Got the template cut out ok. Went to sand the crusty outside down and decided to use a belt sander. Whoa! Quickly decided it was a bad idea as it was cutting too fast and starting to gouge. Went back to the surform. Will this work if I stay at it long enough? The are islands of hard crusty exterior surrounded by soft interior foam. Difficult to work with. I’m thinking if I go slow w/ sandpaper and surform maybe I’ll be ok. Input welcome.
get a cheap electric planer,Harbor Freight carries them. it will save you some time and aggravation,good luck
If you don’t have the money for a cheap planer, I have used a large block plane with the blade just below the bottom of the plane. This will barely cut off the hard outer crust. The block plane runs about $20
If you have the dough and are serious about shaping a few boards, get the Clark modified Hitachi power planer. With some practice, its the fastest way to make a nice shape. On the other hand, the for half the price you can get a couple of different size used block planes, new sharpening stones and a sharpening guide and do it that way. I’m starting to enjoy the block plane method more and more.
I did my first board with a block plane and a small hobbly planer. Using these two tools is fine for your first board. It will just take a LONG time to skin the blank. If this is something that you are really serious about, spend the money and get a decent electric planer. Drew
A.A, You should be fine with a long surform and a rough sanding block: 60 grit. It will take longer, but it will also allow you to discover the process of “subtractive sculpture” slowly. Once you see how the whole thing works, it’s easier switch to a planer and not make big mistakes. Doug
Thanks for everybody’s input. I might try the block plane in combination with my surform and sandpaper. It’s about 20 degrees outside in Virginia so I guess therte’s no hurry.
If you take a little time to sharpen and set the blade correctly, it’ll cut through the crust very easily and minimizes “overshaping.” It also eliminates learning curve problems most people have with power planes - like running sideways through the nose rocker, stepped cuts, etc.
use the block plane clark sells and adjust the depth to the point it will skin the glue.you can skin a blank this way in about 5 minutes on the deck in the nose area just turn the plane to a 45 degree angle Thesae planes work great and cost $15