Interesting....I cut my lip slots with the block ends still on. Line them up on a fence and get nice cuts. This method seems to work well. I've never noticed any problems doing it that way with Danny's. Now that I'm doing it with Pikies my bodies are sitting off center in the water. Must be the grain huh? With Danny's the slight grain difference was probably masked by the weight in the belly.

I can correct the few that aren't sitting right by offsetting my nose wieght abit. For the future I guess I'll either have to do it after I orient the wood in water. OR...round my ends so that I can pick where I want the grain to be when I run it into the bandsaw.

It feels like I learn something everytime I make a plug.
Anyone else notice this when making Pikies?

yes, large bodies of ayc can be suscepible to that. The grain can vary and if there is a slight hint of a knot, it causes the weighting to be off and you will need to do a float test.

That is one reason you always drill the belly hole in the flat of the grain. :splat: If you do that it will make the lip run parallel to the grain also.

You can't always get your grain to run straight....I don't care what you do. I have never had any grain issues. You turn the plug and the grain is gonna be the way its gonna be whether you drill your holes before you turn it or after. My .02 cents.:huh:

So is a plug thats sits cocked in the water a bad thing.u ever see a beat up herring.

After you saw that it sat cocked in the water did you swim it anyway?

I sat cocked in the water once..:gu:

My bet is the Bass won't care....

I sat cocked in the water once..:gu:

I bet you did. But so did I on more than one occaission:tooth:

I bet you did. But so did I on more than one occaission:tooth:
;) :gu: :gu: :gu:

I realize it's not a big deal, just never realized the grain mattered that much. The only reason I thought it may matter is because in my freshwater experience (only a few seasons into the salt) when lips were unaligned or a lure sat wrong, it ran incorrect. It would vere off to the side.

I have the plug at my desk now, I'm going to try and find some open water this aftenoon. See what happens. Like everyone has pointed out probably doesnt matter, but hey I still learned something.

Sitting cocked in the water :btu:

Lots of reasons a plug can sit cocked. Grain, knot, drill holes not perfect, paint or epoxy not perfectly uniform. But if it swims ok so what.
Like NIB said ever see a beat up baitfish?