Eric I'm cutting some blanks in the morning ayc 1 1/2 x 1 1/2
send me mail addy I' send a few blanks 7" long ?
you can see how that works ..find it easier to cut than red cedar

What I do now if I want to duplicate a plug is take it into work, put it on the Copier then take the paper copy and cut out a stencil, then transfer that to a templet for the duplicator. Works pretty pissah and i don't have to rewire an original after I mount it on the Duplicator

a very handy tool is the dial caliper

YouTube - Dial Caliper Basics

Is that what you measure fish with, Paul?

Fish Calipers-- LOL
 

Eric,
DO NOT waste your money on anything resembling good wood! Yet. You have a mountain of shavings to make from cheap pine from Homies or Lowsy before you try the good stuff.

As I have fairly recently learned, shaping a nice plug is the easy part. There are many many ways to screw up between shaping and fishing the plug, and they all must be figured out before you can expect to go fishing with your own plugs.

Take your time and learn as you go. Experience is the best teacher.

Good luck,
Jon

Thanks, Jon -- good advice.

That's a neat trick.

Don't forget all the good wood you find at the foot of someones driveway. I started that way and continue to look for future "supplies". Someones junk is another person's gold.

Drilling with the lathe
 

I've read about this, but I'm not sure how this works. Do most of you through-drill with the lathe?

I do. Very rarely miss connecting each side with this method. I just did 30 , 8" long , .400 dia. maple needles and only lost 1. Thin maple needles are the measuring stick as far as I'm concerned. If you can do those you can do anything. If it is a danny or a metal lip swimmer of some kind i will only drill from the ass end and stop at where the front belly hook hole will fall. I then hydro them, drill belly hook holes, I then cut lip slot, lay the lip in, mark where the lip hole will go and hand drill that hole to meet the front belly hole, thus connecting the whole shabang for a thru wire.

Hey Roach, Glad the shop is coming along. FWIW doing your through drilling on the lathe is spot on! I don't make many plugs but I drill them all on the lathe.
Let me know if I can be of help as you venture into this thing we call "plug building"

Lathe Drilling
 

A couple things I learned- the hard and frustrating way:

DO NOT use a brad point bit to through drill. Use a standard bit, or better yet, one meant for end grain.

You don't need a really long bit, as you will drill in from each end and meet in the middle. Use a hand drill with a long bit to finish if your lathe drilling bit is too short to make it halfway through the plug- very likely with pencils and needles.

Go SLOW. Push the plug onto the bit about a 1/4-1/2", back it out to clear the chips, go another 1/4-1/2", clear chips....

Good luck young grasshoppa

Try both. I find the drill press easier. Lots of threads on through drilling.

No drilling for me anymore..I got two pet termites..one male one female....I dangle the female in front of the plugs nose on a string, then put the male on the tail of the plug an say "go get her butch"go upstairs an have a cup of coffee,come back and their maken kids...perfect straight wire hole evey time.

E.R......maybe to late now,but u didn't say what the finished walls were going to be inside, you live in the land of rough sawn pine..that wood be the ticket as u'd not have any problems in finding any place to screw into...if u were headed for rock the best thing before it goes on wood be to use 1/2" ply on the walls before putting up the rock..then any where u needed to screw into it wood b solid...no hunting for studds an hoping one was there.

Have you had issues using brad point bits?
I have actually found them to be much more accurate in my thru drilling, and give the best results. I use them because they have
the little point on the end which for me anyway is much easier to
pinpoint the center mark on the plug blank and go straight down.
I currently use one of my drill presses to drill and and meet up with a long bit in a hand drill.
One tip I can share which has helped me is on my first "plunge" of the drill press I only go about 2 millimeters. I have found that this somehow sets the hole if you know what I mean. I have tried going a deeper like a 1/2 to 1 inch and sometimes you can notice the drill bit grab some grain and look like it may go off. For some reason, I have much better success on subsequent plunges when I make that first hole about 2 mm deep.

I recently acquired a 9" metal lathe and am planning on getting it set up to do some experimenting with thru drilling on it. I was able to do a couple test blanks with some good results.

Horror show
 

I had nothing but bad luck with brad points, so I researched them and found that the side spurs were the problem. They tend to follow the grain and veer off course. The point in the center is good, and bits designed to drill end grain have some sort of point in the center.

