Hey,
I am an absolute newbie to shaping, going to try and shape my first board soon.
I am wondering, with a pre shaped (machine cut) blank, what do I actually need to do to it before glassing?
Is a pre shaped blank just the outline, and I still need to shape the rails/add in any concave/rocker etc?
Should I go with a pre shaped blank for my first board, or just get a standard blank?
Any help would be great!
Thanks
Depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. A precut blank leaves little to screw up. Its basically all there, just smooth it out, clean it up and glass it. A real blank will allow you the full experience of a true hand shape. You will be forced to consider all aspects of board building, from the rocker and outline to rails, bottom concave and final sanding. Takes much longer and will require more tools. But remember, with a pre cut blank, you didnt shape it, a machine did. So dont take any credit like you created some masterpiece.
You have a lot more studying to do. Getting a blank milled for you is NOT shaping. Try to find a real shaper and ask if you can watch. Go to You tube and pour over all the shaping videos you can. Offer to sweep up and help out to watch and learn the process. What you are asking is the same as saying I don’t know how to drive but should I get a Ferrari or semi truck anyway? Figure out what you want to surf on to match your area’s waves and what will work for you. Start from the BEGINNING. Learn HOW and WHY before you start. Simply sanding a milled blank will get you a board but you won’t be much farther along in being able to make your own boards. Crawl,Walk…Run.
If you don’t have a good work area, a milled blank is not a bad way to go. I have a friend who designs his boards on computer, gets them milled for $30, sands and paints them, and farms out the glassing. It doesn’t appeal to me, but works for him. You still gotta come up with a file to cut from, or beg borrow or steal one. I’m old school, I like the hands on approach, and taking my time.
I recently had a Newbie bring me his first shape, damn it looked good, said he hand shaped it.
Now he is sharing a room nearby, he pops in for a helping hand, his first “hand shape had to have been a cut”.
A machine shaped blank might be “crawling” if it serves as fin installation and glassing practice before you invest a lot of time in hand shaping.
I understand it is not really shaping, was more just after advice on whether or not it’s worth paying the extra $70 AUD for a machine cut blank for my first go, or if I should just jump right in and get a proper blank.
I’ve been surfing for about 20 years and I have decent knowledge of board shapes/conditions they will work in. I have watched countless youtube videos and have a few mates who are shapers and I have received mixed answers from all of them, so I thought I would take it to the good people of swaylocks.
FYI I am looking at shaping a twin fin fish as a summer board.
I am willing to invest the time and effort into shaping a real board, but as I have never seen a machine cut blank, I wasn’t sure how different they were to a STD blank.
My gut tells me to go with a real blank and put in the hours.
This is the answer I was after, thanks.
Yesterday I had to take his planer in hand and get him somewhere near to being back on track.
Absolutely no way the his “first” was a hand shape or done solo