# Bait Building 101



## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Lets carve a bait

Its been a while since I wrote about building so I figured I'd rewrite some of the old stuff for the beginners on our OGF Tackle Making forum...the friendliest place on the internet!

You guys whove been here a while please feel free to jump in and add your commentary to the mix. We all have a lot to share with the beginner and we were all beginners once.

I like to keep my templates on the computer so I can easily resize them. I then just print them:









then glue them to a piece of wood. I like poplarits what I use most of the time. This happens to be western red cedar in this picture though:









Glue it down and cut out the shape on your bandsaw or use your jigsaw or coping saw if that is what you have:









Now, before we start shaping the bait, there are a few steps you should take to make the shaping easier. First I like to use a compass to scribe a line down the center of the bait lengthwise:









More to follow...


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## BrokenWing (Feb 28, 2009)

You the man. It that 3/4" thick?


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

That's 1/2 inch, Rich.

Okay, next we need to drill the holes for the hook hangers and the line tie. I've marked this so you get the idea:









Start a pilot hole on the appropriate spot along the center line that you scribed previously:









Drill a hole using a bit slightly smaller than the screw eye you'll be installing:


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Now its time to cut the lip slot. This is an important step. The lip slot must be square to the body of the bait.

First check your tablesaw blade to make sure it is at a 90 degree angle. Use a square to be sure it is on the money.

Use the device that allows you to push the wood into the blade on your tablesaw. Clamp the bait to that device and push it over the blade. You can do this several times and adjust the blade as you go till your slot is just deep enough into the bait:









Here's another shot showing how to cut that lip slot:









I put a piece of scrap wood over the device that pushes the wood into the blade. It make it easier to clamp the bait down during this process.

Now its time to shape the bait. You can use a rasp and sandpaper or you could clamp you hand held sander into a vice. I prefer a bench top sander.
Simply round off the edges by "rolling" the bait over the sandpaper surface as the sanding belt spins:

















Eventually the square edges get nicely rounded off:









Do the belly the same way:









Now if you want, you can taper the tail and the nose area by laying the bait flat on the sander and pushing down on the tail (and then the head). Try to remove equal amounts of wood material from both sides. Take a little off at a time and use that center line you have as a guide to gauge how much you've removed from either side of the bait.

A bait with a bit of taper near the nose and tail will look something like this when viewed from the top:









Finish the "carving" process by sanding the bait, again being careful to try to remove equal amounts of material from each side of the bait. I use heavier grade and sometimes follow it with a finer grade of sandpaper.

The bait should now be nicely shaped, fairly smooth, and ready to be dipped in Minwax sanding sealer.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Use your imagination and you can make a lot of different baits. Look at the baits that you use for ideas on what shapes or "profiles" you like and then try making one like them. Later you can make them larger, smaller, shorter, longer, fatter, skinnier, etc.










If you'd like to get a little fancy, you can carve some finer details into the bait:









Of course, if you have a lathe, you can make poppers, surface baits, jerkbaits, and on and on:









Next we'll talk about installing the lip on your bait...


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## Minivin5 (Dec 17, 2008)

Very informative and well done~ Thanks


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## Husky (Dec 19, 2007)

Hey Vince,

That was very generous of you and a VERY GOOD read


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Ok, lets talk a bit about installing the diving lip....

First thing you'll need to do is either buy the lip or make your own. I've never bought them; I've always made my own because I enjoy experimenting with the lip as a variable to alter the action of the bait.

If you wish to make your own, you'll need a template. 

Here's a good starting point:
http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/download/making_crankbait_lips.pdf

Once you've downloaded the templates, you can resize them. I won't go into the software or technology required to do that...I'll presume that you'll be able to figure that out or be able to find help elsewhere.

More to follow; stay tuned. (I'm watching UFC right now)


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Very nice tutorial and thanks for posting the lips link- it will be quite useful. Do you use special carving tools? Or an exacto? I was at JoAnns tonite and they had a beginners carving kit for $15 that came with a couple blocks of wood and some carving tools. The carving tools looked foreign to me.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

James, I do all my carving with an Xacto knife and a rotary tool. I cut the pattern/design with the Xacto knife and dig out the material that needs to be removed with the rotary tool using a dental drill tip.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Thanks Vince. I just need to purchase a nice small carving bit? tool? for the dremel. I've seen the 1/32, 1/16, and 3/32 engraving tools they make for the dremel which look like they would be perfect (they're like little balls on the end). I'd be afraid of breaking the ball off the 1/32" as its tiny but the 1/16" looks perfect for smaller baits. I'm going to look into the dental drill tip. Thanks again.


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## DanCampbell (Mar 4, 2011)

Great information.


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## DanCampbell (Mar 4, 2011)

Vince,
I notice that from the pics both you and Pete use a type of jig to cut the lip slot vertical.
Is there a reason for this? If my bait still had flat sides would it be just as good to lay it on the saw table and push it into the table saw blade?
What is the advantage if any?
Thanks
Dan


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

If you just lay the bait flat on the table saw and push it into the blade it will cut more on one side of the bait then it does on the other. You have to remember that the blade is round. 

Your idea will work with a band saw, but not a table saw. That's because the band saw blade is straight up and down as it passes through the bait. Still the table saw is superior for the lip slot if you set it up properly.

There is an attachment that comes with the table saw that allows you to push wood across the blade. Attach a piece of scrap to that, clamp your bait to it and push the bait across the blade to make the cut.

I'll try to provide a better picture of how I do it. Standby until I can get a few minutes to get down into the wood shop to grab the picture.


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## DanCampbell (Mar 4, 2011)

Thanks Vince,
That was hurting my little brain, I bet another pic would clear it up.
Dan


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

WOW! Nice work Vince! Guess Ill be in the old mans work shop. Seeing some of your pics makes it look a bit easier than one would think to come up with a finished product. ?? What wood holds the eyes for your hooks better? Hardwoods? Is there a happy medium? Thanks for the help!


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