Blending Templates

Over here in the Low Tech Lab we do everything full scale. No computer design involved…We like computers and all that high tech stuff but for surfboards we just want to hang in the shop and make boards…Sorry I did not do a step by step photo but you’ll catch on. My buddy loves his 5’ 11" EPS Fish. It’s a Shipman Design. Twin fin…

Now he’s talking CI POD…“What’s up Ray? Can you make me one?”…

OK , How about this…

I’m blending a Shipman Fish with a …lost fish with a little help from a Ray egg and some other curves. This is fun stuff. Move that template around , blend those curves…There’s no rules. Use that ruler…

The customer wants 5’6" x 20 x 2 3/8…See where we’re going…We have two different nose options… And the tail… might move some curves there tooo…

Hi Ray,

‘We’ do everything the same way here at the Rat Turd Lab, too. I still have problems with little flat spots in my curves when I blend templates. Unfortunately, I often do not see them until the board is nearing completion. Any suggestions? Is it my astigmatition? Probably just have a lousy “eye.” If you have any inclination to share some of the Shipmen templates I will treat them with respect and love. Mike

Interesting take…Over here at Shitty Shapes Inc. “Home of the Turbo Turd Trifin” we have the same problem. Most of the time putting the project down, walking away, drinking a few beers. Then coming back in a few hours if not the next day fixes almost all poor judgements in plan shape. Beer fixes all.

If you’re trying to combine/compare curves and create something new that’s based

on something proven, I don’t think there’s any better way to do it. I also confess

that I’m much more comfortable looking down a curve on a blank vs. an image on

a monitor.

And the beer isn’t a bad idea either…

Once you’ve developed a quiver of your own (i. e. not pulled from someone else’s designs) you’ll find that more often there will be portions of those templates that easily blend as you will have generated those curves from ones you’ve already worked with. It just takes time and patience. Good luck!.

…hey MD, that s is very true

the other day I was viewing a semigun outline in the monitor and then when I draw out on the blank the very tail in reality, was a bit more in the pin side instead of the round side…with exactly the same numbers

but may be is just me…

I’m probably the only one that notices the little imperfections. Unless people are to polite to tell me," looks like a flat spot here," Mike. Anyway, Resinhead, what do you recommend for beer? I always have one going when I’m in the shop unless it’s before noon. I have a few scruples. A lager for templating? A pilsner for shaping? Mike

Sting:

A long time ago I asked a local big time shaper

why his boards did a certain thing better than

the competition. He said that the boards worked

better because he was using the wrong template

and that forced him to blend his curves in by hand

and the boards worked better for our type conditons.

I learned then that there are a lot of ways to

skin a cat and that what you do is not as important

as how you do it. There is such a thing as serendipidity.

(If you don’t know what that means, look it up)

Best luck on the board!

Rooster, ya got my curiosity…what happens at noon?

Here at Team Lame we’ve just blended two templates for the next build. Had to do with moving the wide point foward and back and keeping bulk out of the plan shape. Seems to look ok.

Quote:

Rooster, ya got my curiosity…what happens at noon?

It’s ok to pop a cold one after 12:00 without appearing to be a drunk. It’s ok to pop one earlier if you are on a surf or fishing trip. You know, scruples. Stupid little personal rules to try and live by and get along with others and yourself. Mike

Thanks, Rooster. Guess in a pinch you could always pop one warm/room temp…

Quote:

I’m probably the only one that notices the little imperfections. Unless people are to polite to tell me," looks like a flat spot here," Mike. Anyway, Resinhead, what do you recommend for beer? I always have one going when I’m in the shop unless it’s before noon. I have a few scruples. A lager for templating? A pilsner for shaping? Mike

I recommend Newcastle for the first 3-4, then any cold brew will do, or Tequilla Most importantly use one of those fancy german beersteins with a top flapper contraption. it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if foam dust sunk to the bottom…but it floats. And it can leave a fairly thick foam slick.

Keeping your beer & shapes clean, tip of the day from resinhead.

Cold beer used to be a basic tool in our factory.Along with customized respirators.Punch a hole in the mask so you can smoke your cigarette while glassing.(Just kidding…I wanted to do that really bad when Damascus shot the glassing video but they refused due to safety factors and potential lawsuits). R Brucker

Dr. S, warm beer is just fine if there isn’t any cold. Especially, on a Baja trip. Resinhead, I think were on the same resonance frequency when it comes to beverages. I like that Newcastle. The tequilla is for later, though, when standing around bullshiting each other looking at our boards. I keep a bottle of Patron and a couple of dust covered shot glasses in the Rat Turd Shop. I store them upside down so the dang rats don’t climb inside and shit and pee in them. Power tools and hard booze should be a no, no. Like booze and guns only not quite as stupid. Mike

Rather than blending templates and trying to get both sides to match, and flowing it all together without flat spots, or corners, draw it out on a computer. I use Autocad and then print it out on a large format printer. I used AKU shaper in the past, and it can be downloaded for free. Once I have the drawing printed out full size, cut it out and lay it on the blank. Save the drawing for re-use, or for multiples, make the masonite template full size. Below is my last board. A small wave quad for a 200+ pound rider. Drop me a line with your measurements and I kick one out for you.

…ha ha ha …

I was waiting for that…

"Rather than blending templates and trying to get both sides to match, and flowing it all together without flat spots, or corners, draw it out on a computer. "

No computer , both sides match!

Having fun hanging with friends… shaping boards… and throwing back a few brews…That’s what it’s all about…