So I won an Ice9 7’0" High Performance Shortboard blank at the AB3 East. I’ve never touched foam outside of my own ding repair and don’t know the first thing about shaping. I’ve been reading the archives of this site until my eyes bleed trying to learn and watching all the You Tube videos I can find on shaping. I’ve ordered $100 worth of block planes, surforms, saws, etc and I got my hands on a Bosch planer. I’m pretty intimidated by the idea of actually having to carve this thing into a ridable shape and glassing it, but I’ve always wanted to try and now I have no excuse not to. Here’s the blank I won:
So what can I make from this? The three shapes that crossed my mind were, a mini-gun/step-up shape (thruster or bonzer), an egg (single fin or 2+1), or retro mini gun single fin. I found a free mini-gun template at the APS3000 website and it looked like it could be fun board for Jersey winters when it’s head high and I’m fighting a 6/4 to paddle, I don’t own an egg shape and think one would be fun in the summer and looks like an easier shape, and a retro mini-gun single fin just plain looks like a stylin’ board that would be fun to shape. Now I don’t own any of those so I have nothing to work off of. What would anyone recommend for a first board that I can get out of this blank? Am I completely off target with those? Any up front suggestions are appreciated before I continue planning my next steps.
If you’ve had a look at the APS stuff you’ll be onto a winner. You can choose a pic of a board you like and superimpose it into the programe in order to “copy” the lines. So find a picture and make your template. Start by shaping the bottom rocker. then get your thickness right throughout the board relative to the bottom rocker, then use your plan shape template (1/2 a board length wise, this makes it easier to keep the board symetrical) to mark your blank, cut the shape out of your blank keeping the cut vertical. Now set at it with a rail band marking tool, a plane, surform and a block and glass paper. Also read “surfboard design and construction” (its here somewhere, just do a search and a link will appear.)
BTW, I’m just about to glass my first foam (all my previous were wood) and was really intimidated by the prospect of stuffing it up. Once you start this will ease, just plan, relax and most importantly enjoy.
Keep us posted on the progress…with pictures… Good luck!
Congrats on the blank. I’ve shaped that exact blank before (with a ton of help from resinhead), and the board came out great. I went for a mini-gun, but there’s enough flexibility to do other things, too.
The foam shapes great, just be sure to move your planer slowly – the foam is stronger than normal poly, so your planer will need to chew on it a little more ;>)
Templating at Keith’s BBQ:
You can get a glimpse of the outline here, also from the BBQ:
It looks like this nowadays, credit to Darth Vader and a liberal application of the Dark Side of the Force:
Found the link to the book in the archives. Exactly what I needed to kick start this, Awesome! Thanks! And thanks for the advice!
Quote:
If you’ve had a look at the APS stuff you’ll be onto a winner. You can choose a pic of a board you like and superimpose it into the programe in order to “copy” the lines. So find a picture and make your template. Start by shaping the bottom rocker. then get your thickness right throughout the board relative to the bottom rocker, then use your plan shape template (1/2 a board length wise, this makes it easier to keep the board symetrical) to mark your blank, cut the shape out of your blank keeping the cut vertical. Now set at it with a rail band marking tool, a plane, surform and a block and glass paper. Also read “surfboard design and construction” (its here somewhere, just do a search and a link will appear.)
BTW, I’m just about to glass my first foam (all my previous were wood) and was really intimidated by the prospect of stuffing it up. Once you start this will ease, just plan, relax and most importantly enjoy.
Keep us posted on the progress…with pictures… Good luck!
Thanks for the heads up on the foam. Have you ever shaped an Egg or anything to compare how hard the mini-gun was to shape? Have any full pics of the finished product? The resin swirl looks incredible.
Quote:
Congrats on the blank. I’ve shaped that exact blank before (with a ton of help from resinhead), and the board came out great. I went for a mini-gun, but there’s enough flexibility to do other things, too.
