Best wood for plugs

[Halfwave]

I have a ton of "hard" pine - the kind of tough pine used for crates and such (for shipping tractors from Korea actually) - is this wood any good for making plugs?

And while I'm here, what is the best type of wood to use for plugs?

Thanks

Tom

[rocketman]

I think I've seen the wood of which you speak. I saw it in crates for shipping motorcycles. It seems to be yery clear (no knots). It would depend on how it turns on the lathe. Also bouyancy is a factor. I'm pretty new to this plug building myself, but from hanging around and listening, the wood of choice is Alaskan yellow cedar. Do a search, for "ayc" as this topic has come up quite often. Type in the word alaskan and select the plug building forum to perform a search.

[Jigman]

Have not used that wood before. I've used other pines and they worked fine for swimmer type plugs. If it is free, turn a few bodies and see how it works. Prefered wood will depend somewhat on the type of plug you are doing. Cedars and other lighter woods work well for swimmers and similar topwater plugs. Heavier stuff like Birch is often used for needles and darters. Most types of wood can be used for some type of plug. Just gotta seal the wood so it won't split.

Jigman

[Halfwave]

Thanks guys - I wasn't sure if it was any good for this purpose. The hard pine turns well, although you have to be careful with the amount of pressure you put on it - you can take a lot off in one swipe depending on the gouge you use.

I haven't used Alaskan Yellow Cedar for anything - I'll have to find some and try it out.

This is my first foray into plug turning - I've made a lot of plugs in the past, but normally from blanks rather than turning them myself. I have a Jet mini-lathe that was given to me a few years ago and I never used the thing until I was inspired one day sitting in the wood shop looking for something to do.

This is also the first time into a group dedicated to this aspect of the hobby.

Thanks again for the info.

Tom