looking for tips to smooth out bumps and hills in the rails after cutting out the outline. any feedback is much appreciated thanks!
Rail bands
You might consider re templating your board and cutting it out more carefully. My experience chasing bumps around the outline is that it made it worse. I have also finished boards with bumps and flat spots and they have surfed bitchen, just bugged the shit out of me looking at them. If they are really slight you may be the only one who notices them, other than guys with really good eyes which are not that common. Mike
If the board plan shape is off, then you need to clean it up. Power planer, sureform, and sanding block have all been used with good success by those skilled in handling them.
It all starts with a good template.
Chasing bumps is a lifelong discipline…take off the highs stay out of the lows…Stepback look close…Valleys wide highs narrow…practice practice…Close one eye whatever it takes…The cleaner you cut in the begining the less chasing later…
Dick Brewer called it chasing bumps as well.
Taught me nose to tail.
Everything.
Still do it to this day.
I’m encouraged that ACE, Barry, and Dick Brewer still get them. Maybe there’s hope for me? Mike
Dave Dahm(sp) rail cutting tool. The best 115 dollars I EVER spent on a surfboard manufacturing tool. IDIOT PROOF. Fix your rocker on bottom and use the rail cutter and 90 seconds later your deck is ready for success. Have to take a pic on the next board to explain better. I believe I took 5 steps forward with my shaping with this tool. I also saved a ton of time.
Damn, theres a tool I can do rails in 90 seconds, why have I been taking 90 minutes for the last 55 years? oh yeah, I wanted them pefect with no bumps
jim,
The 90 seconds is for the two initial cuts. Just the starting point of the rails. Sets up those shaping without 55 years experience on the path for success. You still can go bumpless in the next 88 1/2 minutes. Initial poster sounds like he is at day one of your career mastering rails. Dave has a really helpful video using the tool but I don’t know the link. Should help any beginner do better on the next board. Billet cut aluminum tools are way more friendly and helpful than humans sometimes. If anyone wants to check it out on Oahu you are welcome to use mine. Very easy to use. Only 90 seconds of your time needed.
Draw your template, if possible cut out with jigsaw 1/16" outside your line - the jigsaw will give you a 90 degree cut - no waviness. Take 2 pieces of 4" wide x 8" long x 1/2" thick wood - screw and glue them together at a 90 degree angle so you have a 90 degree sanding block. Glue a piece of 80 grit paper to the inside of one of the pieces. You now have a tool you can put on the bottom and rail and smoothly run up and down the bottom to final clean the template curve. With a little practice you can get a really fluid curve - trust the tool more than the drawn line - works for me.
This is exactly what I do. It takes some practice to feel the high spots.
Great advice. Great tool to run against your outline template.
Just glue the paper 1/4" down so you don’t sand your template.
I built a little tool with a right angle steel bracket, screwed on block and glued on 40 grit sand paper. Tidys up the rail nice and square after cut. Always fininsh up next to the line with a bigger block and long strokes. I’ve seen experienced shapers just eye ball it, but you’d be surprised when you put a square on it. This becomes a no go when blanks have dome or roll close to your outline plan shape thou.
With this method, perfect templates make perfect outlines.
i like a flexible sanding tool - thin wood or plexiglass works but my favorite one is 1/8" PVC signboard material sometimes used as stringers. 24" x 3" with 30/40 grit belt glued to it. this thing works great for outlines - also for fairing in dome and concaves.
cut outside your template line. use sureform to quickly knock down any big deviations, planer to clean it up close to the line, then flexible sanding tool to fare everything in and take it right to the line. you can snug your whole arm against it and have a long surface contacting the outline. also use a quick pass with a right angle tool to make sure the edge is close to square. OR just do it like Barry…but then you need a full length template that exactly fits your shape…i like to mix and match templates
From the other Dave Daum video https://vimeo.com/11538816 . I admire that he makes and adapts stuff.
Planer with 90 degree fence (1 min 30 sec) and the ‘rail maker’ (44 min).
I need to get better with the sabre saw and give it a wider base to get the side cuts truer to the bottom. -J
