Work begins on a new long board

I got the toys I needed this Christmas to start working on a traditional surfboard. I have a low cost planer from Harbor Freight, a surform, a small block plan, and a shaping video.

I cut out three templates on craft paper. The first is the outer profile of the board. The second is for the outside of a bottom side concave. The third is the outline for an inter deeper section of the concave.

I used the template to trace the design on one half on the top of the blank. Then I flipped the template and traced the other side. I trimmed the blank with my hand saws. I used the smaller finishing hand saw.

I swept the floor right after cutting the blank. Then I walked inside and still ended up tracking foam all over the place. I got concerned about the foam upsetting domestic tranquility. I built a impromptu surfing room in my garage. I covered the garage door tracks with plastic. Then I moved a latter that I hand from the garage ceiling in front of the garage tracks. I hung more plastic off of the ladder. Last, I put a filter in front of a 20 inch fan.

When I trimmed the blanks I left generous edges so I’d have a little foam to practice on. I put my respirator on, picked up the planner, and took a few passes on the rails. The discharge shoot was pointing straight up. I quickly found out that glasses were not adequate eye protection. I shut down for the evening and dang it tracked more foam back into the house.

Thanks Santa


I've posted the design on other threads - repeated here:

Measuring the template


Three tempates rolled up on the board


Laying out the template

0 - 0 board center marked line and two pencil points

The outline



Cutting the board outline



Building a dog house to keep me out of the dog house

Using the garage door rails as a frame

The back half of the dog house

The front part with a door

Inside the dog house

My attempt at dust control


(Message edited by Bigshow on December 31, 2007)

Hey Ed,
Try attaching a flexible hose from the planer outlet to a shop vac to contain the dust from the planer.

I wish I could have seen the snow from the planer!!!!!!!!! I just howled at that image.

I finished the majority of the shaping today. I stopped to clean up three times. I filled a kitchen garbage bag with dust, paper towels, and sandpaper.

I started working with the planner. In my hands the planer liked to be pushed but not pulled. I made two skinning passes on the top and bottom of the board. Then I brought the rocker mostly in to shape. Then I planed down the outer concave and the inner concave. I used a short six-inch surform to blend the steps of the concave. While I had the board bottom up I thinned the nose a little and gave the board a little more nose rocker. I also added V shape to the tail.

In “shaping 101” Carl Ackerman suggests building a “Fred” bevel tool. I built a Fred tool from a pair of opposed 6 inch surform blades and a block of wood with a 30 degree bevel. I used the bevel tool to establish a uniform tucked under edge.

I flipped the board and marked a two inch perimeter and marked a four inch perimeter. Then I marked pencil dots every foot along the sides of the board. The pencil dots marked how deep I wanted to bring the two inch perimeter down to. I planned the 2 inch perimeter down to the pencil dots. Then I planed the four inch perimeter down to the two inch perimeter. I spent a little time shaping and blending the deck.

Then I got the large surform out and finished shaping the deck. I also flipped the board and shaped the bottom side with the surform. I pulled the surform in long strokes. I worked at the nose and tail pulling the surform to me in even and balanced strokes.

I finished shaping with 60 grit paper. I used a 2x4 and a whole sheet. I also used a standard hand block, the kind that you put a ¼ of a sheet of paper in. I didn’t have shark skin so I used the 60 grit paper and ran it along the rails. I made an intermediate finishing pass with 80 grit paper.

I started with a lot of apprehension. There were times today when I thought “What have I got myself into?” I think the shape came out about like I had in mind. I had a couple of foam tearing problems. The planner tore the foam in some places. I used a small block planer on the stringer. The small block planer tore the foam near the stringer. I have a couple of other divots. I think those divots came from the brass buttons from my jean jacket. The wood block also dug some groves in the foam.

I had a full day of shaping and need to step away before picking up tools again. I think I will make one more pass with 80 grit paper, and maybe follow up with some 120 paper. I don’t think that I’ll sand down far enough to take out all of the imperfections. I may have to fill them back in or just go with it and write off the foam blemishes as a first effort lesson learned.

The mess after skinning

Out line for the outer concave

Outline for the inner concave

"Fred"


After using 60 grit to smooth the sides


Tail view

Planer tears

Block planer tears


Concave before sanding

Ed - that is looking great!! That is going to be an awesome board!

You can always fill in the divots and scratches with lightweight "fast n final" spackle - which is what Greg L recommends on his epoxies. Comes out super clean!

P.S. I can't wait to start working on mine in the next few days....

very interesting

I finished sanding and then put on the first layer of glass on the top deck.

I was digging groves in the board with the buttons on my jean jacket and from the sanding block. The experts say that the final sanding job should be done with a chunk of foam over a sheet of sand paper. I went out to Jo Ann's and bought some foam. I started sanding the foam moved and the sand paper stayed put. I duct tapped the sand paper to the foam. That worked good for a few minutes. After awhile it was to dusty and new duct tape just wouldn’t stick to anything. I cut the foam block a little smaller and rolled the edges of the sand paper. That worked OK, but foam over flat sand paper was better.

