So, I did do a search on this site before I bothered to ask, but does anyone know where the heck I can find a duplicator for a Rigid WL12000 12"x32? It seems like everything under $300 has horrible ratings online, and as much as I would love to get a Vega, I can't swing the $500-$700+ that I see them going for online. Hell, I can barely swing the $200+ catergory, but that would at least be something to try to work towards. Yes, I've tried EVERY conceivable combination of wording( lathe duplicators, wood lathe duplicator, cheap lathe dupilcators, Rigid Lathe duplicators...etc) with little to no success. So I thought I'd throw it out to the one group of people that might know. Thanks as always.

Post a Want to Buy thread here. other sites, and Craigslist

make you own, not too hard to.

see how we did it.

use Professor M's cutterhead thingy

works great

cost under 50 bucks and an hour or 2

make you own, not too hard to.

see how we did it.

use Professor M's cutterhead thingy

works great

cost under 50 bucks and an hour or 2

X2 if you use the carbide cutter it will work great for you.
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Yeah build your own. I am still using my home made set up and if you are not going to be making 1000's of plugs it is plenty good enough.

I'm sorry, but what is Professor M's cutterhead thingy, and def interested. Is it in an older thread. Paul, if you don't mind, could you PM some info. Thanks again guys....I knew there was a reason why I loved this site!!!

holy crap, I just checked out that thread. Ummm, great work Paul, but you guys are speaking Greek to me with that thread. That kind of stuff is WAYYYY over my head when it comes to what I'm even capable of creating. Plus, I don't even have the tools to make it. But thanks, I have a feeling it's just gonna be a question of saving for me.

You can make most of that stuff out of wood like Bruce did.
You can't use a Vega Midi dup? I think you are pricing the pro model which is significantly more expensive but maybe that is what fits your lathe.

yeah, my lathe has a 12" swing and a 32" bar or track? Most of the info so far(not that I even understood a lot of it) that I found led me to believe that midi dups wouldn't work on my lathe.....which of course jacks the price WAYYYYY up.

you can always use what you have with chisels and improve your turning skill, or change lathes to something else

yeah, I was hoping though to be able to at least be able to at least produce duplicates of even a simple design, that way when weight testing, I wasn't always wondering if my plugs were similar enough to make it worth my while. Don't forget, I have yet to truly make a lure that is 100% mine, so it would be nice if I could just get any doubts about that out of the way before getting on with weights and hook and lip and nose loop placement. But, I guess I should be happy with what I got, and just turn and burn till I run out of wood! :)

I have fit a few Jet 1220 lathes with the Vega Midi dup. It will handle the 12" swing. Not a great addition to a 32" bed but if you're only making plugs so what! Now, does your lathe have the front and rear "flat" bedways?

not really sure, I posted some pics of it in a thread.... New Lathe for Father's Day a few months back. I think it's a tube? Not really sure.

Duplicators can be as simple or as complex as you make them. Mine is super simple, very much like Professor Ms except that the materials for everything except the cutter can be found in your shop already or HomeDepot/Lowes. The table is a scrap of melamine left over from another project, the base and holder for the template are scraps from around the shop, the templates and sled (the device that holds the cutter) are from scrap hardwood from other projects. If you don't have these in your shop they are all available at your big box store. I do recommend the carbide cutter from Professor M.

If you have a Sears lathe like mine, you need to make a table that straddles the tube that serves as the bed. Check out my posting on the other site. It was on this site as well but got lost in a crash. Google my user name and duplicator and it will lead you to my 10 year old posting with pictures that show how simple a duplicator can be. There have been some recent updates. It will also lead you to other posts that show other ideas. After 10 years I am still turning out plugs on the same duplicator.

I actually did check that out! Great stuff. You all gave me the courage to attempt to make my own, and even though it's sure to be a monumental failure and I have no clue about half this stuff, I'm pretty good when I see pics, so who knows?! I might actually make something of use! Thanks again for all the info guys!