questions

General Discussion
1

I managed to get a couple of clark blanks that have been harassed pretty good for my first board making experience. One has been shaped into a 6’4 old school kind of fish and the rails look like crap. The width is also already down to ~20in. I’m thinking about taking it down to a 6’0 and thining out/fixing the rails a little. The other has been templated to a merrick sashimi and is also already down to 19in width! neither board is what I want to ride but i got a good deal and am trying to get some experience.

Questions:

1 can you think of any single fin shape I could still get out of the sashimi template? a little board to get shacked on maybe?

2 I removed the outter hard stuff from the blank with a small block plane and it worked like a champ, then i went to take down some of the soft foam with it and it just kind of jumped along gouging in, i adjusted it and then it would hardly take off much. i can’t seem to get the clean lines at a certain depth that i see others get. i read to angle the blade? does that mean to angle towards the stringer or away?

3 i have read alot about it and watched it numerous times on 101 however im still not sure how to do the measuring on the rails and what the procedure is with the bands. dont the bands change in width from tail to nose? how do you get the bands even on both sides in terms of measurment and stuff? specifically how do you measure the second and third ban with the overlap on the one before? are there to reference points on making the bands, one on the deck and one on the soon to be rail, or middle of prior band? what hand tool should i use? am i screwed on getting a good measurment reference on the fish blank because the rails have already been attempted? I dont want to take any more width off at all.

thanks for any help/info

Cliff

2

Cliff

Your post contains numerous questions and sub-questions so is difficult to answer simply or adequately.

  1. Measure your board planshape and rocker, then search around for a design that fits. Better yet design a board you like using battens to establish the planshape. You could do this on foam with a pencil and a light touch.

  2. To shape a board with a hand plan requires very sharp blades. Consider switching to a surform once you reach the point of wanting smooth lines. What you read may have been speaking of low angle block planes or the angle of the cut. Assuming the cut: Boards being curved surfaces will not allow the plane to rest flat in many parts. Particularly in the nose area. Here you will have to angle the plane to do any cutting.

  3. Example: 60/40 rail. Mark a point on the edge 60% from the top -this will be the outside rail edge. Don’t touch this area until you sand. Establish a point on the deck where the curve to the rail edge will begin. This will vary with the amount of deck curve. Lets say you go in 40% of the distance from to top edge to the stringer. Similarly, establish a point on the bottom - it will be a small %, lets say 3% of distance to the stringer. Repeat this process at each station along the board on each side. Now all you have to do is bisect the edges to create bands. To keep the sides even count the passes you make to shape a band and then do the same band on the opposite side. Once the bands are small switch to a surform or drywall screen and then to sandpaper. Once you do this a few times you will need fewer and fewer measuring points.

Hope this is of some use. For more detail search past posts.

3

one answer…your blade is dull.(your blocky that is)