Longboard Template??

I was wondering how do i make my longboard template after i got one side done? I’m shaping a 9’ and normal use 4x8 1/8 plywood, would i just have to make my templates a two piece deal? Just wondering how others deal with their templates over 8’. Thanks everyone, Stephen Berube

Stephen: This is a good question and one I’d like to listen to others answer. I’ve made spin templates for over 8’ boards, also used full length 8’ with the remainder being duct taped on for the final 12" in the tail (I have pintails, square tails etc) and pick which one I want. Lately I find that I’m blending noses and tails from my growing pile of templates anyway so full length isn’t as important. What I have found is that the masonite material with the melamine or dry erase finish (white etc.) makes good templates and often is in the scrap bin at the lumber yard. It’s pretty fragile and they toss the sheets with dinged up corners in at 1/2 price. There is such thing as 10’ stock BTW. you can buy doorskin ply real thin that would work for full size templates. Gimme some ideas. Tom S.>>> I was wondering how do i make my longboard template after i got one side > done? I’m shaping a 9’ and normal use 4x8 1/8 plywood, would i just have > to make my templates a two piece deal? Just wondering how others deal with > their templates over 8’. Thanks everyone, Stephen Berube

Stephen:>>> This is a good question and one I’d like to listen to others answer. I’ve > made spin templates for over 8’ boards, also used full length 8’ with the > remainder being duct taped on for the final 12" in the tail (I have > pintails, square tails etc) and pick which one I want. Lately I find that > I’m blending noses and tails from my growing pile of templates anyway so > full length isn’t as important. What I have found is that the masonite > material with the melamine or dry erase finish (white etc.) makes good > templates and often is in the scrap bin at the lumber yard. It’s pretty > fragile and they toss the sheets with dinged up corners in at 1/2 price. > There is such thing as 10’ stock BTW. you can buy doorskin ply real thin > that would work for full size templates. Gimme some ideas.>>> Tom S. Masonite is the old standby but a bitch to clean up.door skins are unreal but not avaliable in lengths over 6 feet.There is supposed to some kind of high density foam around 1/8’ inch that is really good.I for the life of me can’t seem to find the stuff…its kinda like the stuff that architects use for model making but a lot cheaper.By the way most of my templates are “spins”.

Masonite is the old standby but a bitch to clean up.door skins are unreal > but not avaliable in lengths over 6 feet.There is supposed to some kind of > high density foam around 1/8’ inch that is really good.I for the life of > me can’t seem to find the stuff…its kinda like the stuff that architects > use for model making but a lot cheaper.By the way most of my templates are > “spins”. I built a device which is mounted to my wall. It looks very close to what a rocker bar whould do, but not as many connection points. If you whould like I can see if I can post a photo on my webspace.

I was wondering how do i make my longboard template after i got one side > done? I’m shaping a 9’ and normal use 4x8 1/8 plywood, would i just have > to make my templates a two piece deal? Just wondering how others deal with > their templates over 8’. Thanks everyone, Stephen Berube Thanks, everyone for your input. I’ve been using 4x8 1/8" panel plywood. One side has the grooves and the other side is smooth. I’ve had very good uses with this stuff. You can get it at lowes. I’m guessing i’m going to trying the spin templates. I’ve never used them before, and guessing i can figure it out. I’m guessing one end is the nose and the other is the tail. How do you line up the middle section to connect with the nose and tail? Thanks, everyone for your input, I’ll try the spin template, and if that doesn’t work, i’ll make two sections of one template out of the 1/8" plywood i’ve been using. Thanks again, Stephen Berube

Thanks, everyone for your input. I’ve been using 4x8 1/8" panel > plywood. One side has the grooves and the other side is smooth. I’ve had > very good uses with this stuff. You can get it at lowes. I’m guessing i’m > going to trying the spin templates. I’ve never used them before, and > guessing i can figure it out. I’m guessing one end is the nose and the > other is the tail. How do you line up the middle section to connect with > the nose and tail? Thanks, everyone for your input, I’ll try the spin > template, and if that doesn’t work, i’ll make two sections of one template > out of the 1/8" plywood i’ve been using. Thanks again, Stephen Berube Stephen spin templates work off of marks on the blank and not the stringer.For example…measure and mark the width of the nose,center,and tail…use these marks to align the template.Kinda hard to explain but maybe one of the bros wil come back and clarify it.

