Dweller Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 How do you get your lip in square? Do you put your lips in before you paint or after? I have been putting them in after I paint then I clear them. They are not in real bad but I want them better. I use a scroll saw to cut the lip slot. Would a band saw be better for this? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 Most of my baits start out with flat planks of wood. I cut the shape of the bait, then cut the lip slot on a bandsaw (for thinner lip slots) or on a table saw for 1/8 lip slots. That way the bait lays perfectly flat and the slot is perfectly square. I then put a small piece of scrap polycarbonate in the lip slot, but a small piece, only about as wide as the bait, so that when I paint it won't get in the way. Upon completion of the painting, I remove the scrap piece of polycarbonate from the slot and glue in the final lip. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Here's a q for FF...What blade do u use for 1/8"?? I am looking to get a table saw soo for ripping the cedar to size and for lip slots. I looked a saw blade a week ago and all I could find were blades that had one tooth going left and the next one right. There was a small 7"dia blade for plywood that had an 1/8" measurement from the left to the right tooth. The thing is it is probably for a circular saw. Is there a larger dia plywood blade?? What blade do you use??? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweller Posted February 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 I use a scroll saw. I am looking to get band saw. Look on sears website they show all the blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 The table saw makes a perfect slot for the 1/8 stuff. For the 1/16 lexan (polycarbonate) lips I use the bandsaw. It requires two cuts just slightly separated, then you run the blank back through to cut the little bit left between the two cuts. Works out great, but you should practice on some scrap 4 or 5 times first till you get the feel for it. Its really easy though, just give it a try on your bandsaw. I use the 1/8 stuff for bigger baits, but sometimes I use the 1/16 stuff on bigger baits to get a really tight vibration. It can be tough at times because the thinner stuff has a tendency to flex a little bit when you make a bigger lip for a bigger bait...but when you get it right with the thinner lexan, the muskies will tear that monkey up. The vibration is incredible. Lots of strikes right at the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 I'll try to post a picture of how I'm doing the slots for both the 1/8 and the 1/16 lexan. It'll probably make it a lot easier to understand. I'm sure there are better, faster ways, but I'm using what few tools I have on hand and its working for me. I also have a tip for aligning the lip in the slot that I'd like to illustrate with the camera too. Gotta get a few things done first, but I'll try to get to it. I'm running like a mad man right now as usual. Seems like I always try to get 25 hours out of a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 I cut all mine with a scroll saw like ff does with his bandsaw. I make 99% of my cranks out of balsa, but I still make sure to use a sharp blade, and keep a check on the blade alignment with a combo scquare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Could you guys tell me what different angles do for depth. I'm pretty sure the less of an angle the deeper it runs. I'm just guessing though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishThanks Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Hello every one. The table saw blade mentioned with the teeth alternating side to side will be on every blade to different degrees. They will be shown as A.T.B. alternating top bevel. To get a blade that leaves the cut flat on top so you do not see the little v left in the wood you need a blade with a raker tooth. A.T.B. with a Raker tooth. It is a flat square top tooth patterned around the blade. They are usually a blade for laminate and Melamine cutting. I use a Tenryu thin kerf for 1/8 bills for Muskie baits and sometimes a slot or two is tight after paint using epoxy prime, urethane paints and two part clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 You're right, Jason. There are other variables too, like body style and the type of lip you put in that can have some effect on depth, but mostly its from the lip angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 FishThanks, do you get overspray in the slot? Is that why the lips are somewhat tight when you're done? If so, try putting in a piece of scrap polycarbonate prior to painting. I cut a piece of scrap just wide enough that its flush with the body. When you're done painting pull out the scrap "lip" and glue in the final lip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishThanks Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 Fatfingers I saw your post earlier about the filler piece for the lip slot and thought it was a great idea. I do like some paint in the slot for sealing the wood but maybe a prime coat then using a scrap of polycarb until ready for the clear would do the trick. I built fixtures for every step of making my baits but a friend of mine who was a baitmaker has been doing my painting. He has given me tips and I have been practicing on one inch pvc pipe pieces and I am getting close to giving it a go. Lots of great information on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 I see what you mean. I worry about getting paint in the slot because I think that the epoxy may bind to the wood better when gluing the lip in, while at the same time sealing that area. But I worry mostly because of the beating the baits take from muskies and from hard trolling at higher speeds. As for the painting, if you seal your bait with clear or Devcon before you paint it, and you have any errors in the painting process, you can just wipe them off and start over. I sometimes even clear between colors in case I screw up the next color...just wipe it down and do it over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 FF-on using a thinner lip on a larger bait for the 'skis, what size bait are we talking about here? Too much lip might break off if it hits a rock. I have shhets of stuff that I got from work and some is brittle. I try to bring the 'rubbery' stuff home, toss the cheap stuff. If it is true Lexan, will it cut differently than cheap sh!t? Worry too about too much flexing causing the epoxy bond to break. Have you ever had one snap, and had to replace it? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 Well, "bigger" and "smaller" are of course, relative terms. I'm not a real big fan of baits bigger than 11 or 12 inches, so to me, a 6 o 7 inch bait is "bigger" but not biggest. Smaller is 4 or 5 inches, and those can produce muskies for me sometimes when nothing else will. So, generally I use 1/8 Lexan on baits over 5 inches long and 1/16 on baits smaller than that. Occasionally, I'll use 1/16 on 5 to 7 inch baits in an attempt to get a sharp, tight vibration out of the bait even at the risk of having a lip break. To date, I've never had a single lip break, or an hook-hanger or line tie fail on any of the baits I've built and I do NOT baby them when I'm trolling. In fact, I am a big fan of bouncing crank baits off rocks and point edges hoping to trigger a strike. As to the quality of the polycarbonate, I have one local source for Lexan and its all I use, so I really don't know about what else is out there or how it performs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
