Hi, I’ve been reading this forum for awhile, and it’s inspired me to build my own board. I want a fat-wide board with lots of float, maybe an egg or fish shape (i’m about 200lb). I’m the most nervous about glassing it. What I’m wondering is if I could shape a board without investing in a mechanical planer. Maybe just use a hand planer (I have a wood plane), or buy surform to whittle it into shape. What else would I need to get to start the ball rolling? I have a garage at my disposal and some scrap wood to build a shaping stand and some templates. Thanks a million!
Hi, I’ve been reading this forum for awhile, and it’s inspired me to build > my own board. I want a fat-wide board with lots of float, maybe an egg or > fish shape (i’m about 200lb). I’m the most nervous about glassing it.>>> What I’m wondering is if I could shape a board without investing in a > mechanical planer. Maybe just use a hand planer (I have a wood plane), or > buy surform to whittle it into shape. What else would I need to get to > start the ball rolling? I have a garage at my disposal and some scrap wood > to build a shaping stand and some templates. Thanks a million! Hey Fatboy, I just finished my first shape and I will share a few of the things I learned by trial and error. As far as the tools go. The electric planer is a very worthwhile investment. I went cheap and bought a black&decker. It worked fine for what we beginners need. Be careful though, they have 2 models out for about the same price $65 go for #7696. Get a large and small surform. I rarely used the large one though. A good sharp handsaw for cutting out your template. Sandpaper 60 and 100 grit. Some wood to wrap the paper around and you are pretty much in biz. A copy of “shaping 101” and watch it like 10 times before you start. Get the proper sized blank for what you want the finished board to be is probably the single most important thing. It is easier than you think to shape a decent looking board and unless you are one kinerippa you probably will think it goes alright. As for the glassing. Get someone who has done it to help ya. It will make a world of difference. I want to give out props to TODD O for his assistance on my board. And to ALL the contributors on this site for all the useful information ,I give a BIG THANK-YOU!!! A shaper has been born!!! So FatBoy go for it and have fun, its addicting.
I shaped two nice looking boards without a power planer. I just used surforms (shearforms) for the major foam removal. I took a whole lot of time though! Also, I found the two videos, Shaping and Glassing 101, to be very helpful. Good luck and enjoy.
The tools I use are; saw, small hand plane, sureform, sanding block, T-square, sanding screen and various grits of sandpaper. I have electric planer phobia but if you learn to use it properly, you’ll save a lot of time. I read somewhere that you can get an unshaped blank, skin it, glass it and come out with an okay board. So if you choose the right blank, you won’t have much work to do. I highly recomend the shaping 101 video. Definitly get some help with the glassing. Be really careful about not taking too much foam off the deck.
leave yourself a little more room than you think you need when you cut the outline, then true it up with the surform/sanding block. it takes a lot of practice to hack one out like JC does in the vid. i also found on my first couple boards i didn’t foil the front enough and didn’t soften the rails toward the front enough. i’d like to hear other beginning mistakes folks have made.
My first two boards were shaped with a router, surform and sandpaper(straight stick). I used the router to skin the board. A 1/8 inch cut on the stringer to start, then a 1/16 on the foam. You then bring the foam down to the stringer. Close tolerance blanks help. In a few months I will be doing a 10’6" that will be documented on my web. http://www.viser.net/~anthwind