Crank lip thickness

[dwendt1978]

Anyone tell me the thickness of the lexan you use for your cranks? Home Depot had .093" 1/10th inch thick. I can't find anything on a forum search. Found a site that said 3/32. But that's some really thick stuff. And finally what's the best way to cut the notch in the bait for the lip?

Thanks!

[Nathan]

The most common thickness of Lexan most use is 1/16th..for some of the Muskie baits I go up too 1/8th..Nathan

[Coley]

Cut the lip slot while the bait is flat.

Using a band or scroll saw will do a good job.

When I say while the bait is flat, do it

after you cut the bait out, before you shape it.

Coley

[dwendt1978]

Thanks Nathan and Coley. Use a 1/16th inch lip and that's about the thickness of the blade on the band saw, right? That notch and lip thickness has driven me crazy can't find info anywhere on it.

[woodieb8]

for musky baits we use 1/8 to 1/4 depending on bait size

[Muskiefool]

For baits over 16 inch I would go 1/4 under that 1/8 tiny bass and walleye baits you may be able to use smaller I found on my first deep runners that at High speed 4 mph the action was effected but only on the bats with lips 4" or more

[dwendt1978]

Guys if this helps I'm looking at making 2" to 2 1/2" Cranks that dive in the 6ft. ballpark. Also where can I find the tool that people mark the center on these flat cranks? Or can you just eyeball it???

[Nathan]

I Just eyeball my stuff..it's worked so far..Nathan

[dwendt1978]

Thanks Nathan. Does it matter if I want to make my 2 to 2.5 inch cranks a 1/2 inch thick?

[Nathan]

I think that should be fine..My "Flat Jack" is a little over 2" long,and it is 5/8" wide.I wanted it too push alot of water.If your just starting out building lures,you'll find wider lures are a bit more stable and easier too build till you get the hang of it..Nathan

[Terrydabassman]

I found an easy way to mark "center" on baits.

I just lay a newly sharpened pencil flat on the table, then see where the pencil is marking on a particular thickness of bait. If it's not high enough, I cut pieces of 3x3 index cards and put under the pencil until it's marking in the center. You know it's center when you can flip the bait over and the marks in the same place.

I hold the pencil still and just move the bait around till it's all marked.

NOTE: Thanks everybody for the "center marking" tip. It's helped me speed things up and so much easier over all. Sometimes it's the simplest of things that can make the difference.

[BobP]

I like 1/16" polycarbonate (e.g. Lexan) or .032" G-10 circuitboard for bass baits. As far as finding the center line of a blank, I scribe a line around it with a compass after marking a center dot with a ruler. Flip the bait around and do it from the other side too. If There's any variance in thickness, that will find it. The line shows you where to put the hardware and it serves as a good visual reference while you're shaping and sanding the bait. You're on the right track - half the work in turning out a bait that runs right is keeping everything lined up and symetrical. Width for small bass baits is purely subjective. I favor thin (3/8") flat cranks for shallow baits because they have a tight wiggle. Flat/Thin is trendy right now. Thick round baits with wide wiggle get more popular as the water warms.

[kbkindle]

hey bobp kbkindle here where do you buy circutboard material thank you kb