Since ditching the brads and going to a Morris Tools end grain bit I haven't wrecked a plug while through drilling. Even 8+"ers.

Woody what's different about the end grain bit? Where did you get it?

They are brad point bits with no spurs. Fuller drill (and presumably Morris Tools) will grind them on any size drill you want. It is what the drill companies recommend for end grain.

Check out the step drills while you are at it. Expensive but very useful for enlarging through holes concentrically to fit belly weights.

Never a problem with brad points? Standard bits wander too much...much more than brad point bits.

I've had problems with both. I use a lathe, but have used a drill press also and have messed up many a blank. It's all trial and error. Gotta love it! I use a short bit in the lathe and make the connection with a 10" bit in my hand drill. When using the hand drill I've found that going slow and backing out is the key, especially with hard woods (Maple, Mahogany).

More info.
 

Found this some place.

"Boring end grain material with a brad point drill with outlining spurs can be a problem because the spurs are not needed.

The spurs drag in end grain.

Modify the drill by grinding the spurs off following the existing back clearance. Then, regrind the cutting edge with a 7 to 15 degree angle from the O.D. of the drill, tilting downwards to the point, again following the existing back clearance. This is called an acme cut.

Now the brad point enters the material followed by the outlining O.D. (where the spurs were), which sizes the hole without dragging."

And...

"Brad Point drills tend to run out (go off line) and burn in end grain because the spurs try to follow the grain.

The Morris Wood Tool End Grain point does not have lips (spurs) and the clearance angle of the main cutting edges is changed slightly. This point bores straight and clean in most woods."

I picked up 3 (3/16" x 6” OAL with 2-1/4” twist) for $25.59 including shipping.

and how do you catch a squirrel ?

With a hand grenade!:uhuh:

Maybe i should bring my drill master to plugfest and do a show and tell.

That thing is awesome! I have seen a couple of them!! AH and Fishdoc!!:uhuh:

I know you have Larry.:uhuh:

What is it? PIXS!!

I would love to see it in action at plugfest. I think I have seen a picture of it, but not quite sure of how it works.....

You show that Lou and you better make a few dozen to sell....with the first one going to me!!!:uhuh:

:hidin:

my self taught .02 (w. some help from pbadad and others i should add) i thru drill on the lathe, most of the time. shorter plugs require less priming (ie tapping w/ shorter bit to cut back on wander). take your time. many ways to skin a cat in this plugmaking game, see what you like according to your capabilites and patience. what counts to me is finished product, how it swims and enjoying the whole experience i had w/ each plug. i choose to blaze my own path with minimal guidance rather than think there is "a best way" i should follow.

A couple of pics of my shop-in-progress. It's small, so it's hard to actually take pics inside the shop.

The gentleman in the picture is my dad, who -- despite cancer -- wants to build this with me.

I appreciate the advice. I like to gather a lot of opinions first when I'm doing something unfamiliar. Usually helps me until I build some momentum & confidence.

Lookin good!! Your lucky to have a dad that is able and willing to help; treasure these moments and take plenty of pictures they are priceless.

shop looks great. I can't offer much advice as my stuff is all over the place but something to keep in mind is don't set up anything so it's permanent.

Over time you will find certain tools to be a nuisance where they are and want to move them around and so on.

God Bless your father man. That shop's special in more ways than one. make sure you geta picture of the first plug you make and post it!
jeff

You can build plugs in a shop that has windows??????!!!!!!!! :wall:

I can offer a little advice,,,,, since most is still fresh in my mind after building a shop this spring and still working on it,,,,

Make sure you plan ahead and put lots of electrical outlets so you can move anything anywhere later on,
Plan to vent a spraybooth outside
lower the bench your lathe will be on so it is at a comfortable height to use
If possible plan to vent your dust collector outside,,,
I also built my benchtop out of double thickness MDF then put two coats of poly on it,,,,

Most importantly enjoy the time with your dad,,,,

you might get an idea or two from here http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...9393-shop.html

The accepted standard is to place the center of the spindle at the height of your elbow above the floor with your arm loosely at your side.

Oh no! I measured and it is best to mount it 4" higher to account for all the woodchips you'll soon be standing on. ;)