poppers/rapalas/pencils - what wood to use?
Submitted by Bungel on Sun, 2010-08-29 07:52
Going to be making some lures and need advice on the wood to use. I have had two woods mentioned to me - White Beech, which is nice to work and heavy . Paulownia, a very light easy to work wood.
I intend on making mostly large pencil and chugger style poppers with quality heavy duty tackle and through wire construction.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
of the home made poppers I've seen
they have all been made from pine.
Aside from the shaping, I think the placement of the keel weight would be the hardest step?
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makai
Posts: 459
Date Joined: 28/10/08
Popper wood
Bungel,
some years ago I made a heap of poppers for a big north west trip. I collected broom handles for 6mths before hand from wherever/whoever I could steal them from! My poppers were fairly simple - basically just a sloped, cupped face and a tapered tail. I set up a jig and cupped the face using a router, and made the slope on the face and tapered the tail with a disc sander. I adjusted the weight of the poppers by glueing in ball sinkers on the underside to make them float slightly high at the front end, stay upright and to add casting weight. I did not use through wire construction - too difficult. I twisted heavy stainless trace wire to make eyelets and glued them in with araldite. I made a range of size and weight poppers. It took a bit of experimenting to get the weights for each of my various sized prototypes right, but once I had worked out the right size sinkers to use for each sized popper, and made the jigs to get the angles right, it was just a case of cranking them out. The poppers have accounted for many fish of various species, including many trevally, barracuda, tailor, spanglies and even reef sharks. The biggest things I have landed on them have been GT's and barraccuda up to 25kg, and reef sharks up to 40kg. I have never had a popper pull apart, but then I mainly fish 4-10kg gear. And of course it doesn't cost me a lot when I lose them to fish or reef.
Bungel
Posts: 290
Date Joined: 12/10/08
Ive got a mini lathe that i
Ive got a mini lathe that i will be using and i intend on painting the lures afterwards, also giving them a strong epoxy finish.
I dont think the through wire construction should be much of a problem. Getting the weight correct will be the main problem i see.
Does anyone know of good wood suppliers in the perth Metro area?.. or at least someone i could have a chat to that knows a fair bit.
Pine will definatly be on my list of wood to experiment with.
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Bungel Do a google search
There are a few dedicated sites that give you some great tips on home made lure making.
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Bungel
Posts: 290
Date Joined: 12/10/08
Yeh, i have done alot of
Yeh, i have done alot of that. Have found that the majority of the info is for the USA makers and talks about strains of wood that are found over there.
Heaps of really good info on the actual making of the lures, should have a heap of fun :)
Would like to find similar woods that are cheaper and more readily available here.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18085
Date Joined: 11/03/08
not too sure how available
not too sure how available it is but i just scored some coconut palm wood and have just turned up a couple of poppers on the lathe, just got to add weights and paint. for the through wire construction , i just cut a groove through to the center , placed wire then filled the groove with construction adhesive , hopefully that will hold
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