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The Powell Lures Story

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steiny View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2012 at 9:43am
Yeah I agree Barney...great read!
cheers steiny
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Red Hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2012 at 10:39am
Thank you for posting , great reading . Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2012 at 8:37pm
Originally posted by handbrake handbrake wrote:

Travers I've had two young fellows recently get their tackle box out to show me their first attempts at high School under your tuition. They have both continued to make their own lures to fill their tackleboxes. How's that for inspiring young minds. Pat Lollback started making lures when his two teenage sons came home from school with their product. Pat showed me the timber they first used moranti I think.He visited this week and caught a 72cm cod on his own version. I wonder how many other students are still using that knowledge to produce lures?
 
Debbie, it's that long ago now, since I was at Tenterfield High School, that I barely remember who I taught in the lure making classes.  I was in Tenterfield for 8 years and ran the luremaking classes for most of those years.
 
I taught Darren Mitten how to make lures and he also ran lure making classes in about my final year at Tenterfield.  Darren was a bit 'braver' than me.  He let the students loose with Stanley knives!Confused  - they did have a need to use bandaids on some occassions.  From memory, and I could be wrong, I think he taught them using my Little Digger or the Guppy (that Peter taught me to make).  I only taught the students to make the 7cm and 8 cm Minnows - no knives, just a sanding block.  I was kind enough to carve the tail in for them, though.
 
I can't remember if Tom Barrett went through one of my lure making classes (or, maybe, with Darren) but he certainly makes a nice lure, now.
 
I've still got some of the old Minnows that I made during those classes.  Good to see there are still a few others with them and pretty happy to hear that they took up making their own lures.
 
I should be in Tenterfield on Tuesday, June 5, visiting the school before I head down the hill to Casino.
 
Cheers
 
Travers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote saito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2012 at 9:29am
Thanks for a great read and learning the history behind Powell lures.
Now i need to get my hands on some this weekend...Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote goldtrev68 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 May 2012 at 10:23am
What a great read & a bit of insight into one of Australia`s great blokes,,Gary
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yakgear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2012 at 1:44pm
very good reading and insight.. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014 at 9:42pm
I use a lot of very old Australian Red Cedar to carve my lures from.  I'm lucky to know the source, and age, of much of that cedar.  

When I was in Tenterfield, about a month ago, I took a photo of the old, original school (built in 1887) to show the source of my early cedar. The school got some bicentennial funds to restore the old school to it's original structure and the Rotary Club did much of the work to raise some money.  One of the front doors wasn't in great shape so it was replaced.  I was lucky enough to buy it. Absolutely beautiful cedar to carve!  I've still got a bit of that cedar left - some thick cedar that I use for some Kaditchas and the Cedar door inserts, which are only 10mm thick.



Large quantities of Aust Red Cedar came from a renovation of the Railway Hotel (built 1878), Armidale, that my father-in-law did many years ago.  I've still got some of that timber (the wide skirting boards are easily identified) and there's still a fair bit at the in-law's place Big smile.

I've also got some old cedar from unknown origins.

My pest inspection man gave me a couple of internal cedar doors, a few years ago. He thought that the house was built in 1890, but has since found newspaper clipping to suggest that it is much older.  He's doing some research on it's age now.   I cut, planed and thicknessed one of the doors, when he gave the doors to me.



I get enquiries about making lures from the old cedar and labelling the lure with the building's date.  That can be difficult, because I've never labelled the origin of the timber on the pieces, when I cut them up. The pieces that I can identify are 32 mm thick, from Tenterfield High School, and 24mm, 23mm & 20mm thick skirting boards + some t&g lining boards, from the Railway Hotel. The problem is that I don't have a range of thicknesses, from these sources, to make the full range of my lures.

Last weekend, I did something that I never thought I would do.  Attached to the old Tenterfield School was a classroom that was added after 1887, which was demolished during the restoration and I also bought the door from that room.  It was HUGE! and I've kept it for the past 24 years, with the idea of using it as a front door to my house.  Last weekend, I pulled this door and the other door (from pest inspection man) to pieces and put them through the saw and thicknesser, at work.

This is the old Tenterfield School door - before and after!

      

This is the old door from the pest man's house.

    

I've labelled all of these pieces of timber with their thickness and original building.  Just need to find an exact date for both of the buildings Confused.  The t&g insert timber on each of these doors looks like some sort of pine (both are different timbers), but I'm not sure what sort of pine was around in the 1800's.

At least, now, I've got half a chance of putting lure sets together from 'single origin' cedar.  will probably only do special sets in it, though.

Cheers

Travers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Darby Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014 at 10:46pm
Good addition to the tale Travers. Surprising how much cedar is hiding under layers of lead based paint, and most just walk past it.

"I'm not sure what sort of pine was around in the 1800's."

