Lol, yeah, she headed down there last weekend actually. I asked her about it, and I was wrong! my mistake! 
-Carl
that’s some really cool stuff. making the trek all the way down south just to keep her signature model truly “signature”. that’s love, man. i dig…
Quote:
Hi Margaret _ To me there is nothing necessarily wrong or derogatory with being a production shaper. I’m glad you put your friend in the same company w/ Phil Becker. From what I have heard, Phil is one of the hardest working guys in the industry. Calvani must love to work under those labels. Good for you guys!
I don’t think Matt is what you would call a typical production shaper if he can even been classified as one at all. From what I can tell he is a first rate businessman/manager and exellent craftsman who takes his time to get it as right as any custom shaper. Unless Margaret corrects me I think Matt has a vested interest in at least the Bing label…so it’s very personal to him and not just a job shaping boards “under a label.” I think you will look a long time to find a whole lot of custom shapers that produce the work I have seen come out of the Bing factory. Nice stuff…nice folks. This is not directed at you Eastern. It just gave me an opportunity to give Matt and the crew a whats up. I think another little known fact about Matt is he is a good shortboard shaper as well.
Thanks for clarifying. I just didn’t want anyone to get the impression that things have come easy to Matt. Though he’s extremely thankful that Phil gave him the opportunity to shape and learn in a high-pressure production environment, in the end he equated it to digging holes. It started to compromise his beliefs, that surfboards should be more about quality rather than quantity. That’s why he left Becker in the end and took over Bing (from Mike Eaton). Now with both licenses (Bing and Jacobs), he can focus on design and quality and wake up everyday looking forward to his work.
well looks like im a few years late on this thread…but ah what the hell! i’m a female surfboard builder living in north devon england. i only started shaping about 6 months ago, but am totally hooked, and really want to continue with this. im now on board no.4. i’ve attached a pic of my 3 rd board i made for a friend, a 9’4 semi pig. i designed this board from scratch, as i get real stoke from the design side, as well as shaping and glassing. my first and second boards were both my own takes on the mini simmons design (pic also attahced). i was lucky enough to stumble upon an incredible board builder/designer named tim mason, who, although we havent met in person, has helped me loads via email and phone calls! apart from removing the crust i shape and sand using only handtools…i like to go slow! : ) i was just sat trawling the internet , trying to find other female shapers, when i came across this thread. i recently started a blog about my antics : thehandcraftedboard.blogspot.co.uk
Nice job there Ellie. There aren't many people left who shape a board by hand and glass it themselves. It looks like you've done your homework.
PS... it's quite possible to shape a board entirely with hand tools. A sharp block plane with the blade set just right can make fairly quick work of crust removal.
Dave, that lady shaped? Like got a blank, planed it, used a template, measured it up, made a board with your, or without your help? Or finished off a shaping machine thing? Because I don’t care, be it a young guy, lady, you cant really call yourself a shaper, untill you actually shape a board. I have said many times, you have done well in a hard market, you cant swing in other people and call them shapers, well of course you can, silly me.
atta girl!
as is said locally
GEEV UM!!!
and now for boards 3-9 then onto double digit
accounting,as you become more courageous
the express tools will help you access your
higher mind that will indeed be working on
the next board as you are finishing the one
…in your hands. Yes the whole world is in your
hands, and what you choose to pursue
in design and materials will be telling,
a chronicle of your life in surfboards.
stop by when on kauai this winter.
…ambrose…
40 years of boards
in my compound.
all made by hand.
Hey Ellie, I might be a few years later, I know how hard it is to get an even tint job and cut like that, especially with light green, good job,
cheers H.
absolulty…i planed off my first crust with my little block plane. been trying to get used to the feel of the planer, so been attempting the crust only last few boards…but to be honest i love my hand tools : ). i feel in control, and in touch with what im doing…and have developed some good foam removal techniques along the way. althogth im pretty slow im sure by many standards! that green simm was probably my quickest shaped at about 7 hours, the longboard, more around 15/20…but then im such a tinkerer too. literally just finished shaping no. 4. its a 6’0 version of the green one (thats a 5’6)…but further refined. cant wait to get glassing… : )
p.s thanks Harris : )
**great stuff you got it just keep pumping them out and keep posting here **
**
**
what a breath of fresh air
cheers huie
I Have a question for the female Board builders. Who are your influences? People that inspired you. Your mentors and inspirations?
Just like gals in the line up, great!
well as for my mentor, thats easy : Tim Mason, incredible designer and board builder, Tim constantly gives me masses of encouragement, and has given the me confidence to put myself out there, and get on with it… and He has shared a wealth of knowledge with me … an all round wonderful guy.
As for inspirations: my friend J.P (zoobab of urge), building big old longboards boards for himself in hid old wine cellar in france whom i met the first year i started surfing in spain, putting a massive middle finger up to “the industry” and building boards HE wanted to ride.
i’d never heard of female shapers until i saw a movie feat. Ashley lloyd, so i guess you could say seeing that put a little spark in my brain, that women , be it a few, did actually make boards.
As for board builders who inspire me…gene cooper ! in-cred-ible…! : ) .
There was Steph Swan in PC-Newport on the Oregon Coast. I acquired a board that was a Shape By Steph a few years back, but it was shaped by her dad Steve and not her. Not sure if they are still around, she used to have a web site, but it does not seem to be active anymore. McDing or someone in Newport might know more about them and their history than I
not sure if your dad shaping your boards really makes you a shaper!!! : )…a designer maybe though?
Sweet, keep up the good work, keep posting, H.
o.k…will do : ), just hotcoating my 4th board at mo. will pop a photo on when im all done H!.
A while back I ran across an article about a woman that was shaping in San Diego. She was working with Skip Frye and a couple other legendary San Diego shapers. I don't recall her name.