Do you all agree that the most difficult parts of shaping a surfboard are rail bands and bottom contours?
I have see videos of those who use rail band marking tools, those who freehand the rail band makings, and those who don’t use any guidelines at all. I see the cons of all three. However, there really is no super accurate way to accomplish planer shaped tail bands…is there?
Bottom countours…sumilar thing. You see guys with sanding blocks, egg crate foams,…etc, but its all freehand.
Comments?
I’m not a pro , I have built a couple boards a year for the last 15 years. So this just my amateur opinion.
To me the rail bands are just a means to an end, a way to guage the symmetry of your rails as you progressively remove foam.
A CNC shaping machine doesn’t use rail bands, as the computer file knows exactly the rail it is shaping, and it goes right there. The symmetry is programmed into the computer file.
But a hand shaper, working with hands and eyes, needs a system to assure foam is being removed the same on both sides as he reveals the final rail shape within the rough blank.
Rail bands also assure a smooth sweep of the rail shape, avoiding a bumpy or uneven rail line from nose to tail. So they are just a functional method to accomplish those things.
The key to utilizing rail bands is to have a clear vision of the exact shape you are creating, the foil and flow and distribution of mass, the desired rail shape from front to back. If you have that clear in mind, you can visualize the best rail band configuration to achieve it, and there is no special mystery or difficulty to it. Its just a way to remove foam down to the desired shape, and assure symmetry and flow.
Bottom shapes are generally subtle and the density of the stringer vs foam is the biggest challenge. But its very easy to go too far, or remove a beveled edge. Channels are a whole ‘nuther animal, and best left to experienced shapers. A backyard hack can shape channels, but must proceed with extreme caution. And then glassing will present special challenges as well.
For the backyard hobbyist like me, the biggest challenges are slowing down and keeping everything symmetrical, not overshaping or undershaping any specific part, and making all the parts flow together smoothly into a cohesive whole without lumps bumps or unwanted divots.
Well said.
What Huck said !
No way to hand shape needed flow other way.
Perso i use measurement for first two deck bevels and first bottom one with fred tool. Orthers by eyes. Rails are always the hard part of process, bottom not so much if you keep it simple.
Rail bands are the result of multiple passes with a tool that makes a flat cut to create a round rail.
I forgot sbout fred tool cuz I never used one but then I searched the archives and went down a rabbit hole and if you want to learn about rail bands and also be entertained search fred tool in the archives!
Shapers love to disrespectfully disagree and those old threads were full of it and you could grab a bowl of popcorn and be entertained for hours lol.
Shape first! Be able to see the shaped surfboard within the blank. Be sure you’ve got the blank that will yield the board you want. Skinning and taking the blank down to thickness can be done using the proper tools and a couple of measuring devices. Cut an accurate template and you’re almost there. Unless you are experimenting or copying what is currently in style; you will want to put a rail on the board that is appropriate to the shape. You’ve mentioned all the various methods and tricks described on YouTube and other places. Pick out one and use it until you have more experience. How you mark a rail depends on the rail shape 50/50, 60/40etc. A “Fred” tool will work to get a shortboard bottom rail started, but it will still have to be fine tuned and the deck will have to be blended. The biggest reason CNC board builders like CI, Lost and others have gone to full blocky rails is that they are the easiest for a finisher/scrubber to finish. Which means that a less experienced finisher can be hired and taught to turn such a simplistic and unrefined rail. Find a method that works best for you and perfect it. A well refined rail is a sure sign of a good shaper. I have seen shapers who worked for companies like CI and Lost who when they left their job as a scrubber and went back to shaping under their own label shaped blocky fat a$$ rails.
Hi Steve - great questions - a good hand shape = the sum of all parts and efforts - rails and bottom contours are up there with the getting the template/outline and thickness/foil just right - another method of ensuring consistency for the rail shape inclusive of rail band is creating a nice rail template - find a board that you like and wrap a piece of hard wire (something that will hold the shape) and trace this on a thin firm piece of cardboard or a graphic art type paper and use it as a gauge for each rail side - this has been a big help in my somewhat limited beautiful shaping journey - hope this helps - Maxim
Here’s my advice. And I still mark my rails somewhat. But depending on what type of rail I’m shaping I’ll mark my vertical side wall of the outline with where I want my first rail bevel to come down to and where I want my bottom tuck to come up to. I also mark on the bottom of the board . The tuck is broken down into two bevels between those marks not just one band connecting the two tuck marks. From there it’s just what angles you use to get the desired shape. When I first started shaping I would get a wide blank. Plane the sides vertical and shape some rails into it. Then plane it back vertical and shape another set of rails and so on and so forth until the blank was to thin to fit on the racks that way a could just practice like 10 sets of rails on one blank. Get some blanks for “practice”. For most people the learning curve is so long because they are scared of ruining the board. Just get some practice blanks and learn to do rails with the planer.