Got some LB blanks laying around with puny 1/8" basswood stringers. Would you advise against disecting the blank and gluing in some new stringers to fatten it up and from a t band?
I have an annoying (to myself) habit of trying things just for the sake of trying them. I took this blank, cut it half, and added a hollow-chambered redwood stringer. I didn't really know how its done, so I just took a japanese pull-saw, and cut carefully down the center of the stringer. I used the half board to make a pattern for my new stringer.
Then I block sanded a bit to clean it up, and glued and clamped my new stringer in place. One thing I didn't do was leave some meat around the fin, and I got hairline cracks around the fin box. Which took water into the hollowed out stringer. See how I always complicate my life?
That's a nice Egg Huck.
Pico, it might be easier to just do a couple of offsets instead of one TBand. I rip cut them on the bandsaw but a Skilsaw will work also. Besides, triple stringers are the coolest looking....at least to me. The offsets don't have to be parallel either, they can splay out on one end or the other for a different look.
Rip the blank in half down the stringer with a bandsaw or hand saw. Use a jointer to true up each half before glueing the new stringers in. If the halves aren’t straight and square you will end up with gaps and possible twist in the blank.
I get blanks that have the wrong rocker, not the correct stringer, etc. I put a dull blade on my band saw, this way it will be more difficult to get a bite into the existing stringer. Toe it in slightly at the stick and saw away, do the opposite side, joint the faces of the foam and use the old stick for a pattern, if it is the rocker you want. No bar or pipe clamps ? bicyle inner tubes cut into strips and cinched up work very well
JKP that dull blade trick is just what I needed. Have been thinking about gluing up some blanks myself. Funny how the simple things can make or break a project. I bought an old redwood sandblasted sign 12 feet long…24"wide…2"thick. Made from vertical grain first growth redwood in the 70’s. Should be able to resaw some primo stringers out of it.
Thanks for the replies guys. No one said “don’t waste your time”, so on with the project! Lots of great info to start off, really appreciated. Now to find some suitable wood. . .
What do you guys use to glue it up? Resin or a wood glue?
since I still had a thin bit of wood on each half from the original stringer (so I was glueing wood-to-wood) I used wood glue (titebond II)
Wood glue will not bond to foam. Use a polyurethane glue like Gorilla glue; it only takes a small amount- it expands as it sets. Resin will work but will dull your planner blades quickly.
Pico, if you make 2 t-band stringers 1/2 " thick for top and bottom, you can drop them into the deck and bottom with a plunge router running along a straight edge , to form an "I-beam" stringer. This is stronger than a normal stringer. Best to profile the blank to 'almost' your finished curves first. You can make them I" thick and they should scarf together at nose and tail , or make them 6" too long and use the offcuts to fill the gap at nose and tail.......glue with polyurethane (waterproof) or epoxy or vegemite.........
kevincc,
I have used woodglue with polyfoam andit worked for me(glued up with different rockers too).
get some ROO GLUE- check hard wood suppliers for it…
It works for me when gluing up stringers. Won’t hurt your planer blades…
HTH…
Outline and cut blank to desired width minus 1 1/2". Cut off nose and tail where the nose and tail block will go. Add balsa perimeter stringer around whole blank, 3/4" wide. Shape blank, add nose and tail blocks, glass, make extra time on surf outings to answer questions about your very cool board.