IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Tipups => Topic started by: jiggin4perch on Dec 11, 2011, 08:32 PM
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I know it would probably be the same or cheaper to buy tip-ups from a store but i was thinking about making my own. My question is what type of wood in your opinion is best to do so? not sure if i should go with a hardwood and treat it or use say cedar.
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IMHO I don't think there will be a big difference between hardwood and softwood but I would treat (poly) either one you decide to go with. Hardwood will be heavier than cedar. I think the beaver dams are made of pine if I'm not mistaken. Stay away from anything that was laminated or fabricated such as plywood or chipboard.
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Green/pressure treated would be the best choice for durability, but I personally won't use that stuff because of the corrosion it will cause on tools. I'd stick with untreated Pine or even Cedar as they hold up better than most hardwoods do when exposed to the elements. For anything I build outdoors, I use at least 15 coats of poly (sanding every 3 coats).
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I made some last year with hard maple, indestructable, and heavy.If i make more i would use cherry wood,much lighter,rot resistant,plenty durable.I coated mine with parafine wax,non-toxic.GOOD LUCK. ;D
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For a truly water and weatherproof Tip up, Cypress is the way to go, with Teak being a close 2ND ! These woods are impregnated with a natural occurring waterproof oil that seals the wood from the inside ! Even untreated, tip ups made from Cypress or Teak will outlast any other wood available !!
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For a truly water and weatherproof Tip up, Cypress is the way to go, with Teak being a close 2ND ! These woods are impregnated with a natural occurring waterproof oil that seals the wood from the inside ! Even untreated, tip ups made from Cypress or Teak will outlast any other wood available !!
And they would cost a fortune :) But you can get short pieces of teak from fine wood dealers for not to bad of a price. Still might be around 15-20 worth of wood for each trap,
Id go with cedar, they make planters out of it, but id seal em with poly like mguchi said
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Surf is right about teak and cypress. I wouldn't worry about rot and deterioration if you stain and seal the wood. Put your tip ups in a place where they can dry out after use and they will be fine. My worry about cedar is that is soft and dings easy. If I was making the cross or stick type of tip ups I would use a hardwood. I think some of the custom tip up guys are using ash. Ash, oak and cherry would be good. The first two will be more reasonable in price. Beaver dam style tip ups I would consider a softwood like pine or cedar.
Dave
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Ash would prevent most of the dings, its what they make baseball bat out of. And at the end of the day it a tip up, Maybe you should make one thats a showpiece and dont use it, or when your down on your luck bring out the good one.
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Tamarack may also work OK.
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i would go with a nice slab of hickory, such a nice color/grain to it. a nice clear stain/sealer/poly ^^ would be a very nice lookin tip up.
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i would go with a nice slab of hickory, such a nice color/grain to it. a nice clear stain/sealer/poly ^^ would be a very nice lookin tip up.
don't use hickory, although very pretty, its one of the worst woods in an unstable environment.very effected by moisture and humidity changes. White oak would be a cost effective choice or mahogony may be cheaper than more exotic wood.-Pig
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if you seal it properly hickory would be just fine.
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wow! I think we covered every tree in the forest..LOL! Thanks for the help everyone.
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I know it would probably be the same or cheaper to buy tip-ups from a store but i was thinking about making my own. My question is what type of wood in your opinion is best to do so? not sure if i should go with a hardwood and treat it or use say cedar.
Go with hardwood. I would suggest something like wite oak, white ash or hard maple. Many hockey sticks and snow shoes are made from white ash because it's easy to work and it is durable. Most importantly choose what you like, rot will not be an issue as I doubt you are going to neglect your gear by storing it in damp places.
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I am making a set of 3 for my first year using tip ups. I am using Hickory and Walnut. I am staining the Hickory, but not the Walnut, and sealing both with poly. Kinda stuck on them right now, but will get them finished eventually.
