I've been trying to find the perfect tool to cup my popper mouths and am starting to get frustrated.

I tried using a router cove bit but that blasted thing tends to run off the plug on me and mar it all up.

Then I tried a spade bit, drilling that first then shaping it with a dremel. Very time comsuming.

Next, I tried to round out that spade bit but in the process, found by doing so, I removed the cutting surface. Now it just "Burns" its way through.

Anyone have a better solution? Maybe cutting down a "Step Drill"??? Maybe a better solution to rounding a spade bit??

I'm at a loss here! :smash: :smash: :af:

Thanks!

Bob, you need to take that spade bit and grind the corners round on a grinder leaving a beveled cutting edge to it and while you are grinding, take the point and grind that to a minimum point just enough to stay centered. Try that otherwise try to find a ballspur big enough.

am fishing for a pic i might have taken............
found, this is the thing i use, it makes em nice en smooth. can catch sometimes and im missin a bit of my thumb and index finger from slippin but o well. wear gloves if you wanna. i just roll the plug around in this till its done. this picture is cool its got good depth.:D

http://user792317.wx10.registeredsite.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SSPI&Product_Code=1SSTCRR&Category_Code=DGA

I wonder if these things will work on wood also, they look like they will? I'd like to order one of each of the three sizes.

Originally posted by Slipknot
http://user792317.wx10.registeredsite.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SSPI&Product_Code=1SSTCRR&Category_Code=DGA

I wonder if these things will work on wood also, they look like they will? I'd like to order one of each of the three sizes.

Slip, I have tried these bits. The problem is, that they clog very easily.
Save your money.

Bernzy

Hey Christian, been there done that.:laughs: It really took you by surprise the first time it rolled across your the top of your thumb didn't it. :laughs: I use a ball rasp in my drill press and yes it is very hard to control.

I use a large metal working drill bit. Look a tthe mouths on some of the mass produced poppers, the angle at the bottom of the mouth is close to the angle on a large drill bit. Then sand the face to the finish angle you want.

Put it in the drill chuck in the headstock of your lathe, put your spur center in the tailstock and crank the plug down on the bit.

i use a cove bit in a plunge router. i made a jig to hold the plug and the router. fast and easy.

Do a search for "Popper Mouths". You'll see a great way to do the mouths by assinippi. This is the way I do it but on my drill press.

I buy them at the store. The plugs that is. :bshake:

Thanks Bernzy :)

I use a ball rasp in my drill press. I clamp the plug to the same jig I used for center drilling on the press to keep it steady. The jig is basically a section of 2 x 4 (base) with a section of plywood on two edges that meet at the corner. The plug sits in the corner and is kept vertical. Clamp it in place. I also use one hand to help keep it steady. Pretty quick and no problems so far. I'm sure several of the other methods people have suggested would work well in this type of jig too.

Jigman

Depending on the size of the popper I use a dremel tool with the rounded bit that comes with the kit I forget wha they call it but it works but dont let it let away from you they come out pisser i'l post a pic if I can find it.

Well Hi Guys, From someone who has made just 1 or 2 poppers in my day. The best bit in my opinion is a multy fluted countersink bit produced by W Fuller Company. But since those are hard to find. The rounded off spade bid will work fine for a whilde befor needing to be sharpened. Don't touch the center point, round down the two sided to the desired angle, then put a slight angle away from the cut (The flat edge is the cutting side. So hold the point of the bit to the right side of the wheel and place it in a slight upward angle and follow the rounded edge). If you like, call me 401-762-1884 I'll give you directions to my house and I'll prepare the bit for you and test it here. (no charge). As far as that bit link that was posted, please don't waste your time with it. You will get no where fast.

Good Luck feel free to call.

Armand

p.s. fishweewee's idea is alright too. buy one of mine :)

LI can you post a picof your jig when you get a chance. I was thinking of going that route...

I tried using the cove bit from a router in my drill press. It skips quite a bit. Maybe I need to slow it down?

I'm going to try another spade bit rounding. I think I ground it down too much last time. If this doesn't work, I guess it's Pikie city ;) ;)

I also have a dremel but that is just too slow.....I'm talking about doing about 20 poppers in a sitting. I'll let you know how it works out.

