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New builder help thread

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Jig Man

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There have been a few discussions on the forum of late on ways to help out new builders. Some good input from a number of people on this topic. With the help of Winch and Woodbuster, and pulling from previous threads on the forum, we have put together this new builder help section. Hopefully this will provide assistance for those both new to the forum and plug building. Our goal is not to provide you with actual blueprints and step by step instruction on how to build a plug, but to point you in the right direction as you start building. Note that each step may have many methods. You'll have to determine which one(s) are right for the tools that you have available or your own skill level. If you feel uncomfortable using a certain method, STOP, ask a few questions. In most cases you will find that there are other ways to accomplish what you want to do that you will feel safer using.

 

The best advice that we can give you is "don't do it!!! Try skydiving, meth, or something less addictive". Ok, if that did not deter you, then read on and pick up a few pointers on how to start your plug building addiction cwm12.gif Also, you might take a few moments to kiss your wife and kids goodbye cause you'll be in the cave building and not see them much for long periods of time wink.gif The builders who frequent this forum are some of the best around. There are many here who are happy to help out a new builder, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

A wide range of topics have been discussed at length on the forum. These span what tools to buy, types of woods, sealing, priming, painting, clear coating, and a host of other topics relating to plug building (also jigs and plastics too!). There are even a few threads that demonstrate how to build a plug from start to finish. If you have limited access to power tools, try searching for topics on "handcarves" (basically a plug made with few to no power tools). Have access to a lathe, you'll find several threads on how to turn a plug. Also note, and read through, the safety thread stickied at the top of this forum. It's a hobby, no sense in getting hurt doing it. It makes it harder for the rest of us to ho plugs from you if you can't make them biggrin.gif

 

For those who are not familiar with the forum software and the search feature, if you look at the top of the forum in the menu bar (the blue area) you'll see a "Search this Forum" link. Click this and the "Search this forum" box will open up. Type in the search word(s) and click the "Go" button to do the search. Alternatively, you can click the "Advanced Search" link in the Search box to bring up more options for the search. The photo below shows the Search box open after clicking the "Search this Forum" link.

 

525

 

The search tool can be real useful in finding some of this info and giving you a range of ideas on what might work best for you. We suggest the search tool not as a way of stopping you from asking questions, but as a way of digging out info that will enable you to ask more specific questions. For example, if you do a search on "lathe" you will find several models that are commonly suggested for plug building. Based on this, you might ask a question similar to: "I'm thinking of lathe X for building plugs. I also want to turn other things such as A, B, and C. Would this lathe be a good choice? Would I be better off with variable speed or not?

 

A few threads that may be of interest as you start are:

 

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=562749

 

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=531215

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In addition, we have culled some info on building that may be of interest.

 

Winch summed up a lot of this stuff well, so I've just copied his post here.

 

Stupid questions are fine but only after you have researched the forum for your answers. That way you will not only answer some of those questions but also learn about things you had no idea to even ask.

 

Anyway here is a little help for you. Before even thinking of buying a lathe figure out what type of budget you have to be spending. Also how many lures are you going to turn per year. If you're looking to be making enough for you and a few buddies you don't need to go off the deep end. BUT If you are thinking about making this an obsession Ummmm, I mean a hobby then spend the extra dough and buy quality tools. So many guys here will tell you that they under estimated when they started and bought tools they soon realized were not the proper choice or they grew out of. At that time they had to repurchase better equipment and thus lost any chance of getting a saving by going cheaper (or smaller) in the beginning.

 

Of all my tools the two things I went top end were my lathe and lathe tools. I have been nothing but more than happy that I at least did that right. Now some of my other investments were wasted in under powered tools, but I have either replaced them, deal with them or have let them clutter the shop and collect dust.

 

Other tools beside a lathe and your lathe tools?

 

Well you're just starting so I'll keep it simple.

1. Drill press, unless you are going to do all your drilling with your lathe.

2. Drill bits. So many people don't even research this area. Get the best bits for the jobs and things will be so much easier.

3. Chop saw. Use it to cut your baluster into plug length.

4. wire cutters

5. Wire bending tool

 

With these tools you can build a lot of different plugs. Such as pencil poppers, surface poppers, prop baits, spooks, needles and others along that style. If you're thinking metal lip swimmers or darters and other harder styles then things become more complicated and more expensive. For now, deal with the easy stuff and dive into the others when you have more dough to use and, more importantly, more knowledge.

