I learned a lot about 3-D design while in college, but unfortunately don’t get to use it at all at my job. Heres a handle and knob assembly I designed to fit on my Penn 705 fishing reel that I restored not too long ago. I designed it to use off-the-shelf bolts and washers, so that it would be easy to maintain should it need it. While this was originally just some toying around with Autocad in 3-D, I’m now currently working with a machinist to actually bring it to life!

I’ve been working on various sizes of needlefish lures lately, with these being the largest at 11.5″ long and 3.5oz.

Made from cherry, they are naturally durable and don’t need too much additional weight.

As a left hander, finding left handed items can be difficult. A company named Penn made these simple yet very durable reels back in the mid 60′s. A lot of fisherman are still using them today as they have quite the reputation for being dependable and have really stood the test of time. Another great feature of these reels is that they can be stripped down and cleaned very quickly, there are really only about 4 moving parts inside the reel, and this also allows them to be able to be dunked under water without failing.

These reels can still be found on ebay, in yard sales, and other various online selling sites for short money. The 704 model is probably the most common (and cheapest) reel to find, with the 705 being its left-handed version. I picked this one up for about $40, stripped it down and cleaned all the parts, and machined the spool and rotor for both practical and aesthetic purposes. I am very happy with how it turned out.

Before:

After:

We needed something to store the epic amount of small appliances we received as a result of getting married, and the space between the fridge and wall was just the spot. I picked up some spruce strapping from Home Depot and threw this together one afternoon with a box of screws.  Custom shelf spacing to fit the wine cooler, dog food container, and everything else.

When I designed the bed I wanted it to be high enough to fit items under the bed, and also have a bookcase on the headboard. After browsing the Crate & Barrel website for storage ideas, I came across some rolling “drawer” boxes, and decided to make my own. These boxes measure 18″x30″ and are about 16″ high, so they can fit a lot of clothes.  I’ve finished one so far, I figure I can fit one or two more under there as well. Constructed from 3/4″ MDF, 1/4″ plywood, and 1×4 Pine trim.

Figured with the move into the new apartment we could use a new bed as well. Did some browsing in the IKEA and Crate & Barrel catalogs for ideas, and came up with this design. Still need to finish the footpost caps, but other than that it is complete. Fits a standard queen mattress.

I’ve put together a website for my fishing lure business, check it out at http://www.bsplugs.com

Some new stuff: New paint scheme, the “smoke mullet”

This Lobster Plug was created for the StripersOnline Food Fling which takes place in New Jersey March 09. It will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to charity.

Also new are some Christmas ornaments we are doing this year, shaped like miniature lobster buoys

Some Pictures from the Harbor

Hello, and thanks for visiting.  I plan on using this site to blog about stuff that I make, and life on the water.