I just went through this learning curve 2 weeks ago and I'll share what helped me.... I'm using a router bit in the drillress.. I turn the blank, cut the waste square thats on the mouth side and leave the tail square on.... I'll go to the drillpress and do a deep mouth, then belt sand the angle.. I can do a mouth in soemthing like 1 minute or 2.... I think that if you start the mouth when its flat it wont zip around on you, but be careful of that bit cause its sharp!

I think you're onto something there, Eben. I'm going to head into the shop and make a jig using the square tail end. Something that will slide over and then "Straddle" the plug so it doesn't run around on me.

Sharp....oh yea they are. When I first got the bit, threw it in there and started at it. It chattered so much, the blasted chuck came right out of the drill press and towards me. Dove out of the way. It ended up accross the garage and still spinning.......whew...just made it outta that one alive :rolleyes:

Router bits are made to turn at faster rpms than a drill press will give you. Slow= tear out......

Had this thought the other day while my girls were watching me turn. They wanted "Wooden Fish" too. But theirs had to have real tails made from wood as well as flat sides. "You know, like real fish Daddy" :rollem:

Anyway, the way I found to do the tails thought might help do a popper mouth. I turned the body then when I got to the tail I left a large flair at the live center side. Looked like a polaris popper profile. Well the tail could and would be cut with the scroll saw from there but I decided to take one more step on the lathe and bowl cut the flaired end. When I removed it from the lathe I had a polaris popper! Only thing left was the "Tang" or "nub" that the center was holding. We're talking about 1/4" dia x 7/16" high max. Easy to dremel that out. Like I said that ended up the rough "wood tail" on mine. I cut away the sides of the flair dia and up the sides of the plug and had my tail. When I move on to poppers I think I'll start out this way and see how it goes.

Just an idea...

You could always go even deeper if you want.

...fergot the toy pic. One wanted a "tiger Mack" and the other wanted a lightning storm. Go figure.

I ho all my poppers so I dont have to deal with it .

Here you can see where the remaining live center wood nub was.

Geeze, Hank. Put a nice weight in the rear of that thing and a big 'ol treble and you got a nice wooden Megabait jig!! Nice work!

I saw the rough "fishy" taking shape and I thought the same thing! But....:angel: then I thought "for the kids"
I figure I'll wait till I find them in the bottom of the toy box some day then :devil2:

Lol Chris... instead of Ho'ing I almost never fish em.. carry one Polaris incase I fish during the day :smash: but thats not that often anyways..... occasionally I do use a pencil popper....
'hound

Surfster: Those are really nice. I would like to hang something like that on the Christmas tree. Then fish it the rest of the year.

Just in case you are interested. Here is a photo of the jig I use. Basically a 2x4 section with plywood attached to the sides. This is put in a vice on the drill press. Here I'm doing the face on a pencil popper with a router bit. I can use the same jig for center drilling on the press too.

Jigman

Originally posted by Bernzy
Slip, I have tried these bits. The problem is, that they clog very easily.
Save your money.

Bernzy

I use them and I think they work great. I brush out the the saw dust with a wire brush. You can also burn it out with a match without harming the whiskers on the rasp.

I use the rasp in my drill press and hold the plug against the ball (using leather gloves) to shape the cup. I find that I have to start the cup with a counter sink to keep the round rasp from slipping off the front of the plug. Once that is done, I have no problem getting the cup shaped.

Surfster, all I have to do to get one of those fishys is call you daddy:laughs:? From looks of those paint jobs, it might be worth the humiliation....... seriously though NICE WORK.

-Dave

Daddy...:D

I just bought this ball 1" ball shaped burr...and it works real well. The cutting surface stays clean. I use it in a jig like the one Jigman has shown on the drill press.



here is a link : http://wttool.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1145-0050&Category_Code=

I also found a 1/2" drill chuck with key and #2 MT arbor for my Jet mini at this place for $6.00 !!! It works great. I bought the same chuck last year for my drill press and the quality seems pretty good.

Now thanks to Slip showing me the thru-drilling on the lathe I have not had a bad plug yet, thanks Slip!

