Monty Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 what type of wood do you like to use or see used for those musky surface baits and cranks? oak, cedar, poplar, white pine, etc? thanks Monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskyhunter63 Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Hi Monty, I like to use cedar but have also used white pine. I am in the process of picking up some basswood to try also. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskiefool Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Well it could be any or all I guess it depends on what you want the bait to do The heavier and more Dense the wood the less weight you'll need like Maple rides low on the water in comparison to Ceder I use white oak for a top water but have to hollow the body's to get the bait to float but it's rock hard for my cranks I use clear ceder so you have to think about what characteristics you want and if you choose to make a top water from a heavy wood you may need to do some additional work to get the bait you want Good Luck John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted March 30, 2006 Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 we use cedar for our baits. its corky and lively. another wood not mentioned is honduras mahogany. its slower but very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted March 30, 2006 Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 For topwater? Basswood. For cranks, I would go with the Woodie's suggestion honduras mahogany or poplar if you can avoid the bubble trouble. jed v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky1 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Monty I've had the least amount of problems with cedar. I would think white cedar would be your best bet for topwaters, It's the lightest out of the cedars. As with any type of wood make sure it's dry. Good luck. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 I would like to try honduras mahogany. Loke baits of Lake St. Clair fame are made of this. Anyone ever try it? Any health concerns with this wood?? Paint can be worn off this wood and it still stays together. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 finlander mahogany is very pleasent to work with. the orignil lokes were better grade mahogany.. honduras accepts sealers ,paints very well. the issues are cost of wood. make sure its honduras not african cause african sinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Thanks for the tip. Been trying to reach John Mulliet but I hear he winters in Florida. He offers a 6 inch unpainted Loke for $14 I think. Straight or jointed. Saw one at a friends' house. Soe say he may substitute jelutong in as well. I am going to try a local store forst, but Woodcraft carries the mohogany in a 3x3 x30 or a 2x2x30 for $18 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 if you buy a 2by 6 8 feet long. its usually cheeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskydan666 Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Hi,I am using foam now!!but I was using poplar wood before!It was OK but the wood was expanding some times!??and cause some damage to the finish!Now no more problems!!!!foam is a awesome thing to work whit!dose not take water!and i can make a lot more lures in the same time!and thru wire also! Cheers,muskydan666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 yep musky dan many have been bitten using poplar. a friend of mine cut up 300 baits cause of swelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 Been using cedar, but have a bit of basswood sitting around. Found a pattern on this site that looks like a Bagley Big M (?) It may not be a Bagley. Looks like a Big M. I made different size patterns. Maybe a spring bait for the 'skis. Muskydan666- when you say foam, exactly what type are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 1, 2006 Report Share Posted April 1, 2006 The only thing I don't like about mahogany is that it's quite grainy. Even after primer it can often be difficult to hide the wood grain. I tried foam one time and can't really say for sure if I like it because I didn't stay with it long enough. The beauty of foam as I see it is that the lures would have a perfectly consistent shape and weight from one to the next. However, as far as time is concerned, I can cut out a musky lure from mahogany or maple and have it ready to go to the weighting stage in about 10 minutes...that's going to be pretty hard to beat even with foam. jed v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 i find honduras mahogany yo be less grainy then cedar.. after sanding sealer a dip in prime then dip in base color theres no grain to be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 Maybe it's that second base color coat you are using Woodieb8. I generally use hard maple but I prefer to work with Mahogany. By the way, Woodieb8 is right, stay away from the mahogany from africa, it has the consistently of a solo cup! Junk. Jed V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 jed we did testing years back. african mahogany sank. the densitys were to hi. that was before hardware was eeven added. american mohagany didnt stand up enuff. honduras in pattern grad is the sweetest wood. thats only my opinion, others use many different woods for application actions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
