Back in the days when there was a Clark Foam, we use to order our blanks with our favorite rocker combinations to get our shapes more consistent. However, each board was adjusted to the surf conditions the board was design for or to the surfer’s preference. The idea was to have the rockers made as a bench mark and adjust accordingly. Shaper still need to shape and tweak. It is all part of the fun of having a truly custom board. I think it would not to be practical to have every possible rocker template for every situation. Just have the ones that will get you consistently close and shape from there.
I think the idea now is that the “shaping” can take place in one’s mind and then the cutting take place on the machine rather than later with the planer in the shaper’s hands. I’m making no judgement about which is a more fulfilling method (actually, I suspect that hand shaping out of a big square block would be most fulfilling, but certainly more error prone for a guy like me!).
I called up some of the local EPS manufacturers (Cellofoam, Insulfoam, and Carpenter) and the only one that seemed willing to work with me was Cellofoam (the other 2 wanted me to contact their sales people). Cellofoam carries 1lb, 1.5lb, and 2lb foam and their standard block size is 3ftx4ftx8ft. It was hard describing to the guy what I wanted to have them cut but he said that they use mastercam software. I modeled up the 6’2"C in AutoDesk Inventor and have it in that format, IGES format, MasterCam X, MasterCam9, and MasterCam8 formats. Now if I had the $162 for a block of foam I’d throw all the files on a flash drive and go over there and have em cut me some. But… I don’t.
I used an image that Bert posted some time ago and emailed it to a foam company… they didn’t want to do different profiles on the same block. Just one set up at a time. I think Bert’s people do it anyway he wants.
I’ve been thinking about this for the guys that don’t have access to cnc foam cutters, but can get blocks of foam. I used to hotwire my own windsurf blanks and made a variety of rail templates for hotwiring. Then I saw this picture on KR’s website for his profiler and a light bulb went off. You could make a hotwire template with your favorite “natural” rocker and then make the nose and tail adjustable a la the ones on the wall in the picture. Now you can tweak your hotwire rockers without making a new template for each one.
Chances are the place you buy the block of foam can cut it into strips for you for free or for a nominal fee right there when you buy it. They aren’t going to do anything crazy but cutting out the rocker outlines shouldn’t be a problem at all.
I’m guessing you’re talking about bottom rocker. Here is something I always wondered about, but never measured. Whenever you get a clark (or walker) the stringer is usually fairly true with the foam on the deck, but stands a little proud on the bottom. I suspect due to the pour the deck is more consistent blank to blank. But, my question is did you measure the bottom rocker on the stringer or on the foam along side the stringer?
I made a rocker templating tool, very similar to the australian made ($400) tool. Measurement can be made on new virgin blanks or even finished boards. I never measure the rocker via deck, makes no sense. Measurements can be on the stringer, off the side of stringer, at rails edge. Very, very ,very little difference at each section. Even a “1st quality blank will have some degree of tweek!”
With copied clark foam blanks via kinkos…this is a great start. The shaper should be able to tweek until loved.
P.S. call Clark Foam and get a bunch of stringers. I’m sure tons of pre-cut stringer material laying around. The pre-cut stringer will give you a starting template.
RE: why clark stringer is slightly proud on bottom vs. deck. Huuummm! many answers, but my idea why?
you don’t want to cut to deep on deck…just skim the deck…leaves a stronger deck (deck takes the most beating/pounding)…therefore I feel clark made/glued stringers this way…knowing you dont want to plane to much off the deck. Leave da bugga close to finish.
I’m sure many of the pros out there will have there reasons why.
Manoa: Say it isn’t so… the Wahiawa Clark Foam warehouse on Palm Pl. is closed. I remember the hours I spent there looking for that perfect blank. I also remember going there to custom order a blank and leaving with a few 2nd blanks that shaped out perfect. That was the place where a lot of my dreams were started.
Thanks for the pictures. I will surely miss that place.
Now talk about merging technologies, Clark rocker templates, EPS blanks, epoxy resin and Kinkos printing.
I got to thinking about this because, if you order a custom rocker from clark, say +1/2 in the last 18" of the tail, when you got the blank, the stringer is always true on the deck and not the bottom. So, it just seems that their final reference was always the deck foam. So with a plus bottom rocker from clark, you have to take more off the deck to get the same foil than if you added the plus bottom rocker with your planer. Anyway, this is just going into my thinking for an adjustable hotwire template.
hey adamus, i am foam manufacturer in california and i will be cutting blanks starting tomorrow. i can use autocadLT and visualCad file formats… let me know if there is anything i can help you with… i make 1, 1.5, and 2 lb. foam
