ok, i finally decided what board im gonna shape. It’s one of my friends 6’ 8" fun boards. so i was looking on foam ez’s website and wasn’t sure what blank to buy. does anybody have any advice? i was thinking about this one but tyhought it might be too big. what do you think. 6’-11"R 3/16 Bass Superblue - The smallest of the “Hybrid” series, it’s an extremely easy blank to shape. Yields a 6’11" 2-5/8" high performance fun-board. Superblue foam with 3/16" bass stringer. http://glueproductsplus.com/
What exactly do you mean by “too big”. Lengthwise it would be fine. It is typical to cut off a few inches at the tail or nose of a blank to gain a certain length. The blank is not excessively thick or wide, so you should be fine. The deck is domed pretty well so it will be easier to shape without biting much into the deck. Sure - go for it!
Dunno if it is your first board and if your going to mow with an electric planer, but if it is and you are- consider supergreen density. I did my first few boards with supergreen, (my elec planer was a stanley cheapo). Anyway, if you’ve done others, you should be fine.
it is my first board and i will only be using a hand planer and surform. http://glueproductsplus.com/
i have heard people say using a super green blank would be easier to shape as a beginner, however the foam ez website has no mention of this type of blank. does anyone know how the super green and super blue blanks compare. http://glueproductsplus.com/
… for what it’s worth, you should use an electric planer. Bosch makes a good starter. If you’re a little unsure, just set the depth as shallow as possible and take your time. At least skin the blank with it and then use a 24" block to sand deck and bottom for uniformity. I’ve just shaped my 1st board in over 20 years (#12 overall), and skinned the blank with a planer and cut my vee in by hand. MISTAKE - should’ve used the planer for symmetry and less bumps (not to mention smooth transistion). Being too cautious, I cut my rail bands in by hand. BIG MISTAKE, should’ve learned by doing that vee - should’ve been brave (smart) and used the planer to cut the rail bands! Check out Carper’s or Phillips’ shaping video and watch how they do it. I’ll NEVER cut another rail band by hand again, I’m STILL finding little bumps! On the rails just mark your profile /thickness lines and cut shallow in tip to tip passes. Shaping rack/light setup important here. Sorry, if I went on, but I can’t stress how much better it is to use the planer. Oh yeah, don’t remember who said it but it’s a great rule: Measure twice - cut once! p.s. - buy a short blank (cheaper)or two to practice if you’re still unsure - and buy seconds (cheaper still). It’s worth the meager price.
… for what it’s worth, you should use an electric planer. Bosch makes a good starter. If you’re a little unsure, just set the depth as shallow as possible and take your time. At least skin the blank with it and then use a 24" block to sand deck and bottom for uniformity. I’ve just shaped my 1st board in over 20 years (#12 overall), and skinned the blank with a planer and cut my vee in by hand. MISTAKE - should’ve used the planer for symmetry and less bumps (not to mention smooth transistion). Being too cautious, I cut my rail bands in by hand. BIG MISTAKE, should’ve learned by doing that vee - should’ve been brave (smart) and used the planer to cut the rail bands! Check out Carper’s or Phillips’ shaping video and watch how they do it. I’ll NEVER cut another rail band by hand again, I’m STILL finding little bumps! On the rails just mark your profile /thickness lines and cut shallow in tip to tip passes. Shaping rack/light setup important here. Sorry, if I went on, but I can’t stress how much better it is to use the planer. Oh yeah, don’t remember who said it but it’s a great rule: Measure twice - cut once! p.s. - buy a short blank (cheaper)or two to practice if you’re still unsure - and buy seconds (cheaper still). It’s worth the meager price.
Bruce from Georgia is correct. You don’t want to do rail bands by hand. Come to think of it, buy Carper’s video-you will learn sooo much. As for Superblue-supergreen comparison. Supergreen is 5% denser than superblue. Download the FoamEZ catalog and read Brad’s introduction, then when your done read it again. It is very informative on making blank decisions. You may want to skip the deeper involved rocker info as it may get confusing. Also, go to shaper’s bay on Surfline and print out all the pages from Dave Parmenter’s “Hands, Brains, Soul,” a excellent resource. He’s the one who recs supergreen as starting point. http://www.surfline.com/mag/features/how_to_shape/index.html. My only advise is have fun and be safe. Proper equipment, patience, and plan before starting will yield a good first board. I don’t know what tools you have but you may want to consider buying a “fred”. Lastly, my first board was- let’s say a little wierd looking, but you know against my friend’s advise I had it glassed anyway and rode it. I was surprised to learn, that even cock-eyed shapes can plane water.
kyle, The Fred tool is easy to make. Or, use a surform.