I didn't realize Pine was a recent discovery LOL
"If you are going to have fun with your rod.. get some wood



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mal Vader Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014 at 11:04pm
The Travers Powell Story continues,,,,,
Hopefully into his very old age.
There is more to this man that is not written.
He is a Gentleman of the 'old school' meaning.
Helpful, approachable, clever, funny (twisted), and honourable.
Powelly,,,,,,,, Livelong and prosper.
Cheers MAL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 5:06pm
This is the cedar, from those 2 doors.



I needed to get it off the floor, so I pulled down the stack of old cedar, from on top of one of the cupboards, and found that I had cleaned up and thicknessed a bit more of the 1839 Melville House cedar than I originally thought I did.



Cheers

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 5:23pm
Originally posted by Darby Darby wrote:


I didn't realize Pine was a recent discovery LOL

Brad, I'm a botanist! Surely that makes me right! LOL

I'm guessing that these pine-like timbers would have been imported into Oz in the 1800's.

The insert timber in the East Maitland door looks a bit like oregon, but is very light in colour.



The inserts from the old Tenterfield School door has lots of tiny knots in it.



I need a woodologist!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GBG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 7:14pm
Some great reading above Travers. Just a question if I could please.

I have a stack of Red Cedar boards taken from a local tree several years ago and I find piles of fine dust and small borer holes. Still quite active.

How would you treat this or would you reject it all ?

I just make for my own consumption and a few friends.

Gordon
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 8:51pm
Gordon, you can buy insecticides for borers.  At the very least, it may be worth spraying the timber with a surface spray, like the ones you buy at the supermarket to spray the outside of you house.

It would be worth the effort to preserve your supply of cedar.

Good luck

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Darby Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 8:55pm
Travers, could be Douglas Fir even.....just remember Jimmy Cook liked the look of the Norfolk Pines for masts Wink
"If you are going to have fun with your rod.. get some wood



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steve B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 9:05pm
Gordon, you can put pieces in the freezer and freeze for a few weeks, that's what they do with Indigenous art and other artefacts. I've done this with carved timber picture frames I brought back from Bali, they had the same issue and it fixed them. Where's the timber stacked? I'd be more concerned about the borers escaping the cedar and entering the house or nearby buildings.
Cheers Steve
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GBG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2014 at 10:56pm
On shelving in a metal shed Steve, I will check that out.

The freezer sounds interesting I may be able to cut the boards down or remove some shelves.

Either way I should be able to preserve this. Probably 2 years of timber there.

Thanks very much fellas.

Gordon
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Seaweed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jul 2014 at 10:29am
Great read Travers, nice to see someone making fine use of these rare timbers.
I feel very priveleged to be able to carve red cedar and white beech from Eric Moller's stock.
His grandson Bruce, was savy enough to preserve the remaining timber in the old shed, also he recovered the window sashes and door frames when Eric's original house was demolished.
He then brought most of this to Darwin and stored at his home in Palmerston for many years.
His intended to one day make lures himself, to carry on the legacy, however, Bruce is very busy on the Tiwi Islands at present, so I'm the happy recipient of some of this history Big smile.
Regards, Tony (Seaweed Lures).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fletch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Aug 2014 at 8:31pm
good read there as I must have missed it in the past ... did you ever catch up with the post of wayne simpson put up on here where he said catch up and talk about the shed days . 20 years worth of lures he said he has . be good to see some of those flicks .
there must have been some gun lure makers spend time in there . any idea in what makers who spent a lot of time in that shed .cheers aaron
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Aug 2014 at 11:29pm
Great read, cant believe it took me this long to read it.
thanks Powley and Tony.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kingfisher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Aug 2014 at 6:44am
Very cool read. I am also working on a bent Bib/Lip design .  Nice work. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2014 at 9:21pm
I now believe that there must really be a God! I was cleaning up the garden shed, a few weekends ago, and found the last piece of the original old Tenterfield High School door. It's the centre section, where the door knob fits.



This piece measures 84 cm X 28 cm X 4.5 cm. After cutting and planning, I seemed to have lost 10 cm of 1887 cedar! The 28 cm width is now only 18 cm.



I now have a piece of this timber, in every thickness required for my lures. Probably only enough timber to make about 10 sets of lures, but at least I can get full sets from the same origin.

I also cut and thicknessed the last of my old, big balustrade cedar into 50mm, 40mm and 35mm pieces, for the big Kads.



Cheers

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SNAFU Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 6:03am
In the garden shed Travers,was you looking for the mower Wink...Good find mate...

Mick!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote peter am Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2014 at 9:06am
Ive been in hiding for a while but this is a great story on reusing old timber, And nice looking finishes as well.
peter
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote brendan t Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2014 at 11:20pm
what a great read never to old to learn
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gobblers Lures Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Nov 2014 at 7:54pm
What a fantastic Bio... I really enjoyed reading this... Would have taken some time to put that up...well done guys Thumbs Up
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