We are playing around with shaping an old blank that was recovered from a windsurfer.
The big issue is the blank started at 4 1/4" thick, and my little electric planer takes off a max of 0.6mm with each pass… After what feels like a few days straight days of planing I have got it back to 3 3/4", but at this rate it will some time in 2017 before I get it to usable surfboard thickness!
Can anyone advise of a quick(er) way to remove some of this foam to get it back to normal surfboard thickness? Will hacking at it with a sureform be any quicker than the planer? I am aiming for around 2 3/4" in thickness.
(and yes, from reading here I am aware that I’ll be getting down into the ‘soft’ foam. I’m hoping a good 6x6 glassing will restore a little strength, at the expense of some weight).
Buy or borrow a more suitable planer. 0.6 mm max cut is only slightly over 1/64th of an inch (well, less than 1/32" anyway). You’ll be there for days with that machine, whatever it is. Hand sanding with 36 grit sandpaper would probably be faster
Buy a mini hand plane, cut 3/16" gouges each stroke, the width of the blade, but cut it at 45 degrees. It's the fastest foam remover. Cost at a hardware store is 8 bucks, and if you decide to shape a real surfboard blank later, it is used to shave down the stringer.
But since it cuts and gouges so much so fast, you have to stop about 1/4" from your target thickness, then proceed with a surform or your power planer.
0.6mm is ~ 1/236". That’s a lot of passes my friend. I purchased a power planner from Harbor Frieght for $29.00 US last year. I don’t see them currently listed on the HF site, but you may be able to find one on
Amazon or the like. I’ve used it on my first build (wood) and it was more than adequate. I’m not espousing this planer over a skill or anyother planer, just saying that it would do in a pinch is a quick and cheap solution out there for you 'til you can get something else. I plan to get a real planer when I take my training wheels off ;-O
I have TWO Skil planer's at Wise's factory on ThirdSt. One full length, the other cut down.
A mini hand plane, cutting across the board, side to side, is the fastest way to remove bulk foam. It's not pretty, but it's effective. It also is NOT dusty, rather cutting big chunks that fall directly downwards.
I also have the HarborFreight orange planer. Works fine for wood.
You don't use a sander because a sanding disc tends to make uneven cuts, one side more than the other. Mini hand plane keeps the same depth across the blank.
Thanks guys. I do have a small hand-plane for taking down the stringer - I’ll give that a shot, hopefully its a bit more efficient than the current method.
It looks as though a new electric planer is on the wish list!
At this point in your shaping experience, walking up, down, and around the board a few times, is probably the best thing for you. And with a name like yours you probably need the exorcise. Stay away from the guacamole while your shaping too; that stuff will make your head spin.
I thnk we can safe assume, that word again..ass for u and me, OP is a novice at shaping, and as such, should not be wielding a sander for the purposes of thinning out a blank.
Experience allows us many options, not availible to the novices.
I never needed a deep cutting planer. All mine are stock. Experience tells me it's better to use the correct blank for the intended board.