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You can buy mahogany decking and baluster stock at every lumber yard near me. The stuff is tough as nails and is fairly inexpensive. It is also so oily that paint and poly won't stick to it. It's what I would use. I'd just coat it with Thompson's water seal. I've built a bunch of decks out of it and, with the exception of a few boards, the stuff really holds up.
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try to find the bar top stuff. its hardens so good and will last forever *almost*. little pricy but you wont need much.
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Minwax Spar Urethane, lighty sanded between the first and second coat will give you years of protection and can be scuffed up and recoated years down the road without having to completely restrip it ! :thumbsup: :tipup:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l113/lael19533/Antknees%20Ice%20Fishing%20Mayhem/metal%20roofing/Minwax-63050-rw-202221-310507.jpg)
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For a truly water and weatherproof Tip up, Cypress is the way to go, with Teak being a close 2ND ! These woods are impregnated with a natural occurring waterproof oil that seals the wood from the inside ! Even untreated, tip ups made from Cypress or Teak will outlast any other wood available !!
I thought of making some out of cypress or teak a few years ago and I didn't have them money to buy the wood so I made mine out of pine and they work great!
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Jiggin4perch,
What are you using for the hardware? Recycling an old trap, or have you found a place that sells the stuff?
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4 years back I made a 10 pack of tip-ups out of pine so far they are still working great and looking as new
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Minwax Spar Urethane, lighty sanded between the first and second coat will give you years of protection and can be scuffed up and recoated years down the road without having to completely restrip it ! :thumbsup: :tipup:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l113/lael19533/Antknees%20Ice%20Fishing%20Mayhem/metal%20roofing/Minwax-63050-rw-202221-310507.jpg)
Put 5 coats of this stuff on my wet bar...very durable. Has withstood the abuse of me dancing on it in my stilett....I mean...err...ummm...oo oboy :-[........................ :roflmao:
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Jiggin4perch,
What are you using for the hardware? Recycling an old trap, or have you found a place that sells the stuff?
Fish 307 carries tip up parts. Prices are pretty good.
http://www.fish307.com/40uptip-upreplacementparts.aspx
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Jiggin4perch,
What are you using for the hardware? Recycling an old trap, or have you found a place that sells the stuff?
I had 2 old ones given to me but they had been stored in in a barn and the hardware was rusted. So i thought i could still use the wood from those two and buy the hardware and more wood to make five tip ups. that would give me ten total for back up or for a friend to use. fish307 has all the hardware for them...or i could try to mak my own hardware. I'm just looking for something to do while waiting for the ice.
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Pallets are usually made of ash, and can usually be found for free if you look on craigslist or something like that. You could probably get thirty or so tipups out of one pallet, so you could pick and choose the nicer parts and still get ten out of it.
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Jiggin4perch,
What are you using for the hardware? Recycling an old trap, or have you found a place that sells the stuff?
I saw on eBay they sell packages of hardware to make 5 tipups, for 20.00. Might be a fun project-
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What about using Trex Decking?
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How about the plastic 12" long paint stir sticks. They flexible, ice doesn't stick to them, no treatment required.
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I'm going to try making some this year out of a few broken hockey sticks. Sher-Wood ice fishing gear!
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I made a set of 5 out of Teak a few years ago and it is the absolute best wood to use around water. No sealing is necessary but you can give them a coat of Teak oil every season.
Go to a Marina or boat junk yard and find an old swim platform from the back of a junk boat. Even if Teak looks old and gray the stuff does not rot and can be brought back to look and work great.
If you are going to do it right with high end wood then I think Heritage Laker sells all the parts and I know for sure that Jack Traps does. You will spend some bucks but you will also have tip ups to be passed down through generations. If you have the skills and tools you might as well spend your time & efforts making some real beauties. Believe me, you can buy them already made much cheaper so there is no savings to be found making them yourself. I spent hours upon hours upon hours making my set with all the cutting, sanding, drilling, attaching the all parts that cost a small fortune and in the end I could have bought a full set of Jack Traps or Lakers for much less. All the Jack Trap parts are stainless steel and good for a few life times.