I covered some of the foam tears with DAP Fast and final spackling. I bought mine at Loews. I’ve heard that it’s a rare commodity out west. It warmed up today it’s about 40. I heated my garage again it took the spackling well over an hour to dry. I re-sanded where the spackling was applied. I also sanded a slight tunnel in the nose.

I rolled out the glass and trimmed it. I wasn’t sure how much resin to use. I took about 18 ounces for the Pizza Hut board. This board is about twice as big so I went for 36 ounces. That was two 12 ounce cups of resin and one 12 ounce cup of hardener. That’s much easier to measure out that drops of hardener provided with Elmer’s epoxy. This was the first time I’ve used Resin Research products. All I can say is that Resin Research is absolutely AMAZING!! It was much easier to work with this resin and it was easier to lap the rails. I wore a respirator while laying up the glass. The Resin Research documentation says that in a well ventilated area that respirators are not necessary. After I cleaned up I took off my mask and was SHOCKED to find that I couldn’t smell the resin! I asked my daughter and wife to give the garage a sniff – they think I’m nutty. They couldn’t smell the resin either.

I’m planning on attempting a resin swirl on the bottom glass. I’ll put some art between the first and second top deck layers.

I’m never going to use Elmer’s epoxy again, Resin Research is the way to go!!!
Foam and sand paper



Spackling


A small channel

Sanded board ready for glass

Roll out the glass

Trimmed glass

Resin Research is amazing

First layer of glass on the deck

Ed, it looks great! you don't put resin on first? you put the resin on top of the glass? how did you get the fiberglass around the rail with no wrinkles or drips? I don't live that far away from you, can i watch how you do it next time?

I think everyone puts the glass on first then the resin. I poured the resin from tail to nose. Then I wetted the glass with a squeegee. I worked the resin in to the glass hanging over the edge of the board. Once the sides were wet I started lapping the glass to the bottom on the board.

I’ll glass the bottom tomorrow. I’m planning on doing a resin swirl on the bottom. There’s a video that an east coast shaper, Austin, posted on his web site. The swirl looks really cool. If I have the link correct it’s the bottom left video. http://www.austinsurfboards.com/boards_html/gallery.htm

I've got another blank that I'll work on after this board. You’re more than welcome to comedown and help shape and/or glass the next board.

I swear I can't find the F 'n F in the areas I shop! Folks recommend it and the HD I checked last said they don't carry it!!!

The LB is really looking good Ed.

Checking the shape against the design - good

Foam from the stands stuck to the board

Getting ready for a cut lap on the bottom

Tape off the boarder


Glass for the bottom

Pigments for the resin swirl

Making a mess

Ed - keep up the good work! I'm excited to see how that swirl turns out!

Mostly dark and muddy. One bit of advice that I read was to keep the colors light. That's probably really good advice. I ended up making a Blue that was very dark and I used as much black as anything else.

Here are a few good color contrasts, the rest is fairly dark.

Taping and cut lapping didn’t work out very well. I imagined that I’d be able to see the tape under the pigmented glass but I was wrong. I guess I waited too long to flip the board and cut the glass. At the tail the resin was getting pretty stiff. When I pulled the trimmed glass the masking tape came up with it. I can see that the resin bled through the masking tape. The boundary isn’t well defined. I also saw at least one place where the colored resin seeped in to the masked off section.

I had a problem with my stands after glass in the deck on the first pass. Epoxy gests on the stands and then the foam stuck to the board. I taped the entire surface of the stands with duct tape before this glassing effort. After flipping the board and cutting the edge of the glass I flipped it back with the new glassed side up. I could see where the stands had been in contact with the newly glassed portion of the board. Some of the partly cured resin came off. I’m hoping that the gloss coat will hid this blemish.

After flipping back with the newly glassed side back on top I lifted the board and placed wax paper between the board and the stands. I’ll let it all cure a while longer before removing the masking tape. When I remove the tape I probably leave it flipped with the newly glassed side down.

Where the masking tape pulled up - you can see a drip on the white of the board.


The entire board - dark isn't it.

OK here's the bad... The tape line was on rough glass. That let tons of resin past the tape and on to the masked off area. The resin bleed width was about a half inch wide. Also the masking tape leaked and the craft paper wicked resin to the deck.

I'm going to have to find a creative way to clean this mess up.




The spot in the middle is from wicking through the craft paper.


Wide fat bleed through along the masking tape.

I got some really good advice on Swaylock's. The advice was to scrape the tinted resin off of the clear resin.

I might clean up part of the rails with a razor blade. However I'll do most of the rest of the rail clean up with a wide pine stripe. Or should I say paint roller stripes


The tools and a test spot

The spot is gone!!

Down the body to the tail

The tail

The nose

This thread has been continued here:
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/531012.html?1199761677