1 mil? dang, does it hold up well enough? I’d like to keep them for a few years.
If it's stored properly; flat or edged, and out of UV, it'll last a long time. I have plenty of 12 or 13 yr old ones from the slightly thicker PVC.
I had a piece of the polyethylene sheet in my truck when I saw you at the Halloween Fish Fry, but I forgot to give it to you. Next time you're over get with me.
Hey GL, yeah I remember those aluminum templates. You were doing a full-on blank business back then.
MD, did you ever see the aluminum rocker templates from the 80’s? We used them way back when because we we’re making so many blanks and the masonite ones were just burning up. That was before we knew the “surf wax on the edge of the template” trick. Anyway, we still have those … they’ll be around well after all of us are gone. A bit of a challenge to make those … grinding forever. We had an aluminum fabricator cut them out for us.
I use 2 mil … about 1/16th. They last very well and bend fine.
[quote="$1"]
Maybe we are simple down under. It is used by panel beaters ( auto repairmen) to file BOG (bondo). So we call them bog files.
[/quote
Panel file,used for file finishing metal panels,not bog!
Yes i was a panel beater in a past life,and yes they are good for taking the sticky skin from bog.]
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hi greg with a japanese pull saw you can cut your template on the line with the saw as close to perfect and 2 minutes with a sanding block if neccesary. i have actually cut them without requiring any sanding. if you havent tried one i suggest you would love it.
father forgive me, I have bumped my own thread.
(there were a couple of threads with template questions. lot’s of good tips here from lot’s of guys.)
Hey Keith, yeah I’m a fool for tools too! Thanks for trading that old Rockwell planer to me. Got it all stripped, then shot a clear coat over it. You wouldn’t recognize it. Works great by the way! I hope you found good use of those shaping racks.
Mike Daniels, I saw that trick with the plastic PVC templates years ago while working for Linden. When he was very busy, he had all sorts of shapers coming through the shop. This guy from Brazil showed up with all his shaping tools in one bag. He said he even had all his templates too! We were surprised when he broke out those templates, hung them up on a nail and had full sized templates the next morning. Very cool.
I still make and use Masonite templates. Easy to cut and true up.
And like most guys here, I make most of my own tools.
Shaper/Toolmaker
Barry
When I had my Yacht business we made all sorts of fairing boards even some that were used by two people. That one did not work out so well. The 36'' was great. For The average bit of fairing or template making the ones like Greg showed are perfect They come with clips to hold on the sand paper or you can get ones that use an adhesive. Most auto paint supply stores should have them Might even find then a Harbor Freight.
Aloha Greg:
I do something similar to Fatbaslardass. I get a belt sander belt, cut it to the desire length and epoxy three layers of 4 oz. glass to the back of the belt. While the epoxy is drying, I clamp a one inch strip of wood on each end of the belt to serve as handles. This has the flexibility to go around cruves and get rid of the high spots for both templates and cutting out plan shapes on blanks. This is one of the best homemade tools I built.
Mahalo,
Dennis
Aloha Greg:
I do something similar to Fatbaslardass. I get a belt sander belt, cut it to the desire length and epoxy three layers of 4 oz. glass to the back of the belt. While the epoxy is drying, I clamp a one inch strip of wood on each end of the belt to serve as handles. This has the flexibility to go around cruves and get rid of the high spots for both templates and cutting out plan shapes on blanks. This is one of the best homemade tools I built.
Mahalo,
Dennis
UncleD, that's a cool idea! I'm gonna have to try that one!
Well, dang, UncleD. I guess I could make templates without my tool if I used yours. Yours sounds pretty good.
Uncle D seems like a lot of work for a flexible fairing board that you use until the belt wears out. Why not build the Epoxy glass and handles then use 3M disc adhesive to attach the belt? This way you get to change out belts and use different grits as well
That’s great UncleD! Thanks for the tip
Artz, sanding belts last a long time. Way longer than typical sandpaper. Especially in this application.
Seems like you could make one with the leftover resin in a bucket while glassing a board.
Not much work at all IMHO
so why not make one that you can use over and over again? In my yacht restoration business we had to make lots and lots of fairing boards. Applications for a moderate flex fairingboard would be useful in many aspects of board building the epoxy glass base is good just make more versatile by not making the actual sandpaper belt a permanent part of the tool.
Hmmm so would you lay it up on a piece of glass or mirror Artz?