Ok, I don't want any feathers ruffled, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations...yours truly needs a new hobby as the rodbuilding stuff is old hat for me now.:sleeps:

I'm looking into building some plugs and need some newbie plug building suggestions in terms of tools,wood, cash outlay, and the like...let's hear it...


I figure if Numbskull can do it, anyone can...

This is a great thread:
http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/plug-building-got-wood/61016-finishing-lure-shop-getting-started-pencils.html

so I am building those pencils for nutin?

You are welcome to stop over any weekday you have some time and we can go thru the whole kit and caboodle as to what you need and what you don't need in my eyes. Everyone is different but I can show you what you will need to get started and the prices you are going to pay for pretty much everything. I can also get an idea as to what you hope to accomplish.

Buy my Shopsmith.... lathe, drillpress, tablesaw, disk or drum sander, horizontal borer, all in one tool. Plus five turning knives AND a jointer attachment. In Classifieds.

so I am building those pencils for nutin?

No way!! :laugha:

Given my typical learning curve and lack of mechanical skill I'll likely be retired by the time I figure all this stuff out. Perhaps by then I can actually produce something that would hoodwink a bluefish.

Mike I'm not a plug builder BUT when the kids where little I could make needles out of bank giveaway pens, tooth brush handles,hair brush handles, and silverware knives. I,m not allowed to look to hard at anything in the kitchen

Damn! I knew it was cold out today, but I didn't expect hell to freeze over!

Mike I'm not a plug builder BUT when the kids where little I could make needles out of bank giveaway pens, tooth brush handles,hair brush handles, and silverware knives. I,m not allowed to look to hard at anything in the kitchen

I still have one of those bic pen needles too. I used to brag to people about my friend(you) who caught fish on a toothbrush, in fact I still do.:laugha:

Start off with kits to see if you like it. There are a lot of good
quality kits on the market. If you like the hobby then you buy the tools,wood ...etc.

Paul, any chance I can crash the party, I would like to see some of the ideas you have come up with.
Mike, same offer Paul made, though I'm sure his toys are much better than mine.

Damn! I knew it was cold out today, but I didn't expect hell to freeze over!

:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

It is kind of nipleee out there.

great hobby Mike ,,, you could do it easily .. warning though ... Its cheaper to buy a bunch of plugs than to start building them .. You never stop buying stuff ,,tools ,,wood ,, components,,hooks,, sealer, paint , clear coats..Also its not the healthiest hobby ,,,look at numbskull .. lots of chemicals and silica dust along with irratating ceadars,, If your still interrested. give it a try ,,,come to plugfest ..

Paul, any chance I can crash the party, I would like to see some of the ideas you have come up with.
Mike, same offer Paul made, though I'm sure his toys are much better than mine.

Thanks Danno!
Sounds like next week I'm going on a main streets and back roads plug shop tour...kind of Peter Meheegan-like. I did get one look at PM's shop, which kind of lit the fire for me.

First. You ain't nuthin if you can't X-Ray other people's secret intellectual property so see Numby

Second, Ross's Shopsmith might not be a bad start ??

Third, apply more to it than i have. My first plug is awesome but it is still under construction :smash:

I'll give you some blanks to screw around with if you want. Dan your welcome anytime, anyone is welcome, the only problem is I only brainstorm, turn, paint, assemble, swear, complain, in my cellar. I do most everything else at work so I don't have a lot of tools here so you are not going to see a lot of plug making fixturing. I can still tell Mike what he is going to need and the cost of it all.

still waiting to see that first plug john. I have heard a lot about it

You can come down the street once you are done over at Professor's shop and maybe I can show you some tips. Bring Paul and he can borrow my Stetzko Sr. needle. I don't know why you would want to enter this black hole of plug making, but it can't be all that bad even Numbskull does it. Start with something easy like poppers or needles. And come to plugfest.

one thing though, we don't make plugs out of flesh and blood, we use wood

There'was a Shopsmith on craigslist up here in Maine a few days ago under tools for $50, There's also a jet lathe there more recent and another shopsmith for around $500. place to look. The jet was used by a pen maker. good way to save some pennys. The jet was $225

First. You ain't nuthin if you can't X-Ray other people's secret intellectual property so see Numby


In the coming months I plan on feigning a number of broken bone injuries...hopefully I don't die from radiation exposure..

You know, being a rebel guy and all you might want to look into balsa wood handcarves. It is not very tool intensive (a coping saw, small gouge (or dremel), some glue, clamps, sandpaper, and a small rasp or microplane will get you started) and the guys who get skilled at it can turn out some very impressive stuff (think Rapala and Bagleys). Check out the SOL thread from Finland, and Tackle Undergrounds site on plug building. Would also let you build freshwater stuff (where eels are a disadvantage) and fool around with swimbaits.

