Hahahhaa…
I don’t think I posted on that particular thread, but have said before on this site. Stringer is the final touch. When you’ve got everything done right down to the final screen make one last pass down the stringer both sides with your Stanley Mini Plane. Make sure it’s sharp. Plane flush to the foam or a little below, With a sharp plane and a delicate touch you will have minimal chatter on the foam adjacent to the stringer. With a hardwood sanding block(no foam pad) and sanding screen lightly cleanup the adjacent foam barely flush to the level of the stringer by screening the sanding block and screen down the stringer perpendicular. The stringer becomes the guide. I use 220 screen to finish. It’s my preferance, but there is a trick to this. Clean it up in such away that the stringer finishs just below the foam. Not completly flush, but below. Lowel
“With a hardwood sanding block(no foam pad) and sanding screen lightly cleanup the adjacent foam barely flush to the level of the stringer by screening the sanding block and screen down the stringer perpendicular. The stringer becomes the guide.”…
That makes perfect sense. Thanks McDing.
McDing is making perfect sense, and JP offering you some shaping tips is an opportunity is something only a fool would not take advantage of. I here voices in my head when I am shaping, especilally when I come to a challenging spot in a board; not crazy voices, but the ones that answer questions on how a certain shaper will approach a certain area- its their voices from my memories. I can tell you from experience its necessary at times to utilize another’s approach, even when you don’t completely understand them, because later you might figure out why; that’s happened with me more often than I can tell you.
For example, I snuck over to the hill one time and in to JP’s shop, he was outlining a long board in a way I never even thought of; he drew paralel lines at let’s say 23’’ out, so he could adjust the wide point exactly to where he thought best- brilliant; wasn’t my idea but his as far as I could tell. Everyone who shapes a board thinks they know, but from my experiences, few really do, and he does; yeah I think I know, by now, but I am still learning stuff all the time.
I agree ghettorat, I would take JP up on that anytime, but re-read his post. Maybe I misread it, but I think he was making a joke.
on wide points, a single set of marks looks OK, but you really don’t know if the actual wide spot in dead on, behind or ahead of the marks. By drawing 2 parallel lines near the center, marking where you want the wide point and then floating your template around until it sits at where you wanted it, you then have NO doubt as to where the wide spot is
Jim's method also helps to insure that you carry the wide point thru the board for whatever distance is desired. I don't know if I am expressing myself correctly; but if you want to carry the widepoint thru the board for a distance, two parallel lines will give you the visualization needed to fit and adjust your template. If all you want to do is hit the wide point at one spot on the outline such a technique wouldn't be as valuable. My personal bitch with a lot of shapers is when they state their thickness dimension. For instance; They well tell you the thickness on a board is three inches. But what they really mean is that three inches is the maximum thickness at one point. In other words the three inch thickness is not carried out for any distance; ie midsection, chest to thighs or knees etc. I don't think Jim was joking. I think he meant the offer. I'm sure the Bird's experience was worth it. Visiting Bird's Shack is definatly on my "bucket list", but I wouldn't pass up the chance to hang with Jim Phillips. Next time you don't want to clean up the garage and need the use of a shaping room I'd track him down and see if he was BS'n or not. My sense is not. Lowel
PS------- I have seen scuffed torn foam along the stringer on finished boards by some of the best. I was amazed to walk into arguably the nicest surf shop on State St. and see torn foam along the stringer on several pricey longboards shaped by a legend. Everybody tears a little foam . It's just a case of taking the time to clean it up.
in '93 or '94, I came to Oceanside for the US Chamionships, had a pile of customs to do between events, Randy Wong set me up in what is now Sam Cody’s art room, I think it was Jimmy Hanely’s room to shape in.
Channin had lables from almost every big name shaper going through the factory back then, I spotted an Encinitas semi-gun that was in line for glass, a dark blue to purple fade with a 3/8" bass stringer, the foam was gouged so badly along the stick that the air spray didn’t get into the tears and left white shadowing behind the dark colors. Bass is about the worst for grain swaps, sometimes it is plane 3" in one direction, then 2" in the other, a practice of frustration even for the best of shapers
I have also seen too many “big name” label boards with tear outs near the stringer. Stuff like that seperates the craftsmen from the workmen.
