I like 1/8" door skins better than masonite.I cut my templates on a band saw but you can also cut a clean curve with a skilsaw.(a lot of folks don’t know this)The trick is to set the blade where it is barely cutting through and laying it on a sturdy flat surface.I clean up the cut with a planer.Lay the template on a workbench and weight or clamp it down.Clean up the edge with the planer and finish with block plane and sanding block.There a lot of ways to make templates.The skilsaw(circular saw) trick is a good one.I borrowed a little 6" battery powered circular saw one time and it was unreal. RB
Howzit Mr.Clean, Breing a freind of Diffs I bet that crazy dutchman really got a kick out of that.Aloha,Kokua
Hey there Halcyon. Nice fins you posted there a while back by the way. Anyways, as far as the belt sander fitting in, it does have application , if only rather limited. Use it for any wood board. Hollow ones need it for the rails,(I used it quite extensively) and chambered boards could use it with a fine grit and along the grain for roughing. I’ve tried it on foam and I found it hard to control, so I’m with you there that it might be useless.
Dronai… That totally sucks man. Bad injury for sure. Not as bad (or anywhere near as totally stupid)as one of the guys in my electrical class though. The idiot stuck a 10" cutoff disc on his 4.5" angle grinder after he removed the shield. Severed the tendons to his thumb and index finger on his right hand. Good luck on the recovery. My little bro lost a fingertip to a grain auger( clean tip removal, skin, bone, fingernail, but it all grew back. Even the nail(he must have missed the root) it is a little mishappen though. all the best man.
Heel up, dronai,
best wishes,
Josh.
people don’t kill people , sanders kill people!!!
get well soon dronia
Hi Dronai, sorry to hear about your acident, that really made me wince. Hope you heal up quickly.
When I was in my teens my father almost cut right through his wrist with an angle grinder, but the surgeons weer able to saw his hand back on and he regained full use, though for years he had tiny black particals working their way out from inside. Seening that happen inspired my to learn first aid.
I’ve had a few close shaves myself, you just kinda get stund by it and think wow I was being really stupid. I’ve leart to really respect tools, especially power tools, never use the trigger lock it’s asking for trouble.
I think that everyone at some point has had an accident or a close shave in a workshop enviroment, Its easy to give advise on safte but harder to followit you self, you know what your doing is dangerous but you don’t really think that something like that will actually happen to you. Just notch it up to experience,
Acidents happen but chicks dig scares, heal up and get back on your horse, (or surf board)
I’m really sorry about your finger. Many of us can feel your pain - literally. Check out my left middle finger:
Its not the longest one anymore 
Typing is interesting and playing the piano well is out, but I’m still using the power tools !
In time, you’ll be back in the water and back with the belt sander. For those of us who like 'em, for certain applications I agree that its the tool of choice. Might be a little overkill for masonite, though.
I cut out templates on the bandsaw & true them up with a hand plane & a sanding block. But the belt sander is great for shaping wood like tailblocks and for shaping solid glass fins. I also use it a lot to shape small stuff like the above by clamping it to the bench, setting the trigger, and holding my workpiece not the tool. You could even do this for your templates, if you have a bench that’s high enough to see the line comfortably. Its the safest way to use the belt sander, by far.
WOW! thats gona leave a mark! brings back a memory from the greg noll factory in the early 60’s—fellow was mowing and turned to talk to someone and the planer twisted (real hard foam) and both cut the cord and planed his tee-shirt and belly layer at the same time,lights went out as the circuit breaker tripped and there he was standing there shaking in mixed shock and fear…YOU will get better----careful use of Ice , elevation, drugs and booze…