You start with flat stock 1/2 the width of your plug, trace and cut out your shape twice (one for each 1/2), gouge a wire and weight and hook hanger hole, bend and place your wire and weight, glue together, then shape with the rasp, seal with proprionate (disolved plastic), foil, paint, seal again, glue in a lip, and give it to me.

Have a try. I'll let you know how you are doing.

Here's another way to go ...Husky from TU site sent me a foam plug you could hit with a hammer .. Forget about moisture meters and Hydro Shmydro .. Always wanted to try this .. handcarve a proto ,,,make a mold (silicone /plaster).. lay your thru wire/weighting in and mix and pour in your foam . Make a bunch playing with the weighting .. After you get what you like .. make a bunch exactly the same .. no wood issuses ... handcarve proto is inexpensive to get into .. Spoke shave ,,, jigg,, vice ,, sand paper .. You use the 16lb. foam Mike ... might be right up your alley..

Urethane Foam , Expanding Marine Polyurethane Foam (http://www.shopmaninc.com/foam.html)

I actually saw some cowboy knock offs made from pvc somewhere. Not sure how they work, but I thought it was a good idea.

Why are you guys trying to steer me away from wood? You afraid I'll drive the price of lumber too high and you'll have to resort to eels?

those cowboys you saw are mine. they're laminated pvc and turned on a lathe.

forget about sealing and epoxies. :jump1: just shape and paint.

i do epoxy the ones i plan on trading or whatever, but its just to protect the paint. all my best plugs are white, yellow or blank anyway.

the hardest part is figuring out the laminating process......im not telling my secrets.

the hardest part is figuring out the laminating process......im not telling my secrets.

Tell us your secrets ,, we tell ours .. pvc is heavy no ? those cowboys ended up about 4.25 ounces.. that struck me as heavy when i saw them .although they looked identical ..

there 4.25oz with 5/0 hooks, hardware, split rings, siwash and paint.

the bms weigh the same once theyre rigged up.

they swim identical.

pvc is great, same constisenticy, same bouyancy, same density, no sealing and dry time, no epoxy needed unless you want to save the paint.

im planning on making it to plug fest were ill bring a bunch of stuff to show, i have plugs that i fished all season, that were abused and still look real nice or better than wood.

Here's another way to go ...Husky from TU site sent me a foam plug you could hit with a hammer .. Forget about moisture meters and Hydro Shmydro .. Always wanted to try this .. handcarve a proto ,,,make a mold (silicone /plaster).. lay your thru wire/weighting in and mix and pour in your foam . Make a bunch playing with the weighting .. After you get what you like .. make a bunch exactly the same .. no wood issuses ... handcarve proto is inexpensive to get into .. Spoke shave ,,, jigg,, vice ,, sand paper .. You use the 16lb. foam Mike ... might be right up your alley..

Urethane Foam , Expanding Marine Polyurethane Foam (http://www.shopmaninc.com/foam.html)
I have tried the foam,it works well.
PVC rod works well but the dust and dioxin created when working with it is enough for me to stay away from using it.
The top secret laminating process has been around a while,1925 to be exact...good idea for curtain rods but as with all laminates it's only as good as the substrate used and in time will fail.Same principal as shrink wrap except chemicals are used to soften the material as opposed to heat.
Alumilite makes a product called super plastic and although i haven't tried it yet no question i will break down and buy some.
Here is a link to a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpUy4GJJ8U
In the end i have tried everything from delrin to phenolic material and always go back to wood:wall:

the hardest part is figuring out the laminating process......im not telling my secrets.

I'm not big on secrets. Does PVC cement not work?

I am pretty sure the PVC he is using is different from the PVC I machine. Next time you stop by G. I can show you sold stuff up to 12" dia. The stuff he is using is material that is much more porous than the the pure stuff i use and the stuff they extrude into plumbing products. I could be wrong but I have made plugs out of the stock we use and it weighs a ton. You can buy it any dia. you want and there is no need for gluing pieces together but the weight would be a major issue. I think he is using that stuff they make trim boards out of for the housing industry and it is a much lighter product. Probably the percentage of PVC in it is lower or they inject air into it when they make it or use just a certain percentage of PVC along with something else to keep the cost down maybe. I am not sure but this is me speculating. I just feel it is not the same product. But I could be wrong. :uhuh:That is why they probably don't just use PVC cement. I also can't see paint sticking to the product I use either very well and his sticks good which also makes me think they are not the same animal.

I'm not big on secrets. Does PVC cement not work?


Yeah, this whole "I've got a secret" crap is lame.