Here’s a thought…though I’ve never tried it. What about using a router set really shallow to take down a stringer? A sharp new bit of the right diameter would be pretty efficient and create less issues with grain, etc.
Once the stringer was shaved to a 1/16th below the foam, the foam itself could be sanded to flush or slightly plus.
Like I said, just a thought. Has anyone tried this?
Cleanlines said to me he had been using that technique to flatten sticks
yea I was using a router to clean up stringers a few years ago. It actually worked really well but I went back to my block planes. They are a less noisy and don’t throw dust in my face.
If you are interested in the router technique i will be glad to post how I did it. Matter of fact I may have to mess around with it again. I love building boards. I love finding new ways to build boards even more.
hi Lowel
how do you get the stringer lower than the foam, what tool do you use?
thanks!
Never tried one. But seems like one of these curved surface cabinet scrapers might work well to bring stringers below foam level:
Simple enough; Just bring the stringer below the foam with no tearing and then screen the foam on either side down flush or just above the stringer. You can do that by using the technique I described above with the hard block and screen You can get really tricky with it and use a brass mini or finger plane for a narrower cut. It’s in the way you hold the Stanley. I try to hit the stringer with the corner of the blade. Sharpness is key. I don’t sharpen them. I use them until they start to dull, then break out a new one. When I get five or ten dull ones I sharpen them I just don’t have that big a problem tearing foam along the stringer these days. Primarily because I’ve used the method described above for many years. Jim is absolutly right about Basswood stringers. You can’t usually plane in one direction only. I usually plane until I feel some resistance and then reverse direction before I tear something out. I’m just a surfboard builder of mediocre ability. I’m not a woodworker. Jim Phillips is probably the most artistic, knowledgeable, and capable shaper/craftsman of surfboards on this planet. With his woodworking prowness, he could have been a master furniture maker. I was once told by a well known shaper that Renny Yater could do things with foam that most people couldn’t do with wood. What he meant was that Yater could apply his knowledge and technique of woodworking with Balsa and Redwood to foam . I can see someone do something once or twice, but that doesn’t mean I can do it. Skills have to be honed. I can see alot of reasons why using a router would not be an effective technique for planing stringers. Just think about it for a minute. Domed decks, concave bottoms, bumps, dips and the width of the base. I’m not saying it can’t be done. Just saying when there is a simple more effecient and productive method why slow or complcate the process?? Lowel
Cheers for explaining it. Right now i am working on my first stringered board... :)
Power tools were invented because they are faster and more efficient than any hand tool. However, a power tool in inexperienced unskilled hands can make a mess in short order. So, it is up to the builder to decide whether they are capable of wielding a router. Or, should they just play it safe and slow?
I’m ALL about geting this one right. I have no problem with a personal board taking a month(or more) for me to finish. thanks for all the help, much appreciated. Picked up a new Stanley “trimmer/hobby” planer today at the local hardware store. I just have to finish off the stringer and get the surrounding form down to match before I can glass…I had some pretty big “chatter” on each side of the stringer when I left Birds…But figured I could take care of that stuff in my gaarge.
Keith-
Thanks for the volan offer…Not sure if you got my note on your car at the cliffs today…Stopped by to pick up the glass but your daughter said you were surfing. I found your car and left a not. Let me know if I can pick it up today or tomorrow…Or Friday, Saturday, etc…thanks again.
"more effecient than any hand tool"---- not likely. Nothing more effecient for finishing a stringer than a Mini Plane. "Power tools were invented because they are faster" ------ Not so. By the time you unwind the cord, plug it in, set the depth, re-set the depth multiple times over the length of the blank; I have planed and screened the stringer and adjacent foam to finish. Oh ---- And one little bobble and you are going back to "point A". Meaning "ie" ---- break out another blank and start over. Nothing fast about doing something over. Better to get it right the first time.
Superman has spoken!