand held template grip to safely round over blanks and this is/was done by several TUers.  A demo of it was filmed at a TU get together several years ago and may be here on the site somewhere if interested.  I don’t do it myself because it required making a template for each model of bait to be rounded over and that seemed too complicated since I do many different styles, models, and sizes of baits.  But it’s possible.

[DGagner]

If you're getting a belt sander and band saw you don't need the router. I have a fully equipped workshop and make furniture. I've never used a lure on my router table. Once you get used to it, it's about 15-20 minutes from drawing template on paper to bait ready to seal with a belt sander. Not that much longer with an exacto knife and sandpaper either. The router, with something that small is a creepy feeling. Feels like an accident waiting to happen. A must to make cabinet doors though...

[Travis]

Well router shouldn't be feared but not something I would use for typical bass lures.

Once we get into large swim baits, musky, and pike baits....completely acceptable and a tool anyone that dabbles in woodworking should have.  

Edited July 26, 2020 by Travis

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I use a router and template to make my lexan lips. It is really handy for making them the same and symmetrical every time. 
 

But I like scary dangerous things 
 

only other power tools I use is a bandsaw, belt sander, drum sander and sometimes a dremel. A lot of my shaping is done with a rasp, and files

 

as for paint you don’t need to be fancy but recommend adding some simple pure white to your list of colours. 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Hillbilly voodoo

[mark poulson]

Don't forget hand tools, like rasps, files, chisels, and sanding blocks.  A sharp drywall knife is great for carving, emphasis on sharp.  Sharp tools make work easier and safer, because you don't have to force the tool to get it to perform, so you are much more in control.  Control equals safer.

 

[BobP]

It’s a matter of what tools you enjoy using, whether you have skill in shaping wood by hand, what you can afford, and how fast you need to build lures. I’m a hobby builder and use 3 power tools:  an band saw, a Dremel, and a disk sander.  Of those, the Dremel gets most use.  I’m not in a hurry when building a lure and value the discipline and craft of hand shaping wood.  Every builder eventually finds his right level of automation.

[Hillbilly voodoo]

50 minutes ago, BobP said:

It’s a matter of what tools you enjoy using, whether you have skill in shaping wood by hand, what you can afford, and how fast you need to build lures. I’m a hobby builder and use 3 power tools:  an band saw, a Dremel, and a disk sander.  Of those, the Dremel gets most use.  I’m not in a hurry when building a lure and value the discipline and craft of hand shaping wood.  Every builder eventually finds his right level of automation.

You are bang on in my opinion 

A builder needs to go with what works for them be it a chainsaw or a file

[Vodkaman]

BobP gets my ultimate respect. I appreciate his ethics and skills.

As he knows, my thing has always been a time based challenge right from my first day. My aim has always been to make an effective fish catcher in the minimal time.

I do not paint, perhaps a coat of white for testing, and rarely apply a protective topcoat. If my lure gets chewed and becomes water-logged, I simply attach another and dry my lures out in the Indonesian hot sun for a day or two. I repair with CA glue and I am ready for the next session.

I am not a serious fisherman, I am a lure designer. Once the lure is tested and proven, notes are kept (CAD) and the lure goes into a bag an eventually lost. It is the engineering, problem solving, learning, not the art for me.

Many do not like my philosophy if I can call it that, but this is my hobby, it keeps me happy and entertained.

The man-made competition ponds that I fish are bait only. They give me permission to test my lures between contests. People who see my lures in action, catching fish in minutes, big enough to win the bait competitions, are amazed!

Each to his own I say.

Dave

[ravenlures]

I hope this works This is what I do most of my sanding with. I made a long shaft on this motor so a noodle (swimming) would fit tight then put a sanding tube on and it is very flexible and I can round corners nicely. A disk is on another sander which I made, the whole works is on wheels so I move where I need it

Wayne

[Travis]

As you can see you will get answers all over the place. 

Honestly you can do it many ways and you should do whatever you enjoy doing that is SAFE.  

[Big Epp]

Right on guys!  I scored an old table saw a couple months ago, and was pretty jacked up about it.  I got a little rip happy though and seem to have burned up the motor.

I very much enjoy having access to a bandsaw, but without it am content with a knife, coping saw, sandpaper, and hand drill.

Paints and patterns vary.  I have a popper I made with cream sides, a greenish belly, and a brown back that has been dynamite locally.  I like your point about high-contrast, and agree that straight white and also straight black are excellent additions (with maybe a little detailing).  For starters you can do just fine with paintbrushes (or even permanent markers!) or spray paint, but a lot of folks move over to an airbrush at some point.

One tip I'd add, if you are just getting started, use someone else's templates for the first couple lures so you get comfortable with the basic shapes and steps, then start working out your own designs.  I've been doing this for about 1 1/2 years, and I'll still unashamedly request templates and plans sometimes, though I have only sold lures that are my own designs.