I think it's right around three years
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My first ones were pretty rough
I thru drilled a dowel and then roughed it out on the belt of my stroke sander(sort of like a large belt sander that you move the work under)
I did have a little head start inasmuch as I already had a woodshop.
Then I cobbed together an assortment of parts that would work to use my drill press for a lathe.
Within the past couple of months I found a $50 Old sears lathe and set that up. It does'nt really do any better than the drill press but I will be able to make a duplicator now.
My favorite part is fishing them and I only make them in the winter now.
I never have graduated from rattlecans and make fewer colors each year. I think this year it might be white, black and yellow.
I just made a gibbs style darter a couple of weeks ago and had another of my first cast wonders but this time it was a brown trout, lost it though.