Hi, how to carve a popper’s concave face or mouth ? I tried using drill bits of several sizes to drill down and then use a penknife to carve further. then I use a “drill bit” which looks like a round aquarium airstone. sorry I don’t know the name of this bit, for polishing purposes, I think. It tends to get clog up and doesn’t seems to work well although it can scrape a bit of wood. The concave cup done this way looks crude, due to some irreglar parts, so I’m wondering is there a better method ?
and what tools to use?
Thanks.
These will be best suited to cut concave faces:
- Sphere or Ball nose rotary bit
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-4829792992329_2034_114388736 - Tungsten carbide burrs
http://www.saburr-tooth.com/toolsShank14.htm
Other methods like using a router bit is possible too but a bit more dangerous if you do not handle it with care.
[url="http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/"][img]http://www.pbase.com/lapala/image/70743584/original.jpg[/img][/url] [IMG]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i186/LaPala/Do_It_02.gif[/IMG]Thanks. I’ll try to find these burrs.
im pretty sure we can use a “round kikir” to make a cup face
yocox.com
012-6986303
014-5488387
Hi MCS,
Here is a link to a tool with which you can make perfect mouths in popper type lures.
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=0301716&ucst=t
This tool is 3/4 inch diameter and works well for lures that are around 1 inch in diameter. You can get smaller or larger size cutting tools if you want to make different size popper lure.
Go to this link for more info on how to best use this tool; http://www.woodenluremaking.com
Good luck,
Kluremaker
USA
Where exactly in the link does it explain how to use the burr?
The link contained absolutely no information at all. Is this spam I wonder!
Dave
It was pointed out that I did not include info on how to use the 3/4 inch rotary burr to make popper mouths. I had a lot of pictures to go with this detail that make the steps easier to follow but I can,t get them on this post.
Good luck,
KLuremaker
In the first method the process makes use of your lathe, a chuck and drill chuck arbor to modify the lathe to accept a ¾ inch double cut ball rotary bur, a 3/8 inch forstner bit, and a disc sander to get the correct angle on the mouth of the lure if you are making a popper with an angled face. The Multi-Craft Keyed Chuck (Model B8649) and the Drill Chuck Arbor (Model G8653) both can be found on page 266 of the Grizzly Industrial catalog. The size of the round ball rotary bur may vary depending on the diameter of the lure you want to make. The ¾ inch has been ideal for the lures I have made. Fastenal Industrial & Construction Supplies is currently the only place I have been able to purchase the ¾ inch ball rotary file. You can find the Ball Shape Rotary file on www.fastenal.com. If you are doing a search on their web site the item number for this item is 0301716. The popper type lures I make are similar in size to the medium size Pop R. I have learned a couple tricks that make this process easy and you will be able to make beautiful popper type lures with a little practice.
Once you have turned the lure on the lathe to the desired size and shape go ahead and drill the front eye screw hole in the lure. Just be sure and get the depth of the hole to a point where it is at least deeper than the bottom of the concave in the lure mouth. The reason you do this now is to take advantage of the dead center hole in the end of the lure made by the lathe. To wait until after you make the mouth makes it difficult to get the hole drilled in the exact center of the lure. With a pencil make a small mark in the exact center between the two eye holes on top of the lure. This is to assist you in holding the lure in the right position as you sand the front of the lure to the desired angle. This angle may take you a little practice but after making two or three lures you will decide on the preferred angle. The angle I use for the lures I make is 15 degrees. Practice and using the finished lure later will help you get the correct angle to get the desired “chugging”,”popping” sound and action when you are fishing with the lure.
Disc Sander to Make the Face Angle
For this job you need a reasonably good quality 5 inch diameter disc sander. I use a Delta that is a combination belt sander and disc sander. The name of the model is Delta SA150 Disc Sander. Tools-Plus is a great online source. They sell for around $75. 100 grit sandpaper discs is the right size for this job. One sanding disc will make many lures. To extend the life of your sanding disc periodically clean it with a small wire brush. Many of your local hardware supply stores will carry these small sanders. Whatever brand you buy it is essential for the sander table to be adjustable and lockable in a desired position with degree settings. This is how you get the angle on the front of the lure face.
Lock the table at the desired angle and hold the lure to the disc sander with the pencil mark you made earlier straight up. This will take a little practice but you will soon learn to turn out perfect lures. Sand the lure face until you get it to the top edge of the lure. Check the face to make sure it is square with the eyes; in other words, the eye holes should be the same distance from the front edge on the lure on both sides. If it is off a little you can change the angle you are holding the lure to the face of the disc sander to even it up. Once you get the angle on the lure face where you want it be sure and mark the position so you can reset it to the same angle each and every time you come back to the sanding job when you make this type lure again. You may choose to make different chugger type lures with different face angles. If so, just be sure and mark your setting so you can make additional lures later with the same angle.
If the popper lure you want to make has a square face at the mouth end it is important to get the mouth end as square as possible while the blank lure is still in the lure block form. If you turn the lure first and then try to get the mouth end square it is very difficult to do. To do this set your disc sander table at 90 degrees and use the guide that came with the sander. Once you get the end squared off it is time to go to the lathe for turning.