Stephen: If you are shopping at Lowe’s. Take a look at the 6mm. ply, imported mahogany. I’ve used it for spin templates and it it very finely milled on both sides and thin enough to make a good template. My take on templating is that once you get the N-W-T and tail layouts the stringer becomes a non-issue (unless it’s crooked!). Use your templates as curves to give you the best representation to get to the shape you have in mind. You may use several templates to get there. The spin template is a real efficient way to store a lot of information in a small space. Nose on one side and the tail on the other (usually they are laid out on opposing ends of the template material). I’ve had better luck when making them in extending either the nose or tail 3" or so past the mid-point of the design, giving you more flexibility in using them for stretches into other length boards and fine tuning. It is hard to explain, a picture may help. Here is something plagerized from Stephen Shaw’s “Surfboard” manual. Tom S.>>> Stephen spin templates work off of marks on the blank and not the > stringer.For example…measure and mark the width of the nose,center,and > tail…use these marks to align the template.Kinda hard to explain but > maybe one of the bros wil come back and clarify it.

Stephen:>>> If you are shopping at Lowe’s. Take a look at the 6mm. ply, imported > mahogany. I’ve used it for spin templates and it it very finely milled on > both sides and thin enough to make a good template. My take on templating > is that once you get the N-W-T and tail layouts the stringer becomes a > non-issue (unless it’s crooked!). Use your templates as curves to give you > the best representation to get to the shape you have in mind. You may use > several templates to get there. The spin template is a real efficient way > to store a lot of information in a small space. Nose on one side and the > tail on the other (usually they are laid out on opposing ends of the > template material). I’ve had better luck when making them in extending > either the nose or tail 3" or so past the mid-point of the design, > giving you more flexibility in using them for stretches into other length > boards and fine tuning. It is hard to explain, a picture may help. Here is > something plagerized from Stephen Shaw’s “Surfboard” manual.>>> Tom S. Thanks, for all your help Tom and Cleanlines. You’ve been very helpful, and i’m looking forward on trying a spin template. I think that will be my best bet for longboards and my semi guns. Thanks again to everyone for all your help. This is a super site, with a lot of nice people, that’s why i all ways check this site out. Thanks again, Stephen Berube

I’m gonna give it a shot. If anyone knows a better way I’m all ears. a spin template, like the one shown in Tom’s post, one side of the template is the fwd curve the other side the aft curve. like Tom said You should probably carry a couple of inches longer than the center line of the curve (notice overlap in Tom’s pic at the center of the board). this will allow you to blend and make wider/longer boards w/o having to pencil anything in. Mark your length marks on you stringer and your Nose-Width-Tail marks from stringer. put the nose of your spin on the respective length mark and put the rail line of template on your N & W marks. you may have to move your curve around a bit fwd/aft, side to side so that all your marks are touching your template outline (think of the spin as a french curve). OK, now this is important (to me), make a pencil mark On Your Template where it touches the Nose and Width marks. now draw your curve. flip the template over and match the marks on the template to the N & W marks on the other side of the stringer and draw that curve. repeat for the aft of the board. you may have to do a little blending in the middle. you can even use a different template for the aft or as many as you like all over the blank to blend a new curve so you can make another template, like I said, french curve. you can get some funky noses and tails doing that and thats what having specific nose and tail templates are for. I hope thats not to confusing or the wrong way but thats what I was shown.

I’m gonna give it a shot. If anyone knows a better way I’m all ears. a > spin template, like the one shown in Tom’s post, one side of the template > is the fwd curve the other side the aft curve. like Tom said You should > probably carry a couple of inches longer than the center line of the curve > (notice overlap in Tom’s pic at the center of the board). this will allow > you to blend and make wider/longer boards w/o having to pencil anything > in.>>> Mark your length marks on you stringer and your Nose-Width-Tail marks from > stringer. put the nose of your spin on the respective length mark and put > the rail line of template on your N & W marks. you may have to move > your curve around a bit fwd/aft, side to side so that all your marks are > touching your template outline (think of the spin as a french curve). OK, > now this is important (to me), make a pencil mark On Your Template where > it touches the Nose and Width marks. now draw your curve. flip the > template over and match the marks on the template to the N & W marks > on the other side of the stringer and draw that curve.>>> repeat for the aft of the board. you may have to do a little blending in > the middle. you can even use a different template for the aft or as many > as you like all over the blank to blend a new curve so you can make > another template, like I said, french curve. you can get some funky noses > and tails doing that and thats what having specific nose and tail > templates are for.>>> I hope thats not to confusing or the wrong way but thats what I was shown. Thanks JR, I got the idea now. I looked at the picture that was posted and figured it out. It’s a pretty cool tool, and think i might just convert all my templates over to spin templates. It will save me a lot of room, and like you said. You can play with them some. Thanks for all the help. I really like these spin template, and i’m going to give them a try tomorrow. Thanks everyone your super, Stephen Berube