Oh ya.. here is the link for the chuck:
http://wttool.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1850-0027&Category_Code=18500230p0

Chris

Geesh, Chris...now that looks like it has potential! I may give that one a try!

Bob, so far it has work well for me, for $10 I thought it was worth a try.

Hey guys. I do literally thousands of these plugs a year and I can easily modify a spade bit for anyone who wants me to. Feel free to ask. Just email or call.

Jigman. The countersink bit your using is also good I use them too. May I make one suggestion for doing the center hole and also the countersink for the mouth. It's very easy. Just save an old piece of 4"x4" and clamp that to the base of the drill press then find the closest size bit over what your lure is then place your lure in a rag and push it into the hole. It's quick and easy and never moves. But I never bother with the rag since I finish the plugs last.

good luck

Armand

RI Popper, I use a spade bit as well sometimes. It took a few attempts to get the bit the way I liked it.

with the round burr I thought I would try somthing a little different with more flexibility in shaping the cup, and it works well.

Here is one I did last night.

For what it's worth, I've been through the ball rasps of various sizes and types in my drill press, the rounded off spade bits, countersink bits of several types, and all sorts of router bits.

I've taken off nearly every knuckle I have at least once!!

What I use now is simply a Forstner bit. It gives me flat-"bottomed" holes, but they're perfrect otherwise, and easy--takes about 5 seconds to do a plug. I just hold the plug vertical on the drill press plate and zap it and it's done.

On the flat bottom hole issue, I figured that it gives me a larger-volume hole that'll throw more water, and thus produce a bigger splash. And it's all about making noise on the surface.

When I take the plug out of the lathe, the next step is the nose hole on the poppers. After the hole is done, I cut off the end at 15 degrees on the mitre saw and, voila, it's off to the paint booth.

A few years back I bought a set of 8 Forstners at Woodworkers for about $25, that run from 1/4" up to 1", and they still work great. The middle sizes get the most use. They're perfect for eye holes, too.

Only problem with this is that, at first, I made a bunch of plugs with the holes too deep. When I got them done and went to use one, it took forever to get the damned leader down to the wire loop that was about 3/8" down into the hole. It was cold as hell. So I sanded 3/16' or so off those few plugs, touched them up with some paint and envirotex, and fed them to fish.

HI Chris That looks very good and I guess no one else is building the volume that I am accept the other commercial guys here. so if you want to use a rasp that's cool as long as your getting that kind of quality. I simply try to find the quicker ways because of the number I do. SAFETY is the most important thing, Don't try free handing these things use a jig. We have a lot of time and a lot of wood but a limited amount of skin. :) Looks good Chris.

RI Popper, I don't do that many, at most 10 at a time. I'm sure that the spade bit is the way to go, but I think I grind them down incorrectly.

"SAFETY is the most important thing, Don't try free handing these things use a jig. We have a lot of time and a lot of wood but a limited amount of skin."

RI you are right about safety ... I do use a jig...no more free handing, learned that the hard way:smash:

Thanks
Chris

I, personally, think the spade bit is the best idea out there....but much like Chris, I grind them down wrong.

You know, there must be some sort of use for a rounded off spade bit in the industry.....why can't someone design and produce one?? That would be ideal. Keep the cutting edge on the entire side and perfectly round. There must be a way and I'm on a mission ;)

Has anyone tried ball end mills?
They come already ground with the radius on it just like your talking about bob. The only problem is that are expensive, but not much more than a router bit would cost, or buying a dremel - mine met it's maker many moons ago :( - and the bits.
I've never used them on wood, but i don't think you would have any problems with softer woods like cedar. They might burn out, but if you can't get the angle right by hand - which is difficult, but possible - this may be a good way to go.
I don't know any stores you can them at. If you know anyone who works in any 'craftsman' type trade they can get it through MSC. Or try Ebay or any search engine for 'ball end mills'. Don't buy one too long, you wont need more than 3/4"

Some great ideas :kewl: Thanks for sharing.

Have not tried those end mills on wood. I have a couple of sets. Might have to give it a go. You can get them from grizzly.com and a number of other places online. Amazon may even have them.

Jigman