I have seen some members put their outlines on the PC and on grid paper to print, does anyone know of any software that can be simply done on?

Hi Skip
Not sure if Google is still giving away SketchUp but it's a good one and fun. I have the Pro version for work and it quite amazing.
Or just do a search for free cad programs they use to be out there.

Hi Skip
Not sure if Google is still giving away SketchUp but it's a good one and fun. I have the Pro version for work and it quite amazing.
Or just do a search for free cad programs they use to be out there.

Yes, there are a ton of free cad software programs, or you can request trial versions and the companies will send a CD then badger you for months to buy it. Or just buy grafting paper and do it the quick way... I did one plug on cad, yes it's sweet looking but it takes too long.

I do mine all on graft paper first, then transfer to a much heavier stock, not cardboard, but almost. I cut the heavier stock out and place on plastic. Tracing the outline is easy onto plastic, and then I cut out the plastic outline with a scroll saw. I then place the outline in the dupe and make tha appropriate measurements. I run the cutter slowly, carefull measuring the stock against what I know are the proper diameter. If I get close but not close enough with the cut I sand the plastic. I keep making adjudgements until I hit my mark on the stock in the lathe. From there you can adjust the scoll tip on the dupe to make a fatter or skinnier plug if you wish.

Google Sketchup or Blender if you want to make movies ;)

Plenty of free cad to just CAD it up

i've had problems every time i downloaded blender
so i steer clear of it .... but that's just me

I use graph paper now, and heavy stock, but i am anal and like to keep a digital record so i can just print and share if i want. I will give those a try thanks all.
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I find making templates one of the trickier and time consuming parts of duplicating. Not really a techie by any stretch of the imagination.... So I really find working with a "master" the easiest way to replicate. If I can get two masters, just as they come off the lathe, with square ends still on and pencil marks for eyes, hooks, weights and slope cuts, that is the best. I will rip one master down the middle, and use that to trace onto the plexi, or what ever I am using for the template. I am using a Vega, if that matters. Then I use the remaining master to chuck up in the lathe and verify my set up, checking that the guide and cutter are in contact along the whole length. Once you have the template right, you just use the masters to verify set ups, left to right as well as depth, since these will vary from template to template.

Place lure to be copied on your centers.

Replace the rolling pin that follows your template with a pencil.
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I have cad so I like using it just familiar with commands etc. I have used sketch up as well more for 3-d rendering but it is nice to print a 1:1 drawing to template out a proven design
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I design the silhouette of my plugs in Excel.

I created a grid that prints at 1/8" per cell, and use the "arc" drawing tool, which can create any curve desired. I print the grid, spray some adhesive on the back and stick it to Lexan. I cut the outline on the band saw and then sand it smooth.

I also started using "build cards" for nearly every lure. These come in handy to reference things like Vega template position, spindle depth, lure dimensions, exact weighting, wood type, etc. Although these can just be added to the Vega template itself, sometimes it takes me quite a while to work out all the particulars -- this lets me track all the changes in the various lure versions.

One benefit of this data is to gauge wood density before turning. We all know that blanks of the same wood type (even from the same piece of lumber) can sometimes vary wildly in weight; referencing the blank weight of a winning lure can help with wood selection before starting to turn. I've started swapping wood types to meet blank weights rather than just stick to the same type of wood -- helps with consistency.

Another benefit of the data is related to buoyancy and weighting. If I know a certain lure floats, suspends, etc at a certain weight it helps me use the right amount of lead on subsequent lures -- I just need to reference the build card on lure that worked best.

I also sometimes write out the paint combinations I used on a lure if I really like the finished job, so I can recreate it again sometime in the future.

I'm pretty sure most of us don't go through all this minutia, but I like the detail and the challenge to consistently create the same action in a certain lure.

I have a bunch of these build cards printed on canary card stock, I just pencil in the particulars as I build. When done, I hang them in my shop so I can reference them -- which is especially helpful if I haven't turned a particular type in a while. Truly finished designs are printed on blue card stock as a master...I only have one.

I design the silhouette of my plugs in Excel.

I created a grid that prints at 1/8" per cell, and use the "arc" drawing tool, which can create any curve desired. I print the grid, spray some adhesive on the back and stick it to Lexan. I cut the outline on the band saw and then sand it smooth.
This was done in excell? Very nice, what did you use for row height amd column width?
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Only reason I could see using cad software is if you just want to geek out or drive a controller.
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Only reason I could see using cad software is if you just want to geek out or drive a controller.
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😀
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I can't remember. I got real close to 1/8" x 1/8", but it was always slightly off when I printed it. To get complete control of the dimensions I print-screened it and pasted it into Microsoft Paint, where I could skew the grid infinitely until it printed perfectly square.

So, the grid is really a .jpeg picture. It sits on a worksheet in Excel and I draw over it.

Not sure I'm explaining this well...
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Place lure to be copied on your centers.

Replace the rolling pin that follows your template with a pencil.
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Same same.

On repros, disassemble carefully chuck in lathe and trace away on paper covered plexiglas. Cut larger than trace, file/sand to outline then put in dupe, verify diameter measurements from lathe center.

I design the silhouette of my plugs in Excel.

I created a grid that prints at 1/8" per cell, and use the "arc" drawing tool, which can create any curve desired. I print the grid, spray some adhesive on the back and stick it to Lexan. I cut the outline on the band saw and then sand it smooth.

Eric that was perfect, and exactly what i was looking for! The hardest part was getting the squares equal, i stopped at 1/4 inch, if you have the numbers for the 1/8 that would be great.

Eric that was perfect, and exactly what i was looking for! The hardest part was getting the squares equal, i stopped at 1/4 inch, if you have the numbers for the 1/8 that would be great.

That's cool -- is that Excel?

I don't think I can help you with the grid -- the one I use is not square on the computer; my HP printer slightly horizontally compresses when it prints, so I actually have to draw the lure shapes in Excel slightly taller than they print...Sounds more complicated than it is.

It is eric, i played with the row and column sizes till i got it close enough to 1/4 squares.
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