The next step is small but critical. You will understand it later if you try to go to the ¾ ball rotary burr step next without taking this step. This is where the 3/8 inch forstner bit comes in. It is near impossible to move directly to the ¾ inch ball burr step without taking this step. The ¾ rotary ball burr is too large and it is difficult to get the cutting process started in the flat lure face without a pilot/guide hole. If you don’t have a 3/8 inch forstner bit but you do have a 5/16 inch bit; that will work just as well. I use both and it does not seem to make much difference
The next steps are the same for the squared face popper or the angled face popper. With the 3/8 inch forstner bit in the drill press, drill a hole 1/8 inch deep in the exact center of the end of the lure. Use the eye screw hole that you have already drilled in the dead center of the lure as the guide to the forstner bit to get started. Do not drill deeper than 1/8 inch or any deeper than you plan to make the mouth of the popper using the rotary bur. On the angled mouth popper that you have sanded to a 15 degree face you need to hold the lure with the lure face perpendicular to the forstner bit as you drill the hole. See picture on right below.
Here is a tip to help you make sure the 3/8 forstner bit gets a good even start once you turn on the drill press. With one hand press the face of the lure against the tip of the bit. Insert the leading point of the bit in the eye screw hole you drilled earlier and push the lure up against the tip of the bit. With the other hand grab the chuck and turn it clockwise and you will get the small circular cut that you see in the pictures above. This simply helps insure a good straight cut once you turn on the drill press. This is not absolutely essential in that if your pilot hole is a little off center you still can make an excellent mouth using the rotary bur.
The pictures above show the completed pilot/guide holes for the rotary bur. These guide holes will facilitate easy use of the rotary bur to cut the lure mouths. On the left is the square ended popper and on the right is the angled popper. Note the angle I am holding the popper. That is the angle that I held it to drill the 3/8 hole 1/8 inch deep.
Now you are ready to go to the lathe and use the ¾ inch ball rotary bur to cut the mouth in the lure. This requires the purchase of a chuck to fit into the lathe. I have tried to do this job with the ¾ inch ball rotary burr in a drill press but it does not work as well as mounting it in the lathe. I purchased the chuck I use from Grizzly. You may be able to find one at a local store. This chuck is made to use in the Grizzly lathe but it will work in any brand lathe you have or purchase. Use the lathe wrench and unscrew the large nut and remove the spur center and replace it with the chuck. Attach the ¾ inch ball rotary burr into the chuck.
The next step is absolutely critical. The proper RPM setting for the lathe is critical to be able to get the burr to work/cut properly. This correct RPM setting is at 2000 RPM or less, whereas the setting to turn wood is around 3200 RPM. Having the RPM setting over 2000 will make it difficult to hold the lure to get the proper cut. At high speed the rotary burr has the tendency to jerk the lure into it and out of your grip. When you first start maybe set the variable speed lathe at even less that 2000 rpm. Practice will dictate how fast you need to run the lathe. The key is to let the rotary bur run slowly and it will cut right into the mouth of the lure as you hold it against the rotary bur. I use mostly eastern red cedar and pushing the lure face into the turning, cutting rotary bur is almost as easy as pushing a stick of butter into it.
The picture on the left above shows the best way I have found to feed the lure face into the turning rotary bur. I am right handed so I hold the back of the lure in my right hand and the front with my left hand. I use my right hand to apply pressure from the rear and my left to apply pressure from the side. The pressure from the side is to insure a cut perfectly in the center of the lure face. As the cutting process moves along you will need to pull the lure away from the turning rotary bur to inspect to see if you are in the center. If you are not, just apply pressure from the side with your left hand,(thumb) as you push the lure into the turning rotary bur. As the cutting process is taking place I am constantly turning the lure in a clockwise motion. This insures a perfectly round and centered mouth in the face of the lure. You will also notice that the teeth in the rotary bur will load up and the cutting effort will slow. Two to three times per lure I use a toothbrush to clean wood debris from the cutting grooves on the rotary bur. With the rotary bur still running just hold the toothbrush against it and it will clean instantly. Once you get the mouth perfectly shaped the way you want it; hold the lure against the turning rotary bur with very light pressure and the result will be the inside of the lure mouth polished as smooth as glass.
When cutting the mouth on the angle face lure like on the right above picture I am holding the lure at a slight angle but the face of the lure is facing squarely into the turning rotary bur. Otherwise the cutting process is the same as with the square faced popper.
This step will take some practice but you will soon be proficient at it. It is essential to hold the lure firmly as you press it into the turning rotary bur. Go gingerly until you get the feel of it and once you do a couple you will get more comfortable with it. It does not take much pressure on the lure against the rotary bur to get it to cut. If you try to feed it too fast, the cutting edge on the burr can jerk it into it and ruin the lure. The key is to go slowly and you will soon master the process. If your cut in the lure mouth gets out of center just correct it by changing the angle you hold the lure into the cutting bur and by applying pressure from one side or the other. If your lure diameter is just a little over or just under the size of the ¾ inch rotary bur, you will still be able to achieve some beautiful mouths in the lure.
Picture on the top left is the completed square face popper and the one on the right is the angle face popper. You will simply be AMAZED at how fast and easy this process is and the result is beautifully shaped popper lures.
The next step is to sand the face of the lure mouth to remove and sanding grooves made when you made the angled face on the lure with the disc sander earlier. Use a piece of the 320 grit sand paper on a clean and flat surface. Gently move the lure back and forth till the face edges are smooth. After you mark and drill holes for the hook hanger the lure is ready for the base coat of paint.