I'd bet the ranch that there isn't a one of us on Sways that hasn't at one time or another
received/ scored/copped a template off someone else or off a board. I really appreciate what Jlam has done. This wasn't for money although I hope some comes his way, it was simply to HELP out others. As Balsa pointed out, drawing a template is the most elementary of tasks in shaping. Everyone knows what turns them on about an outline so drawing one is not a big deal. The presented logic follows the thinking of: why even buy fins and boxes if you don't know everything about fins and fin placement? The fact is you don't know until you do it/ride it/change it. I simply don't see a down side to Jlam's efforts.
You guys are funny. I know I am different, for I enjoy making templates so much I don’t have enough room to store them all, but know that each one is special and at some time past I took it upon myself to work it out to the best of my ability. Picking up some of the old ones bring back memories of different eras, places and people I haven’t thought about for a while. They’re like trusted friends to me. They’re kind of like hearing a song in your head you haven’t heard in years and know all the words to- it makes you think. I am not attacking jjiam, for he took the time to make something, so I guess my incredulity is directed to those who are still missing the point. I guess some of you guys here are like people who think they can surf, but in reality can’t. i am not trying to be anything but myself, and if you go back and reread my posts, I have a pretty good grasp on how to make surfboards,even the viable shortcuts and while I don’t say who I am here I have earned the respect of many far more skilled than most people here. Take the advice or leave it, I think your missing out on one of the fun parts of making surfboards, making your own templates, and above all it is supposed to be fun.
When I go to the plate, I go to make contact, not a walk to first base.
C'mon G, You tellin' me you don't have a temp or two that came from someone else? I agree with your points on knowing the whole and not just a few of the parameters to get you there. That comes by doing AND learning from others. We all gotta get a start somehow, somewhere. That's how I see this...a start. I really can't see it as cheating.
ps. When I "go to the plate" I'm hoping she'll let me get past first.
I know you know your sh#$, so I respect your position. Cheers....Aloha.
Never took a template from someone else, but certainly have studied many countless boards by other shapers, and made templates similar. To those who think I am putting down jjiam, your wrong, nor am I remotely jealous. Hand eye coordination does not come from letting someone else to the work for you. And I like the stuff you write tblank, so if that is how someone who wants to start I don’t care, I made my point I don’t get what really is gained by someone printing out someone else’s template, I guess you have to have a leap of faith in jjiam as a master designer. I would be more interested in if it was Merrick who was giving away his templates, but he told me over 20 years ago to make templates off of his, for him. I guess that kind of answers your question.
Understanding comes from working out the equation, not copying someone else’s “answers”.
Da "Rat " is right. If you want a reeeally good shape; learn to make templates. I prefer masonite. I have borrowed a few, stolen a few and used various curves to make my own. I don't really have that many compared to a lot of guys. I move around so much that most of mine are spin-templates. It's just not that hard. It trains your eye to recognize what works and what looks aestethic(sp). I disagree with anyone who says a good template is not that important. Like a good rail, foil, etc. a good template can make or break a shape. My best templates these days are off of boards that I have shaped using a variety of curves to come up with the final outline. Where I screw up is selling the board before I pull a final template from the finished shape. Then I have to go back on the next one and try to remember what I did previously in order to duplicare it. After some late night drinking and Eight-ball at a local Kihei spot one night a guy told me that he had a shit-load of masonite templates over at his house that a former tennant had left there. So 2:00 AM and we're over at his place diggin' this stuff out of the rafters in a storage room. I made some vague promise about making him a deal on a future board. After sleeping off the booze the next day I get them out to look at them. They're all Wind-surf templates. Not a single surfboard in the pile. I kept them any way. There were a few nice curves in there that had some future possibilities.
