Hi guys, i m about to make an eps 6.3 board, could you just tell me exactely what kind of tools i really need for working the foam! THANX
Buy a Clark planner at foam EZ, 40 grit cloth backed Klingspore sandpaper (Rough in your shape), 60 grit Klingspore. If you have a wood stringer you need a set of hand planes. Buy Shaping 101 by JC on DVD. He has a good list for the first timer. Or have your board cut on a cnc machine. Use a trial version of Shape 3D to design your board. Email me the file and I’ll cut it for you. Sanddown the lines, mark the fins and screen the rails. You can down load a trial version of shape 3D at: www.shape3d.com once you have your file it cost $25.00 for the cut. You have to design your own board. EPS is harder to work with than Polyurethane. I still break out my planners (Skill 100 and Clark Hitachi) on PU. EPS and XPS goes on the machine.
thank u dude but i’m actually from italy even if i’ll send u the file it’ll be kinda difficult for me to get the foam, anyway i can have cut the outline and the profile eith cnc here too
block of wood length of sand paper and
4’’ wide,{about 2/3 width of sand paper}
paper in three grits
perhaps 60 80 and 100?
you can make do with 60 and thats all.
a small block plane minimum tools.
cnc close tollerance cut sand paper is all you need.
planer is over kil unless you wanna make many.
…ambrose…
thanx dude! that was what i need to know!
yeah im with ambrose
keep it simple
you can make and shape a blank in no time
with sum sandpaper and a few hantools
felt pen
ruler
kraft knife
60 grit and sanding block
block plane
planer is overkill even if you want to make many!
what am i gonna do with ROUTER i’ve never seen that before!
A router is used to make a slot for a fin-box or to install fins or leash plugs. You can do without it. But of course it’s easier and faster with one.
hey how u doin’ balsa, i saw some planers, they cost too much!!! i can’t afford it at the moment, can i use stuff like lapping machine or because of you are in europe can u sell me somethin’ used?! or u think i can work without out, i watched a lot of videos everyone use planer! what u suggest me to do ?!
Follow Ambrose’s advice. He KNOWS.
what is the technical name of poliurethane foam!??!!
Hi balsa how u doin’? i ve started constructions in the end i bought a 6.4 clark foam i got a question, is there a quick way to meke rockers without using any kind of contour!? i can’t do it just by eye. and then can u just tell me something really usefull for glassing, i mean fot i don’t have to do absolutely! thank u very much!
Granted that this looks like your first board, my advice would be:
-Skin the deck lightly to keep as much strength as possible under your feet
-Run numerous planer passes along the bottom, following the bottom rocker curve untill you reach the desired thickness
-Don’t try to modify the rocker that was originally molded in the blank. It’s one of the hardest things to do and you will probably do more harm than good. Original rockers were designed by people who knew what they were doing. Someone once said that blanks are so good today you might almost glass a rough blank and get a better working board than the ones that were shaped twenty years ago.
I am afraid I didn’t catch what you meant about glassing. What, exactly, do you need to know about that?
and what about rails?! you know they came up a little bit asimmetrical is there a way to make them perfectly simmetrical!? i watched shaping 101 but i didn’t really got how he makes them, i mean he works with a planer he just draws some points are these standard or they change from board to board?!
about glassing, well i d like to know the process, do i have to put first a little bit of glass?! or first the cloath and than the glass?! do i have to put both upper cloth together, or i put the first wait, and then the second?! how i can resine the rails!?!?
Thank u so much!
Yes, it is possible to shape symmetrical rails. There are 2 ways: Practice, and measurements duplicated on both sides of the board. There is a thread somewhere that I began to explain how I do it, and I posted a spreadsheet about it.
You can find it here: http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=284876;#284876
This method takes forever to do, but the results are pretty good if you are inexperienced. That’s why I did it, actually, because I can’t sculpt for anything.
As for glassing, look at this:
http://jfmill.home.comcast.net/swaylocks/Surfboard_Design_and_Construction_1977.pdf
Good to read for general board construction and theory. It explains why a surfboard turns when you lean pretty well, too. This book was what gave me the idea for measured rail bands, I just took the idea to the extreme, instead of marking the board for rail bands every foot, I mark the board in around 30 spots, so I can connect the dots easier and end up with smoother lines. Lots of layout hassles, but good end product.
Hope this helps,
JSS
awesome!!! thak u very much, actually i already have the manual! but the post is really useful and clear!!!
Hi Balsa, how u doin? i actually have a question, what kind of foam do u use? and where do you get it? i mean i’ve always used clark foam but it costs too much, i’d like to find something chipper can u somehow help me? thx
Most blanks I use are Burford’s and I get them here:
Another source may be Surfoam in Hossegor, french manufacturer:
Also, Seabase now carries US Blanks.
I am lucky enough to have the Viralsurf shop five minutes away, so that’s where I buy almost everything I need (blanks, glass, resin…)
Maybe you would be interested in getting into the world of EPS foam?
Can’t beat it for price!
He he. trying to turn another one to the dark side… at least i’m not going door to door on my bicycle 
Hey balsa how u doin? i got another question for you, while you are glassing using two layers of cloth, you put the first and then you wait for the glass to catalyze or you put two layers of cloth and glass em???
Thanks