I’m gonna give it a shot. If anyone knows a better way I’m all ears. a > spin template, like the one shown in Tom’s post, one side of the template > is the fwd curve the other side the aft curve. like Tom said You should > probably carry a couple of inches longer than the center line of the curve > (notice overlap in Tom’s pic at the center of the board). this will allow > you to blend and make wider/longer boards w/o having to pencil anything > in.>>> Mark your length marks on you stringer and your Nose-Width-Tail marks from > stringer. put the nose of your spin on the respective length mark and put > the rail line of template on your N & W marks. you may have to move > your curve around a bit fwd/aft, side to side so that all your marks are > touching your template outline (think of the spin as a french curve). OK, > now this is important (to me), make a pencil mark On Your Template where > it touches the Nose and Width marks. now draw your curve. flip the > template over and match the marks on the template to the N & W marks > on the other side of the stringer and draw that curve.>>> repeat for the aft of the board. you may have to do a little blending in > the middle. you can even use a different template for the aft or as many > as you like all over the blank to blend a new curve so you can make > another template, like I said, french curve. you can get some funky noses > and tails doing that and thats what having specific nose and tail > templates are for.>>> I hope thats not to confusing or the wrong way but thats what I was shown. Nice job J.R. I knew that someone could explain this stuff better than me.I bet that you are sailor…the “aft” thing may confuse a few of em though…I always start my templating from the port side and work to starboard…just kidding.Aloha

no not a sailor. aerospace…fwd, aft, water line, butt line, station.

no not a sailor. aerospace…fwd, aft, water line, butt line, station. I mess around at Gulfstream Areospace… I am like a jack of all trades.We figured out that rocker measurements by the clark foam and industry standards were bogus.If you don’t establish a water line you can’t get a true measurement.Ha!

I’ve noticed that if there is one measurement that is difficult to standardize, it’s as you say, the rocker. Even with a rocker jig, unless you have a known reference line (maybe a built in level?) and a way to position the blank consistently, you’re gonna be off. If the blank is moved fore or aft on the racks, it tilts differently throwing measurements off. If you take some thickness off the deck, the blank sits differently on the rack and throws everything off. I’ve been using a long straight 2 X 6 and set it up with a level so I know I have at least one consistent base line. I place my blank bottom down on the 2 X 6 and measure up from the 2 X 6 with a ruler. It takes longer and doesn’t have the fair curve of a jig but it’s accurate and consistent. I’ve compared rocker specs with what’s written on the stringer or spec sheet that Clark puts out and I can’t seem to get them to jive either. How do you obtain your rocker measurements?

I’ve noticed that if there is one measurement that is difficult to > standardize, it’s as you say, the rocker. Even with a rocker jig, unless > you have a known reference line (maybe a built in level?) and a way to > position the blank consistently, you’re gonna be off. If the blank is > moved fore or aft on the racks, it tilts differently throwing measurements > off. If you take some thickness off the deck, the blank sits differently > on the rack and throws everything off. I’ve been using a long straight 2 X > 6 and set it up with a level so I know I have at least one consistent base > line. I place my blank bottom down on the 2 X 6 and measure up from the 2 > X 6 with a ruler. It takes longer and doesn’t have the fair curve of a jig > but it’s accurate and consistent. I’ve compared rocker specs with what’s > written on the stringer or spec sheet that Clark puts out and I can’t seem > to get them to jive either. How do you obtain your rocker measurements? You answered your own question.Its impossible from an engineers prospective.I just bight the bullet and use the old Clark foam method by using a straight edge across the bottom and measuring down.It works and most people use it.I keep it simple and order stock rockers off of the Clark catalog…at least it is consistant.I build simple time proven shapes and leave the new design stuff up to you guys.When you hit a hot new shape I’ll just copy you…Aloha

I built a device which is mounted to my wall. It looks very close to what > a rocker bar whould do, but not as many connection points. If you whould > like I can see if I can post a photo on my webspace. I would love to see what you are talking about, this sound pretty cool! Mark Scott