 

After that part, it now becomes your decision on which paths to travel. From special cuts to painting there is a wide assortment of paths to travel Many of us use different methods to fit our madness. Thus different tools for different people. You will have your own style and methods to get what you want. For now I would stick with the basics. Here is a couple of other area's to put your brain to work.

 

Painting.

STOP! Do not go and buy a $300.00 airbrush right now along with $500.00 in paint! Forget fancy patterns or scaling for now and just do single colors or blends. Nothing more frustrating than trying to copy some exotic pattern, messing it up and then when you finally get it right find out your plug is a turd.

 

For any beginner I suggest using aerosol cans. Learn the basic solid colors. White, Yellow, Black. From there you can get fancier, add a top color, a red chin, color around the head or eyes. These basic colors will always catch fish and are actually the preferred colors of most of the best fishermen around you. You will also be surprised that some of the most sought after builders paint only with aerosol spray cans. I even do some of my best fish catching colors with simple cheap aerosol cans. Then once you decide that building is worth it you can really start thinking about the jump to an airbrush.

 

Know your tackle supply houses! This by itself is one of the truest things I can tell you. You'll save yourself many hours of frustration by looking at the sites and finding the swivels, lead, wire and other bits you'll need. Make sure you pick a first to go to supplier and then find a secondary one in case your guy runs out of what you need.

 

Wood type. Here is where many guys make it harder for themselves. In the beginning you're going to make some flugly plugs. That's okay we all did that. But don't go out and by top of the line wood for your first builds. Buy some nice pine or red cedar and start with these. You can make mistakes and they won't cost you a ton of cash. Then once you feel the need to expand get into some of the more cultish woods we use.

 

At this point again be careful, so many guys fall into the "Wrong wood for that purpose" syndrome. So many guys also make the mistake of buying the wrong type of woods. They end up having to spend time sealing or use wood that doesn't fit the plug design. They get a deal on wood that really is not the proper choice for their intentions. Research the type of woods and what the flotation of these woods are. How much prep work will you have to do to make them usable? Learn what you gain from each type and what you loose. You will be surprised how different woods give and take away from your plug designs.

 

Finding a good Wood Source: Find a source of wood close to home. You live in Florida. The plentiful wood in your area is different from what is available up in New England and way different than what I get out here on the west coast. You may find the holy grail of wood that we way up north never knew about.

 

There are also many different types of cedars, pines, cypress and other woods suitable for building. Take cedar for instance. You have many types of white, yellow, swamp, aromatic, and red cedars that grow in the United States. Each type will be vastly different. For example Easter red cedar is vastly different than western red cedar in its properties.

Look for wood that is either lumbered close to you or used in exterior building in your area. There is going to be wood from your area that we up North can't get or is way too expensive for us to use. This goes also to what I pay and what the New England guys have to pay to buy the same type of wood. I can get my wood very cheap compared to when a New Englander looks to buy the same material. It will cost him an arm and a leg. Me, just a couple of toes.

 

Lastly Finish. Keep it simple for your first builds. Don't go for the "What's the hot stuff in the builders forum this week" syndrome. Stick with simple finishes. You can start with aerosol lacquers on your first plugs or if you want start with the easy epoxies. Devcon 30 minute, 2 ton, and others make a good simple epoxy finish. Again don't buy in mass supply until you're able to use larger amounts. I myself just ran into this problem. I bought an expensive finish that I use in a large quantity. I did this thinking I was saving money. Well it turns out I had to throw away enough for a 100 plugs because it got old and crystallized. Buy enough to do a few plugs and as you increase your habit then buy bigger quantities.

 

Some other notes on testing and finish culled from other posts that may be of use:

 

Plug testing is very important, especially when you are working with a new design or just getting started. There is no sense in taking the time to paint and clear coat a plug only to find that it swims like a turd the first time you take it out. At most, I'll seal and prime a plug. White is a good color as you can see the plug better as it comes through the water. On swimmers, I'll also take a black sharpie and put large dots for the eyes and a line down the back of the line from nose to tail. This allows me to really get a feel for the plug's action. Take several sizes of hooks with you along with various lead slugs, wide rubber bands, and a few screw eyes. Tools might include pliers, split ring pliers, and may be a hand drill. You'll use the screw eyes to quickly determine optimal locations for the hooks as you can insert the eye, attach a hook, and test swim rather quickly. Try each location with different sized hooks until you get the best action from the plug. On a swimmer, don't be afraid to try out several different lips or line tie locations. You can use a wide rubber band to hold a lead slug in place while you test. A short lob cast and it will stay in place. Move the weight around, adjust hook locations, etc. until you have found the best combination. Make notes, then make a couple more to those specs and test again. If those work well, make several more and actually fish them. You might tweak these ones a little as you learn what the fish want. Once you have it all down and fish approved, you are ready to make a larger bunch of plugs.