Hey G, I agree with you about taking temps from someone proven vs. an unknown. It seems to me that the look of an outline is such a visceral thing that each of us can see what will work for us or won't. For me, looking at an outline will either interest me or I wouldn't even consider it. I assume everyone has that mental picture of what a surfboard should look like. We try it out and then the tweaking begins. If you have shaped a few boards and tried to reproduce one or two then you can tell what you can work with and what you can't. By far and away the majority of my temps are ones that I drew but they all started out from something I changed to suit my tastes. My point is, we all need a start and if you come by it with this FREE service than alright....keep going. Not everyone has the opportunity to hang out and watch or work with a pro shaper or even a shaper with popular and or proven designs. It is incumbent upon all of us to take these things and make them our own. We all need to KEEP GOING.
ps. M'ding templates with dead on curves are like you said really important. They are the foundation of the structure. I just don't think it is all that difficult to come up with one. Follow the gut. No?
pps. Just scored a 3" drum sander to chuck into the drill press to easily true up the cuts on the hardboard.
I think these are great for printing out and transferring to masonite or 1/8" ply. Once I cut out and tape the paper together, I tape or glue it to the harder material and then cut it out. You still have to refine the edge (curve) and make sure it’s nice and clean.
I do that with the boards I draw up because I don’t have one of those expensive printers. I don’t see any reason for putting down this way of doing things. Takes more work than taking a board and tracing the outline on a piece of ply or masonite.
I’m finding that I will use 2 or more templates these days. I’ll use the tail of one design that I really like, then the nose of another and blend in the middle with a third curve. For boards that I know I want to make a copy of, I’ll make 2 halves of a template then once they are refined I tape them up to make a complete outline. No messing up one side or the other when you do that, and you don’t have to worry about a crooked stringer or in my case no stringer.
Same here sharkcounty. I use a bunch of templates now to come up with what I want. Then if I like it, I will pull a template off that to use in the future.
But. I’ve said this before, but I and maybe others have gotten decent at the “board building” part much quicker than the 'board designing" part. I have appreciated the use of other templates. I make new ones all the time.
I forgot to mention that I have also drawn out a shape on my computer with a drawing program then import that into photoshop and written down the outline numbers for every 6 inches. I just have not had the desire to make a template that way.
Another thing I do is take a piece of 1/8" x 1" x 8’ aluminum flat bar from HD or Lowes and bend that around nose, wide point and tail measurements to make the curve I want. I’ve done this with rockers too. I’ll draw out a bottom rocker curve on 1/2" redwood and then cut out a stringer template for EPS boards. I have a couple of small 1" blocks that I clamp down the aluminum with then just bend it along the curve I want and trace it with a pen.
I also use the aluminum bar to get a straight line from nose to tail. It bends along the rocker curve much easier than an outline.
To say that this will hinder creativity is laughable. There’s all the room in the world left for creativity in the process of building a board. Shit, there is still plenty of room for creativity when making the template. People still have to physically make the template after all. They still have to rely on their own eyes and hands and brain. They have to decide if it looks right or if they want to tweak it. You still gain the same experience and develop the same skills. There’s no cool-aid to be drank here. If this is going to hinder someones creativity, then that person isn’t creative to begin with. I’m just trying to give back to a community that has helped me over past five years. Hopefully you can at least appreciate that.
Pay closer attention, I stated ''There is much sound advice offered here.'', referring to a prior post. If you have a problem with the content of the prior post, take it up with the author, not me. Some folks ''get'' what was offered, some don't. To copy, and to create, are two coins of very different value. One is gold, one is brass. I value one more than the other.
jjlam - I don't think ghettorat was directing his comments so much at you, but just addressing a trend in letting the computer do the design work, rather than learning to use hands and head and heart to create.
I think what your doing is cool, but I would say don't take the rat's comments too personally, just carry on for those who will use and appreciate your work, and like you say, the creativity is there, so doesn't sound like you completely disagree either. I guess I'm with Thrailkill, there is some wisdom in learning to make templates by hand.
I make my templates by hand. But I always study (others') shapes before making my templates, so I would still have a use for a site like yours.
Great job on your sight! i like it and will us it as inspiration to make my owe templates, and to try shaping different boards. I like that is simple and clean. It is just a curve that leaves the rest to the shaper.
On the other side i was taught by a guy who would never let anyone near his templates and taught me the same. “Never use someone else’s templates, always make your owe and us that as a french curve to make more!” it has worked well for me and has been great fun. Ugly as some are they all worked.
I also spent a lot of money buying his template back to protect them. Now i have a 100 templates that i can’t use… Ha ha but he taught me everything i needed to know so it was worth it.