Planed her down between front and back yard wacks. I spent more time burning (wood) that shaping. Just finished her with some costco organic olive oil for a session tomorrow morning before work (1st alaia surf, stoked).
I broke her in on 1-2ft mush but had a good time. I am thinking about cedar fencing for the next one. For the designs, I used a wood burning pin. I have a small unit with several pen tips I have used for woodturnings. It is very easy to use and get good detail with. If you are in the SD area you are welcome to borrow it.
Great looking board. Interesting to see you can get the sufficiently wide pine sheet in the US rather than having to butt planks together. I would think this makes the board more flexible (a good thing). What dimensions are the board?, I am guessing from your photo that you are about 3ft tall !!
I am intrigued by your comment about Olive Oil - did you really use it to oil your board - if so how it looks really good, but how did it fare in the water ?
I am in SD and also just went to home depot bought pine etc etc. The only thing is i bought 2 12 inch planks becuase i couldn’t find one wide enough. did you special order or what costco did you buy from?
She is 6’ x 16”.
The “Alaia blank” is 6 foot by 18 inches by ½ inch comprised of 3.5 inch laminated piney-o’s of varying lengths. I think they are marketing it as a table top? I was planning on gluing one up out of cedar but couldn’t pass the slab up. I usually melt carnauba wax and mix walnut oil in about 50/50 (for wood salid bowls) but was all out. This was a sporadic afternoon project so I charged the olive oil but don’t recommend it. I just wanted to surf it the next morning. The olive oil doesn’t dry and can spoil under the wrong conditions. I plan on sanding it a bit more and refinishing it off this weekend.
Hope you will be christening soon.
Ambrose, I wonder if the same dude joined our laminated piney-o’s?
ARutherford, I got it at homedepot in Clairemont. I think the all carry these. It is 3.5 “ pine already glued up. I gave it a solid stress test and the joints seem strong but I double they used waterproof glue.
I spoke with a hard wood supplier and they trying to get a load of polonia into SD. I will keep you posted.
I just swung by the Patagonia store and checked out their alaia quiver ($600 each), very nice and a great reference. I was impressed with the paulownia, much harder and lighter than any wood I have used. They are working out the details on getting some wood or blanks in stock soon. Based on their $$s I’m sure the blanks will be big bucks. I here the Locs call that shop Patagucci.
I’ll post when I find a decent price on some, maybe we can split a load with others and get a break?
Take it easy,
gus
Slash you’ve got me thinking… I might be raiding local Home Depots… Definitely PM too if you get any info on Paulownia tho. Sick stick, you do seem a little shorter and older than when I met you at the workshop but you’re holding your age well. Anyways sick thread and way cooler than $600 Patagucci stuff!
I just purchased almost the same pine ‘blank’ at HD yesterday…mine is 1" thick (shooting for 3/4" final thickness) x 23" wide by 6’ long. Strips of Pine already laminated together…cost me $34. Kinda heavy but the best option for my first alaia shape I think. Nice remplate, how’d you out that together?
I hope people are still on this thread becuase im having trouble. I shaped my alaia to 6x16x3/4 from the home depot blank but it has absolutely no bouyancy. It floats so poorly that as i paddle(swim) for a wave the waves energy catches me but becuase the board is so underwater the wave is not powerful enough to push against the weight of the water against the bottom of my board? Is there a technique to surfing alaias that I havent figured out? DO you think i need more oil in my board? Any tips greatly appreciated.
o my! if i could have known HD had something useful i wouldn’t have spend 200 to get a paulownia blank from CA. great work!
AR you are correct. there just is NO bouyancy to these guys. you really have to make it up with paddling strength. most times the waves just roll right over you. slide on folks!!!
greased pig alaia, the only suggestion I have is try a few waves in the shallows just as they begin to curl and break. If you don’t have the talent or patience begin thinking about a hollow alaia for the next one.
