Hey Guys,
Trying to get the rail band thing down and doing some cross sections. Working off of JC’s video, trying to do the lighthouse/guide approach for cutting rail bands. Working on 8’ funboard and wondering if I’m close with what I’ve got in the cross sections - and my dimensions?
Just funnin ya…
Wow, you must be an engineer! Even tho I took Mechanical Drawing up to 11 in highschool, I still just grab the rails between my thumb and forefinger, and visualize the shape and size I want for that board.
Guess that’s why I only worked 3 months for Bechtel!
I like to consider shaping as an ART form, rather than a technical exercise.
Good luck tho, there are many different approaches to the same goal.
Lee,
I have no idea how you guys do it by just feel and eye. It’s just amazes me how well it can actually be done via your way! Maybe I should try to loosen up my approach to help.
Thanks,
HerbB
Very technical indeed. The angled/beveled approach makes sense early in the shaping process before the corners get blended.
IMO, the angle of the tail rail looks pretty acute. That is not to say it won’t work.
A recent trend I’ve noticed is that many tail rails have more of a rounded square appearance at the top with an edge at the bottom. More thickness is carried out to the edge. The thickness at the stringer seems less than it used to be though. This gives the appearance of decks being less domed than in the past.
On a slightly different plane… if I sight down the top of some stringers, from tail to nose, there is often a concavity along the top edge. This is especially evident on high performance longboards where extreme tail rocker seems to be in vogue.
I don’t measure anything on rail bands. You just need to have a good picture in your mind’s eye of where you are going, what kind of rails you want… zen shaping, eh?
Hey HerbB, I’m a mechanical engineer so I’m prone to measurements, but like the other shapers are saying, I use my eyes and hands as the main judgement. I used to try numbers but be careful! You loose one of the best and most flowing aspects to the shape and benefits of using a planer. With that said, The numbers you are using are all on the DECK and there are problems with that… I’ve found that the more important thing you must look at to do good rail bands is the height of the vertical face remaining after the band AND the ANGLE of your cut. Be sure that vertical face has a sweet-flowing taper out to the nose and to the tail. At the wide point, those 2" and 4" deck numbers will work but you need a vert face number, something like 1-1/4", less for a shortboard and more for a big board. With that first rail band you can start to judge the thickness flow of the flats of the deck (ie: if your band facet gets wider as you go back to the tail, then thin the tail-deck area until the facet flows beautifully; don’t change the facet). Depending upon what you are after, the rail band facet will probably look widest at/near the widepoint or thickest point. The second band, once mastered is VERY revealing. Hope this helps…
Thanks everyone,
It’s going to be my first shape and hearing that you guys use a lot of feel and sight to get where you’re going gives me more confidence to go that way a little more myself. I do have a very good idea as to what I want/like - and it even seems more fun your way.
I’ll try to post the shape when done.
HerbB
Hey HerbB … I’ve shaped railbands without and with guides… I feel more comfortable shaping railbands with guides though… being your first shape I think you will feel more comfortable and in fact get cleaner and more symmetrical rails using rail guide lines as on JC video…
And as you get used to the feel of your planer and the shaping process you might try doing railbands just by feeling and eye…
Cabeto
I like to mark my railbands on the deck and on the rail. Marks at 2 and 4 on the deck and three marks on the rail, marks on the rail at 12 from nose and tail. The position of these marks changes with the type and thickness of rail im looking for.
thats the way I do it too… mainly with 60/40 or 70/30 rails… and use fred tool for shaping the tucked under edge…
with 50/50 rails I also like to put marks for shaping the bottom railbands too… I don’t use fred on 50/50 rails…
Cabeto