Timber Veneer/Vac bag build

JLShapes · August 16, 2019, 12:33pm

I’ve posted a YouTube timelapse build for this board.

Enjoy. Thanks

hans · August 16, 2019, 2:32pm

Great video, very instructional!

I wish I had seen this video 15 years ago, when I was still trying to build a board like this.

thrailkill · August 16, 2019, 3:58pm

Aloha JL,

I must say, that is an impressive piece of video. My hat is off to you. Well done.

gdaddy · August 16, 2019, 6:51pm

I always enjoy seeing these builds. Or frankly, any build.

johnmellor · August 18, 2019, 4:35am

Great job! Nice shape and very efficient process. You made it look so easy!

Monkstar1 · August 19, 2019, 5:13pm

Very informative video. Is that rocker table adjustable? Did you get resin on your soft racks?

satch · August 20, 2019, 1:35pm

Very cool process you have there!

I have a question regarding your hotwiring. It seems like you are first crowning the deck. Afterwards you cut the bottom profile and leave the deck completely flat. So the curve is just the blank thickness measured from the top.With that you can’t use the bottom offcut as rocker bed during vacuum pressing, right? How did you build the rocker bed?

I usually build my board using a more “standard” compsand process. First I hotwire deck and bottom profile from a square block of EPS. Like that I have a blank with the exact rocker built in and can use the bottom offcut to use as a rocker bed during vacuum pressing.

JLShapes · August 21, 2019, 12:05pm

Hi satch. Thanks for your comments. I dont need bottoms off cuts for a rocker bed as, you point out, i have an adjustable (partially) rocker bed.

I posted a while back on how its made;

https://www.swaylocks.com/forums/adjustable-rocker-jig

Ive found that cutting the deck roll with hotwire greatly reduces the mess from otherwise shaping it. The Corecell rails you see are also accurately measured and profiled and serve as a good guide when shaping the final deck roll.

This post will also provide more details on the hotwire process and tools;

https://www.swaylocks.com/forums/timber-veneer-channel-bottom-and-blank-hot-wiring

satch · August 21, 2019, 12:38pm

Thanks for your reply!

I thought I knew all the good threads about compsand style boards here on swaylocks. Very good build thread and a cool way to build an adjustable rocker bed.

Maybe I’ll copy some of it for my next board but that is at least a couple of months into the future. And for that my priority is building a cnc hotwire to cut rocker/profile.

red_boards · August 22, 2019, 4:15am

This and that older one are great threads. Thanks for posting.

In the old thread you slice up the balsa for the rails. Then do you lay multiple pieces of balse side by side on the rail to get the rail height and to get the rail rocker into the balsa?

Do you put multiple layers of balsa on the rail?

I’ve always had trouble getting both curves, especially into round rails.

With the new build:

I have tried to mark out corecell rails by standing the board on its side and then rocking it forward and back so I can trace the rail profile and rocker. It’s always been a mission, especially without help, because the board swivels and I lose the rocker

How do you measure/mark the corcell railbands?

Much appreciated

Red

satch · August 22, 2019, 5:31am

I have join in here with red_boards. Your building is very neat and the boards loow awesome.

I’d be very interested in how you design your boards and get the templates for the corecell rails and the curve for the crowning. I never thought about using the same radius for the whole deck.

JLShapes · August 22, 2019, 11:52am

Hello red_boards. Balsa rails are tricky. I’ve found the best way is to effectively “laminate” a beam into the rocker shape (clamp to the rocker jig) then slice vertically so there is 3-4 (5mm thick) strips to laminate/form around the side when vac-bagging. You do loose a lot of balsa depending on the kerf of your circ-saw blade. The slicing you mention is a way to avoid wastage from sawing.

For Corecell rails there is two way you can measure the required depth, they rely on having a board to copy.

Use a profile gauge, set it to the corecell depth ( 20mm here), press it on the rail of a board you like and then measure the opening. This also gives a good idea of the rail profile.
Use a combination-square, place the flat on the underside of the board and place the corecell above. Measure distance between square-flat and corecell

Do this along specific lengths of the rail then measure/plot out on a Corecell strip. Profile/shape to these points. (leave a few mm extra)

Hope that helps.

red_boards · August 23, 2019, 1:28pm

Thanks for the detailed information. Those are good ideas to try.