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Go with a hardwood. I made mine homemade out of ash. Worked excellent..
(http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt161/chasingthedream_photos/1263690319.jpg)
(http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt161/chasingthedream_photos/1263690368.jpg)
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I'm going to try making some this year out of a few broken hockey sticks. Sher-Wood ice fishing gear!
Now that would be awesome.. Be sure to post pics
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I used laminated ash to keep it from warping and gorilla glue, coated with outdoor poly.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g398/gagnoncj/P1010083.jpg)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g398/gagnoncj/P1010089.jpg)
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I used laminated ash to keep it from warping and gorilla glue, coated with outdoor poly.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g398/gagnoncj/P1010083.jpg)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g398/gagnoncj/P1010089.jpg)
Very classy with a sexy look. Nice work with excellent parts. :thumbsup:
My Teak ones were pretty basic and there was no Jack Trap or Heritage parts back then.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/Fishing/100_0331.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/Fishing/100_0330.jpg)
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I made all my own parts, even the reels. Everything but the flag springs is stainless steel or aluminium with teflon washers. Flag springs are made from a drain snake and the flags are made from an old nylon windbreaker, triggers are Tig wire.
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I made all my own parts, even the reels. Everything but the flag springs is stainless steel or aluminium with teflon washers. Flag springs are made from a drain snake and the flags are made from an old nylon windbreaker, triggers are Tig wire.
Oh come on CJG. It has nothing to do with who did better and everything to do with nice pictures.
I have great respect for any ice man who made his own gear and enjoys his invention. If we all look back 50 or 60 year there was not much we could do as compared to the stuff we have and can make today. I am not so sure we can even advance the technology but tip ups made in our own home work shops sure can be some pretty masterpieces.
We have guys who are machinists that machined their own reels and parts and guys who are carpenters/cabinetmakers who made their own wood parts and it is all good.
We may never build a better mouse trap but I sure do enjoy seeing the work we do.
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Oh come on CJG. It has nothing to do with who did better and everything to do with nice pictures.
I'm just saying. It may have been implied that I used parts that I didn't make to build them, I didn't. By the way I'm an electronic tech by trade. As long as you are happy with what you have made for yourself is all that matters. I enjoy making my own stuff, tie my own flies, make my own flyrods, nets, reload bullets for hunting and anything else that I can do myself. Nothing against anyone who doesn't, that's just what works for me, part of the fun.
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The Bowed cross bar frames and the Custom made parts really set those Trap apart from the rest of the crowd cjg, job Well Done !! :thumbsup: :tipup:
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To start with, All the pics are of beautiful craftsmanship, and to be proud of!!! :bow: :thumbsup: Another source of prime wood is from your local hardwood flooring installer. If he'll help you and you're not in too much of a hurry, you can get most of the recommended woods for little or nothing. I have all the wood parts for 12-15 all cut in my hardside-turned-storage, in cedar, brazillian cherry, and white oak just waiting for the motivation and metal parts to complete. Your ideas and pics are helping! ;) ;D
I agree with Surf, the curved bows on CJD's are exceptional
I'm also a big fan of Helmsman Spar for anything that needs to be durable.
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use some nice merranti mahagony before you seal them make sure you use a grain filler . if you dont you could put several coats on it and it would still look and feel the same.
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Another realatively inexpensive route is to visit a local business that has wood pallets.
Some have very good oak or other hardwoods... Cut and rip your pieces, then dry in a cool basement for a bit....I ran mine through a planer and then cut to length, all recycled parts from an old set of High flags...Used five coats of hand rubbed boiled linseed oil, and then a light coat of paraffin. Haven't done a thing to them except use in four years, seems to be holding up well...
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb161/monthony/tipups001.jpg)
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb161/monthony/tipups003.jpg)