rich516

Hmmm. My first thought was... brilliant! But that means I need to saw after turning on the lathe, which would be tough/dangerous. Unless I had the right jig. Im pretty sure I couldnt cut a square stock and then put it on the lathe. I really dont know how you guys drill through. I have tried a few more times and no matter my setup, my bit drifts. If you werent telling me otherwise, I would swear that grooving two pieces and gluing them was the only way it could be done consistently. Yes, I could do screw eyes. To be honest the only reason I have chosen through-wire is because it is "better" construction. I doubt I would ever lose a fish from screws. I just got it in my head so want to do the way the "pros" would. You know, pride of craftsmanship kind of thing. Maybe Im being silly and should should just use the screws. In fact, I know through wire isnt even better, just different for a different scenario. I would be targeting stripers with them.

Maybe my approach is wrong. Wrong wood, process, etc. I would certainly prefer to drill the square first and not have to glue. Anyone have advice on how to do this the correct way?

Thanks for the response. The problem with drilling is just that the bit drifts. I didnt use my press (it is a 12 inch long bit) But I made a jig with 2 metal L brackets, about 4 inches between them, and then secured a block (was actually a 2" dowel and I put a flat on the bottom) where the drill came out. It still drifted. I never even got close to centered on the far end where I wanted it to come out. Maybe it was just bad wood in the sense that it had too much grain? It seems most use balsa or basswood. This was probably pine. Just some old stuff I had laying around. It didnt really turn well either. It just didnt come out smooth. When I decided to glue the blocks, I am using poplar. I like the workability and density tradeoff. I was also drilling with a 1/8 so maybe it was too flimsy. But anything wider just seemed like overkill.

I am just starting to make my own plugs. Mostly along the lines of 6 or 7 inch poppers turned on a wood lathe. I am have an impossible time drilling through, accurately, for throughwire. There seems to be no way to drill 6+ inches and have the drill come out where you want. I have tried different woods, jigs for drilling, drilling from both ends (the holes never line up). I would not consider myself a complete novice when it comes to working with wood--but never had a need to drill long deep holes with accuracy. Anyway, it occured that the best way to center a hole would be to take two pieces of 3/4 wood, cut to 1.5 inches wide and 8 inches long. Put a 1/16 inch groove down the center of each, then glue them together. The result is an 8 inch long 1.5 inch square block with a perfectly centered hole. Then, I will turn this on the lathe. Problem solved. Or is it? In researching glues, it seems Titebond III is waterproof. Additionally, I plan to epoxy the lure. I didnt plan to epoxy the inside where the throughwire goes but if needed would do that, too. So, is gluing up wood lke this ok for plugs? Would you expect it to last? Theoretically, if sealed in epoxy, it should last forever, right?