 

Another thing that many builders get caught up in is the clear coat. Remember, it is not just the clear coat. If your primer does not stick to your sealer, it really does not matter what you put on top as it is all coming off quickly anyway. It is worth noting that the wood/sealer/primer/paint/clear are all part of a finishing system. There are no "best" of any of these. It is what works best TOGETHER, for YOUR purposes. Note that what many commercial builders use is not available to the general public, requires special safety equipment, and is not cost effective for the doing small batches that most of us garage builders do. If you are only making plugs for yourself and a few friends, are you really worried that the paint will not look great after a few hard days of fishing? Things to consider in addition to durability are: compatibility with other parts of the system, easy of use, expense, safety, and availability.

 

If you are not familiar with power tools such as a lathe, chop saw, band saw, drill press, or a table saw or if you are uncomfortable in the thought of losing a finger. You should look into Night classes in woodworking at either your local high school, or community college or trades center. Many of us builders got our start this way. Here you have trained instructors that can really give you encouragement, and support in using these tools. Too many new comers make the mistake of jumping into a powerful tool and setting things up dangerously. Loss of fingers, hands, hair ripped out at the roots, and even death have occurred using these tools.

Be smart and be safe!

 

Those are some basics. You can read plenty of other info here. The best teacher, however, is trial and error. It doesn't matter how much you have read, those first few plugs will teach you a lot about building. Don't be afraid that your first plugs do not swim as well as the commercial ones. It takes practice to get it all down. If you pay attention, you'll find that you will learn a lot from a plug that failed. I.e., why did it fail? How was it different than one that swam well? Start really paying attention to the areas that you fish, the bait in those areas, and what types of plugs work best in those areas. Now start thinking on how those plugs could be improved. A few hours in the cave and some testing, you just might come up with the ultimate plug for those areas smile.gif In addition to searching this forum and trying it out, remember, one of your best resources are the other builders here. Join in the discussions and you'll end up learning more each time. In addition, you'll end up becoming part of a much larger community. Or in the case of the Lure Forum, an addiction support group biggrin.gif

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  • 3 weeks later...

Lab1 posted this elsewhere. I thought it might be of interest to others:

 

"Consider some other options for wood. AYC is very nice stuff and I use a lot of it - so please don't take this the wrong way - but here goes. AYC is really cool stuff - turns nice - generally very clear - and resists water very well which makes sealing the wood very easy. Having said all that - there are many varieties of wood I would choose over AYC if I was doing this for a hobby. Basswood, sugar pine and clear white pine are three that immediately pop into my head. Of the three, I have the most experience with basswood and think it is a really nice option. It has to be sealed more carefully than AYC or any of the other cedars but it has some really great advantages. First off - the dust isn't nearly as bad for you as the cedars/cypress. It takes sealer extremely well. It turns beautifully. It is fairly available. It is not terribly expensive. White pine is another one that is often overlooked - and is extremely available. One of my all time favorite plugs (not mine - someone elses) was built from white pine scrap cutoffs (originally - not anymore). Sealed properly and any of those will serve you very well. I just think AYC often gets a little more credit than it is due. It is really good stuff - but to the best of my knowledge - none of the wood plugs that put wood plugs on the map were made from it. I'm sure Stan Gibbs never even heard of it.

 

If I was starting to mess with building plugs I would buy some basswood, birch, cherry, possibly some maple, and some of the cedars including AYC. I would not buy just one. If you make four plugs that are all very similar - but make them out of four different kinds of wood - you'll learn a heck of a lot about how the weight/density/bouyancy effect the action of certain plugs. You'll learn how well a sealer is actually working for you - and in the end I think you'll learn that there are a lot of different woods available that serve certain purposes.

 

I still use a bunch of poppers I made some time ago from vertical fir. Fir has some issues with respect to the uneven sanding that comes from the soft/hard growth rings - but it sure worked fine on these plugs and 5 years later they have held up pretty darn well.

