I have a re-occuring challange when trying to trim doun the stringer at the split in the swallow tail. If I use a round surform rasp it always slips to t he left or right cutting into the foam; same problem with a rat tail file. I’m a sponge…give me the 411! JC
This is an easy fix. Do not cut the “V” of the swallow tail until you are nearly done with the board. That way, you can easily work the stringer. Plus, the little points of the swallow will be super fradgile – leave it square and if you bump it – its no problem. I use a saber saw to make the cut – put a piece of paper under the side of the saw that will move accross the “keeper” part of the tail – else, you will have marks to sand out. Triangular file to get the burs off the cut stringer. All the pro-shapers I ever talked to or passed comment on this (3) have said wingers, stingers and swallow tails do not do anything for performace. It is more for style. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a little style. Shine http://users.leading.net/~shine
This is an easy fix. Do not cut the “V” of the swallow tail > until you are nearly done with the board. That way, you can easily work > the stringer. Plus, the little points of the swallow will be super > fradgile – leave it square and if you bump it – its no problem. I use a > saber saw to make the cut – put a piece of paper under the side of the > saw that will move accross the “keeper” part of the tail – > else, you will have marks to sand out. Triangular file to get the burs off > the cut stringer.>>> All the pro-shapers I ever talked to or passed comment on this (3) have > said wingers, stingers and swallow tails do not do anything for > performace. It is more for style. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a > little style.>>> Shine Thanks Shine…I do those things ie: wait until the end to work on the tail to avoin damage etc. but in particular I have trouble tapering the stringer. Whis I could draw on this forum. I prefer the old stle fish tal that gracefully tapers with the foil. The new way seems to be to almost leave the swallow tail square railed. Don’t know if I’ve conveyed what I’m after. JC
Thanks Shine…I do those things ie: wait until the end to work on > the tail to avoin damage etc. but in particular I have trouble tapering > the stringer. Whis I could draw on this forum. I prefer the old stle fish > tal that gracefully tapers with the foil. The new way seems to be to > almost leave the swallow tail square railed. Don’t know if I’ve conveyed > what I’m after. JC If I might throw my 2 cents in . . . JC, after cutting the vee, try using a dremel with a 1/2" dia. barrell sander @ 60 grit to feather that birdie’s tail back.
Jim, Have you checked this thread from the archives? Swaylock http://www.swaylocks.com/discussion/archive/index.cgi?read=1974
Steve in San Diego nailed it on that archived post when he named this the butt crack. The old Fish style swallows give me trouble too. All the posts have hit on some key points and good tips. A couple more… 1.As you will still have to thin the tail and stringer area down after cutting the V- use the baby plane to taper the stringer down. come back with a padded sanding block and blend in the foam down to it. 2.I like the Dremel tool with the barrel sanding tip as well, also have a 1/2" rasp type tool that has rasp like teeth on the narrow edge. 3.tape off the surrounding foam so you can work on the stringer without damaging the foam, then remove the tape and blend the foam to the level of the wood. 4.Don’t order a beefy stringer in those short stubby Fish blanks, go thin, have them done up custom. I’ve got a classic 5’8 with the Choice label from Sunset Cliffs that had a 1/8" stringer, from the nose it tapers to nothing to point about 6" from the butt crack. No stringer to deal with! Tom Sterne>>> Jim,>>> Have you checked this thread from the archives?>>> Swaylock
I’m not sure who posted about the 3 shapers that said wings, stings and swallows do not alter performance. Those shapers either: A) Cannot surf well enough to tell the diffrence. B) Talk their customers out of them because they take extra effort. aloha
It’s a process, not so much of a “TOOL” thing. I use a curved ,and rattail sureform blade ,and a 1/8"-1/2" rattail body files.Herb.
That was me, and the 3 shapers were names a lot of you would know – like “one man still shapes.” Anyone would agree that shaping, glassing and sanding stingers and wingers add complexity/time. http://users.leading.net/~shine