I mean this in a good way, but Mako is right. Leave the serious advice to the pros and guys who have been doing this a Long time. I’m on board 26 (including rebuilding and re-shaping a bunch of windsurfing boards) and I shy away from advising people on issues such as these. I do have opinions on it, I mean anybody can. It’s about when do you share that opinion that I think makes the difference.
This is not too say Ive never given advice when I shouldn’t have. I certainly have on sways in the past.
On the topic of rail bands, I just got in from making a few new sanding blocks. I only had one that was an old drywall sander. I made 8 1/2 @ 80 grit, 11" @ 80 grit, 9" @ 50 grit, and 9 1/2 @ 120 grit. I also scored another old long surform with the planer handle and wooden nob. It has a curved blade on it too. I’ve never seen that before.
But anyways, I’m hoping these new blocks will aid in making bands.
Blocks will help, but you might want to have one with good 40 grit on it also. The problem with using blocks to cut bands is that the edges (which are your sight lines) don’t come out crisp. Ideally, you want to use blocks to clean up a bit if needed, hit the tight spot in nose curve, and break down your bands that you cut with planer.
Aren’t you in Florida? If you come to the Melbourne area sometime, I’d be glad to run you through the steps if our schedules can mesh up.
unfortunatly the stores around here stock a very strange range of sandpaper and abrasives. Things way out of the general consumers scope like 1000 grit wet dry paper, diamond stones for blade sharpening, and a bunch of other kinda obscure stuff. With all that youd think they have 40 grit, but no dice.
Just today i found a Sherwin Williams paint store kinda tucked away in an old warehouse. What a score. They have everything. 233+ in every size, squeegees, mixing buckets, bodi bottles, thinners and chemicals, thick butchers paper, the whole shabang. Maybe ill find some 40 grit there. Im also on the hunt for some soft-er material like the foam you find in beddings to make a few soft pads.
from what i have seen, rails always seem to be done differently by each shaper. In Ben Aipa and Fiberglass Hawaii’s video (thanks again guys, helpful as always!) he seems to cut his primary bands with his planer. Then he moves to cut the other bands with a surform or hard block. This to me sounds like a accurate and solid way too go about cutting your bands. Correct me if im wrong.
Thats a rad offer Mike, but im not in Florida. Im in Massachusetts about 30 mins from Boston. I take some trips down there every now and again, maybe ill see you out there.
what about you?How many board’s have you shaped 1000 ? Oh yeah, you use" shaping book" don’t you? I’ve actually learned from several shapers… got tips and whatnot. I think that’s a lot more credible then a book… so take your comments back to your hole.
I didn’t think cutting a rail was too serious advice. Im surprised you did that many board’s, but you don’t know how to hold a planer to your rails? Haven’t you watched any vids? Even -Ben Aipa vid shows how to plane the rails…I was just try n to help, but whatever.
Hippo -I can’t believe you haven’t even tested a planer on a rail? Obviously there are many different ways to shape rails. What are you waiting for a better technique? So far -Mike, Barry, and pretty much everyone else who left a tip -myself
Included specifically told ya how to do it! You need to just try it! but you’re going to have to use the method that works with your pp.
So depending on what type of planer you have - you’re going to have to try one of the methods and stick to it for awhile. anyhow, the cleanest cuts I’ve got were from just orienting the planer to the edge of blank w shoe of pp flush to top edge of blank while triggering fully and mow n a pass off… but if you have a skil 100 you would have a fly adjustment, so could use that method instead.but I don’t have a skil 100 or a mod Hitachi -so I just plane the rail on a low cut setting so it takes me more work… and no, you don’t have to have hundreds of board’s to do it.lol. Anyway, using a low / lower setting -w stock I thought was a good tip, but whatever. I just didn’t want to see a guy do a cr*ppy rail when it could be decent. All it takes is one big oops, and you lost foam that can’t come back.
all of my rails are cut with a planer. Just not very smoothly. This post is about learning to use a planer and other tools smoothly to produce the best results.
try to get it cleaner by holding the planer steady… and orientating the shoe and bed of planer evenly on top edge of blank…then just trigger fully before you hit the foam and walk it…it should come out perfect. Remember to pick an angle! MIKE said 30 - 40 degrees… try 40 , and keep n mind you can adjust ltr w surform and screen to get em exactly how you want them.
11" hard sanding block is perfect! Good choice, I made me one last mos. Another good block I got w out anyone’s advice is a gator brand drywall sanding sponge… it is AWSUM! It has two grits: med & fine, plus it flexes - so you can fine sand when done… after block plane.
My rails don’t come out perfect w planer either. After I pp I’ll tune it w surform. Or even sanding block. As long as you don’t have a Flintstone effect, or big dips it will clean up. Good night! I’m off to have a smoke!
dude you are soo jealous…go away! What are you on a ‘power trip?’ It’s not about numbers, it’s about how well you shape and design. Lol. Whatever.you need to quit MENACING.
Name the “legends” you say I talked trash to… name them.
Dude - where did I ever say I was a pro? I’m a garage/backyarder man! You are delusional. Besides swayz is a Forum, not a shaping rm! Why not start learning how to shape w out books, and talk to shapers -instead of verbal aggression. You need to quit being so JEALOUS.
Ive actually started doing rail bands with the 8" sander. Sounds cumbersome but once you get the hang of it you can acquire very sesntitive tpuch to adjust the pressure you are applying. It’s a totally different feel than cutting the bands with a planer. I just never really felt all that comfortable with the planer on the bands. I use a medium grit paper. The harder you press and the longer it takes to walk the board the deeper the band. Try it and you jsut might like it.
The “proper” way is whatever works best for you.
I am not a production shaper, or backyard shaper. Just someone that’s done a couple hundred boards and each one gets better than the last! Which is what it’s really all about isn’t it.
but you’re going to have to use the method that works with your pp.