The foam shapes great, just be sure to move your planer slowly – the foam is stronger than normal poly, so your planer will need to chew on it a little more ;>)
Thanks for the heads up on the foam. Have you ever shaped an Egg or anything to compare how hard the mini-gun was to shape? Have any full pics of the finished product? The resin swirl looks incredible.
No appreciable difference in difficulty, imho. If you add a swallowtail and detailed bottom design, then it will be more demanding, but that’s true of any board. No finished pics yet – I just put the fin system in, so there’s a way to go still…
you can make all kinds of stuff from it…even a 6ft fish by sawing off the tips 6 inches at each end…no need to limit yourself to 7ft boards…but thats okay too…fishes tend to be on the thick side so that 3 inch blank would work well.
what i would NOT do as a first timer is to change the rocker…just clean the bottom with sandpaper and leave it there. use long smooth strokes…shaping rocker is the quickest way to ruin a first time shaping event. that stock rocker looks great btw.
hate to tell ya, but you can shape that thing with just a cheap mini hand plane (~$10) and sandpaper wrapped around a pc of 2x4.
an electric planer? i wouldnt touch it with YOUR 10 foot pole
stop watching those e-planer shaping vids on you tube! or else there will be trouble
print out the blank drawing and sketch in your design right over it with a pencil…repeat if necessary…then place your blank on stands or table and stand back about 20+ feet or so so that the size of your drawing closely matches the size of the blank ahead of you…hold your drawing out in front of you and compare to the blank…before touching the blank with anything, shape the board with your eyes and mind…do this for as long as you have to but eventually, you’ll see where the foam needs to be cut.
dont force a design into the blank…pic a design that fits the blank with minimal shaping…if you cleaned up the blank just a bit and glassed it it would make a fine stick…sort of.
go slow…use a grit that feels easy…be one with your sandpaper.
fair warning: other guys are gonna jump in here and tell you im full of caca and that youll be okay with the e-planer…let the games begin! hehe
“you can shape that thing with just a cheap mini hand plane (~$10) and sandpaper wrapped around a pc of 2x4.”
Agreed… although a handsaw for the outline and sanding screen wrapped around some soft upholstery foam for finish work might be nice.
A local rental place that carries floor refinishers has some REALLY coarse sandpapers that rival the Pleskunas shaping blocks in severity and easily removes as much foam as a surform.
Those mini-planes are great for whittling a shape by hand. Shaping an entire board (especially a shortboard from a close tolerance blank) is definitely possible with one of those tools.
My vote for the shape is a basic squash tail step-up model in the 6’10" range.
If you’d like, PM me. I’m available if you need more details or help with the design and shaping process. I have a small pile of templates. I’d be happy to trace one or more and mail them to you.
“you can shape that thing with just a cheap mini hand plane (~$10) and sandpaper wrapped around a pc of 2x4.”
Those mini-planes are great for whittling a shape by hand. Shaping an entire board (especially a shortboard from a close tolerance blank) is definitely possible with one of those tools.
As the saying goes, been there, done that! Depending on what you’re wanting out of the blank, as long as it’s close tolerance, it really doesn’t take much longer than using an electric planer.
Agreed… although a handsaw for the outline and sanding screen wrapped around some soft upholstery foam for finish work might be nice.
righteeoh…i forgot about that. fortunately, most people have a hand saw laying around the house…and yeah the screen with cushion foam is nice. lets see…yeah thats it i reckon, four cheap basic tools many of which can be scrounged up…and various grits of s-paper…they even sell the various kit at HD…couldnt be any simpler.
The funny thing is I don’t even own a hand saw! I have power miter saw, a jig saw, a circular saw, but no hand saw. So I ordered the hand saw, a large and small block plane, a large and small surform, replacement blades for all, and a square. All came to about $100 with shipping. I can run to the local hardware store for sandpaper and sanding screen. I’m gonna make my own caliper and sanding block. I still need to figure out where to get some foam from for a sanding pad. But that should set me up. I’d like to try the Bosch out on the deck, but will take my time favor the hand tools. All great advice here, Thanks. I promise to start taking some pictures as I begin the process.
