G’day-What is a proper way to mark the rails? Can it be done by marking it in the middle each time? Is it possible without a rail marking tool?- Thanks!!!
Mook,
without a tool to mark…you can just walk around and make pencil dots/marks on the rail at the levels you’d like the apex of the rail to be - this is assuming I’m getting your question correctly.
If you mean marking for cut laps - you can use a regular angle bracket (90º). The pencil either goes through the hole on the bracket, or can tape to the bracket, however far in you’d like the mark to be - and you walk around the rail with the side holding the pencil on top and the flat side up against the rail and draw the mark for the lap.
For making guide marks for shaping the rails you can use the same or similar with the flat of the angle on the deck or bottom and the pencil on the rail… or if you want to mark the decks for railbands then you need a longer tool…
Hope that helps.
Personally I don’t like to mark the rail too much, if at all. I just watch carefully to keep the flat apex of the rail where I want it. If you are careful that works well and makes me less nutty about hitting every mark exactly the same way. I find hitting marks distracts from blending the curves - which I think is more important.
My opinion.
Thanks,
Eric J
Your planer is the best rail marking tool. It will seek the truest and cleanest line around the board, this is what determines what your finished lines will look like. You can see the rail thickness, mentally divide this are into thirds, the upper third, the top band, the bottom third, the bottom band and the center, the area that will be the central curve of the rail. For down railed areas, just adjust your mental game. Shaping to me is like a giant video game and all the natural flaws are the opponents, I win!
Ditto what Jim said. Really take the time to insure that line is straight and that it is consistent with the flow you want. Remember what it looks like then repeat on the other side.
All that Jim says is very true… but for a beginner you should rely more on pencil marks as guides to help you achieve your goals. A few simple guide lines can make your life so much easier. You can even try drawing the rail bands on the board before cutting. I drew you a picture rather than trying to explain! -Carl
thanks people-this is all very usefull!!!
mook
I have a question on this...I was watching a shaping video on Greenlightsurfsupply.com and the guy making his board was using string and a rail marking tool. What is the purpose of both and why did he have so many lines on the blank?
http://greenlightsurfsupply.com/beginnerkits.aspx
It is the video on the right. And the point I am talking about starts at about 1:31.
Any help would be awsome!!!
Some of the lines on the vertical edge of the rail before he shaped the rail, appear to show him how thick to make the board in different locations.
Other lines on the vertical edge appear to be where he wants the apex of the rail to be. Some of them look like screw-ups especially near the tail. On the deck, the lines are his rail band lines. Like Jim Phillips mentions, if you use a planer, the lines make more sense, and ultimately, you won’t need the lines, you just see with the planer cuts.
I’ve never seen anyone glass a board the way he does, poly or epoxy. There are much better examples of shaping and glassing on the internet than this. That said, there are a million ways to skin a cat. As long as it floats and is water tight…you’ll be all right!
Good info for you here. I totally agree with Jim. The planer can tell you where. I still fall back on marking rails most of the time(except shortboards) . Generally the rails I'm the happiest with were done without marking.
As an amateur garage diy’r/biy’r- with less than 5 boards shaped so far- here’s my .02
First we need to understand WHERE rail apex is located on a modern shortboard, correct?
Ok, I’ve done my homework! LOL. No bs. Ok, what I came up with was: rail apex even on- say 60/40 rails with 40 percent of the apex at bottom edge up is WHERE you’d want to make a mark at say wp/center…
Then as you do your rail bands on deck side, well you’d bring it on down or close to Your pencil dot mark of your desired THICKness of apex- again from bottom up… Common #'s are: 5/8", 9/16", 1/2", 3/4" for fuller rounder rails and even thicker for boxy type…
So YES you can mark with a pencil!!! 
guys,
I know what you are saying is correct, but don’t you think this dude shouldn’t even be touching a planer yet; except to practice or only mill blanks?!
kook,
Make your marks based on a curve, get the in the proper lighting scenario [i.e. horizontal lights] and use a surform walking the blank back and forth. do one rail band then match it on the other side. Know that all this will eventually be done with the planer in one swoop. DO start getting familiar with the planer on full blanks, on the bottom, milling them to thickness. Good luck!
Passed to me by Dave Daum-
Place the board upside down on the racks. Use a trim router w/ homemade fence extension, 45 degree bit and adjustment for your desired rail profile. makes a good line to work from. Tom S.
[img_assist|nid=1060640|title=Rail Marker|desc=Harbor Freight Trim Router|link=none|align=left|width=322|height=243]
[img_assist|nid=1060641|title=Rail Profiler|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=329|height=242]