UKandy Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 Hi all, back after a long lay off & looking to start getting back into my lure making, firstly I hope you're all well Okay so I'm after a little information on the different types of woods you all use for different styles of baits, why do you choose a certain type of wood for let's say a glide bait & another type for a crank bait? What are the important factors in making your decision? I'm looking at making some top water baits, some glide/swim baits & some crank baits, so I'm hoping you guys can give me a heads up on the best woods too choose from for each application? These baits will be 5" upwards mainly for pike. I remember seeing a chat that someone had created for lure builders which stated all the popular wood densities against water, which was helpful, unfortunately due to a major computer failure I have lost nearly all of my lure documentation if anyone knows of that chart i have mentioned and can send me a copy it would be much appreciated. Thanks guys, I look forward to your input Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 I'm not a hard bait guy in any way, but I'd sure like to know this as well. I see all these different woods and wonder what the difference is? Very confusing to me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaswimbaiter Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 After experimenting with other woods I mostly use Tupelo and occasionally use poplar. To me they are just easier to work with. But if you not going to carve too many details basswood Tupelo and PVC would be good for floating baits, whereas poplar and other hardwoods would be better for sinking baits. Hardwoods are good for heavy floating baits, I made a spook out of mahogany and it didn’t take much wait to balance it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 7, 2023 Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 hands down cedar. its light,buoyant but sealed works great .other then our molded urethane lures,its what we use on cranks. just seal coak first. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaswimbaiter Posted February 8, 2023 Report Share Posted February 8, 2023 1 hour ago, woodieb8 said: hands down cedar. its light,buoyant but sealed works great .other then our molded urethane lures,its what we use on cranks. just seal coak first. Where do you get you cedar and how does it carve with details? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted February 8, 2023 Report Share Posted February 8, 2023 (edited) Cedar is a soft wood and easy to carve. It doens't hold sharp detail with regards to thin areas due to the tendency to split, chip, or break off. That said most lure guys are doing in intricate carving details. Sands easily. Give it a try but cedar, especially WRC, is a known sensitizer and known to be problematic with regards to asthma and rashes. Eastern red and white cedar easier to carve than western red cedar. Few other options also but these are typical ones used. I would go to local wood store (not big box store construction stuff) and look through what they have or buy online. I have not made many lures from cedar to be honest after repairing 100's of Poes over the years. Edited February 8, 2023 by Travis 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 8, 2023 Report Share Posted February 8, 2023 20 hours ago, Flaswimbaiter said: Where do you get you cedar and how does it carve with details? we are in canada. box stores sell it in many forms.it cutseasily,sands easily.it holds screws better then pine,s .yes some folks have sensivity..the best cedars we use is white cedar from the east coast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Catignani Posted February 8, 2023 Report Share Posted February 8, 2023 I kinda like balsa because it easy to carve. If I find that Im gonna be somewhere where Im going to be really bored...I bring a block of basla and my carving knife. Plus...I have a huge discarded display case, for floats, that was made of balsa! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filucy Bay Posted February 10, 2023 Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 Here in the PNW (Washington, Oregon and BC) the salmon plugs were usually Alaska Yellow Cedar. Much more dense and consistent than red cedar. Probably hard to find outside of our area but worth a look. There is a lot on the market now coming from northern BC and southern Alaska. Checkout Fishinator lures in BC he is all yellow cedar or Lyman lures in BC still does some yellow cedar, but mostly plastic now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 10, 2023 Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 Balsa is good for shallow running square bills that are lively and rise quickly to get over cover that you hit (which is what you want to do). Paulownia is similar to balsa in density but harder than balsa. It sometimes has crumbly grain that can be a problem. I use basswood for deeper diving baits, or sometimes white cedar. Basswood sands great to a smooth hard surface. Lots of woods can be used although some of the most dense/heavy hardwoods can be so dense that it is hard to build a bait that floats after the hardware is added. Generally speaking, lighter woods are more lively and that’s usually a good thing. IMO, it’s best to select just a few wood species and stick with them because it makes building easier when you know how a wood shapes, sands, is ballasted, and takes finish. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 11, 2023 Report Share Posted February 11, 2023 at one time here on l.st clair honduras mahogany was the cats meow. pricing now is crazy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 11, 2023 Report Share Posted February 11, 2023 You can stiffen almost any wood enough for detail carving, after getting it down to finish shape, by coating it with runny super glue. Just be sure to use sharp tools. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted February 18, 2023 Report Share Posted February 18, 2023 I also like using cedar, and also redwood. Part of that is I have an ample supply from various construction projects over the past couple years... The part about cedar that i find can make it tough to carve is the very different density of the hard and soft growth rings. I have mostly red cedar. There is variation from piece to piece in this too. Overall though it is easy to saw and shape, it's pretty strong and durable, and it is very boyant. Another plus is how nice the shop smells when the dust settles! (I use a respirator to keep the dust from settling in my lungs). Overall though I take a very utilitarian approach, and use whatever I have handy. As other have mentioned, each type of wood has its own characteristics and quirks, and I find it fun navigating that variability. I've used oak, pine(s of all sorts), pvc, basswood, maple, cedar, redwood, etc... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted February 18, 2023 Report Share Posted February 18, 2023 I do like using hardwoods for glide baits though, explicitly because it takes so much less lead to balance it. I tried making a couple subsurface gliders out of redwood (which is crazy boyouant) and it took something like 10lbs of lead to get them to slow sink... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted February 21, 2023 Report Share Posted February 21, 2023 a client we have uses maple. for musky baits its pretty hardy stuff. we do the artwork..they will last decades lol. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