One more question. Is there a way to convert the APS3000 plan shape to pdf so that I can print it out and make a template similar to the Greenlight ones?
you can make all kinds of stuff from it…even a 6ft fish by sawing off the tips 6 inches at each end…no need to limit yourself to 7ft boards…but thats okay too…fishes tend to be on the thick side so that 3 inch blank would work well.
what i would NOT do as a first timer is to change the rocker…just clean the bottom with sandpaper and leave it there. use long smooth strokes…shaping rocker is the quickest way to ruin a first time shaping event. that stock rocker looks great btw.
hate to tell ya, but you can shape that thing with just a cheap mini hand plane (~$10) and sandpaper wrapped around a pc of 2x4.
an electric planer? i wouldnt touch it with YOUR 10 foot pole
stop watching those e-planer shaping vids on you tube! or else there will be trouble
print out the blank drawing and sketch in your design right over it with a pencil…repeat if necessary…then place your blank on stands or table and stand back about 20+ feet or so so that the size of your drawing closely matches the size of the blank ahead of you…hold your drawing out in front of you and compare to the blank…before touching the blank with anything, shape the board with your eyes and mind…do this for as long as you have to but eventually, you’ll see where the foam needs to be cut.
dont force a design into the blank…pic a design that fits the blank with minimal shaping…if you cleaned up the blank just a bit and glassed it it would make a fine stick…sort of.
go slow…use a grit that feels easy…be one with your sandpaper.
fair warning: other guys are gonna jump in here and tell you im full of caca and that youll be okay with the e-planer…let the games begin! hehe
Haha, yeah I’m a bit afraid that the Bosch will eat foam and I’ll have no blank left. Intersting, so maybe I can make a fish… uhg too many options I want to shape them all! I think my free blank is gonna make me spend more money on more blanks and tools! I might have been better of not winning. Glad to hear it can all be done with the hand tools, but I’m sure the temptation may at least make me try to make a pass with Bosch just to see what it’s like. I promise to stay away from the rocker. Thanks for all the great advice!
If you’d like, PM me. I’m available if you need more details or help with the design and shaping process. I have a small pile of templates. I’d be happy to trace one or more and mail them to you.
Awesome, I may just take you up on that, Thanks!!!
Cool, I’m glad your stoked on the blank. If your dying to use the planer, which isnt a bad idea IMHO if your planning on shaping more boards in the future (what time then the present to learn) I would recommend just taking your time and if its starts to look funny/bad just put it down and go back to hand tools this time. Dont think that you will fix it with the planer on the next pass, it will just progressively get worse and worse especially because you can’t adjust it on the fly like a Skil or a Clark planer. I probably wouldn’t even try to use it to put in bottom contours or rail bands either for the first several times. One small mistake with the planer could really mess those up quick.
The blank was free so why not practice now than on a blank you just spent $90.00 on. Keep us updated.
I just (today) finally finished my first board. I shaped it all with hand tools. Hand saw for the plan shape. Skinned it with a hand plane. Did most of the foam removal with a sureform and screen. I used no measuring tools or rail banding, I shaped by look and actual hands on feel after the plan shape was cut. I’m not even gonna try to say that it’s super bad assed or anything but considering that I started shaping before I got on Sways and did absolutely zero research other than printing out (incorrectly) a template from Greenlight I’m pretty apply with it over all. It has some flaws that I would know how to better avoid most time and most of them are cosmetic but I think thats all part of the process. Some of us aren’t fortunate enough to live in areas with tons of backyard shapers to help each other out so it’s all live and learn.
How far away are you from Exit 98 on the Parkway, I have everything needed to make boards.I could show you step by step what to do, shaping, glassing, sanding, polishing. I just shaped and glassed a 7’ 4" Hybrid Ice 9 blank and I brought 2 boards made with Ice 9 foam at the AB3.I’m in the second to last photo you took, I’m standing next to my buddy Gene Wahl Jr