 

One of the greatest pieces of advice I could give any new plug builder is to soak in as much information as you can. Listen to all the advice you read online and spend exactly 1/2 of your time following that advice. Spend the other 1/2 of the time doing the opposite of what the directions say, the plug board recommends, or what anyone else tells you. You'll make more mistakes that way - but you'll also learn a lot - and occassionally you'll do something different than you were "supposed to do" and strike gold. "

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  • 6 years later...
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jig Man View Post

There have been a few discussions on the forum of late on ways to help out new builders. Some good input from a number of people on this topic. With the help of Winch and Woodbuster, and pulling from previous threads on the forum, we have put together this new builder help section. Hopefully this will provide assistance for those both new to the forum and plug building. Our goal is not to provide you with actual blueprints and step by step instruction on how to build a plug, but to point you in the right direction as you start building. Note that each step may have many methods. You'll have to determine which one(s) are right for the tools that you have available or your own skill level. If you feel uncomfortable using a certain method, STOP, ask a few questions. In most cases you will find that there are other ways to accomplish what you want to do that you will feel safer using.

The best advice that we can give you is 'don't do it!!! Try skydiving, meth, or something less addictiveâ€. Ok, if that did not deter you, then read on and pick up a few pointers on how to start your plug building addiction cwm12.gif Also, you might take a few moments to kiss your wife and kids goodbye cause you'll be in the cave building and not see them much for long periods of time wink.gif The builders who frequent this forum are some of the best around. There are many here who are happy to help out a new builder, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

A wide range of topics have been discussed at length on the forum. These span what tools to buy, types of woods, sealing, priming, painting, clear coating, and a host of other topics relating to plug building (also jigs and plastics too!). There are even a few threads that demonstrate how to build a plug from start to finish. If you have limited access to power tools, try searching for topics on 'handcarves†(basically a plug made with few to no power tools). Have access to a lathe, you'll find several threads on how to turn a plug. Also note, and read through, the safety thread stickied at the top of this forum. It's a hobby, no sense in getting hurt doing it. It makes it harder for the rest of us to ho plugs from you if you can't make them biggrin.gif

For those who are not familiar with the forum software and the search feature, if you look at the top of the forum in the menu bar (the blue area) you'll see a 'Search this Forum†link. Click this and the 'Search this forum†box will open up. Type in the search word(s) and click the 'Go†button to do the search. Alternatively, you can click the 'Advanced Search†link in the Search box to bring up more options for the search. The photo below shows the Search box open after clicking the 'Search this Forum†link.

525

The search tool can be real useful in finding some of this info and giving you a range of ideas on what might work best for you. We suggest the search tool not as a way of stopping you from asking questions, but as a way of digging out info that will enable you to ask more specific questions. For example, if you do a search on 'lathe†you will find several models that are commonly suggested for plug building. Based on this, you might ask a question similar to: 'I'm thinking of lathe X for building plugs. I also want to turn other things such as A, B, and C. Would this lathe be a good choice? Would I be better off with variable speed or not?

A few threads that may be of interest as you start are:

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=562749

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=531215

Hi from okie angler



I'm a newbie since Jan 2014, really enjoying everything in sol.  Just began reading-reviewing in Lure Bldg, plan on starting-building in winter. In meantime trying to learn all I can.



And this is definitely the place.  



Not sure my calculator can handle the intimidating algorithim, but I'll give it a try.


thanks



okie angler



not the previous 'oki'


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  • 5 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Great thread, thanks.  I'm a newbie lure builder, but a life long woodworker.  Another resource on the web is a google search of "specific gravity of wood".  Check out the tables that list various woods, and think about the info in terms of how it relates to wood density, and floatation.  It's good information, free.  I've never been one to choke the fun out of woodworking by making it too technical, but this is a quick read that sheds light on why wood acts the way it does.


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Great thread, thanks.  I'm a newbie lure builder, but a life long woodworker.  Another resource on the web is a google search of "specific gravity of wood".  Check out the tables that list various woods, and think about the info in terms of how it relates to wood density, and floatation.  It's good information, free.  I've never been one to choke the fun out of woodworking by making it too technical, but this is a quick read that sheds light on why wood acts the way it does.

 

You don't even have to go out of the forum to find most of this stuff ;)

 

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/450249/wood

Two things in life I love. Fishing, and looking at the wives pictures on the milk Carton

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