Zack----------After you cut your circular hole with the hole saw, drop a short piece of electrical conduit of same diameter into the circular hole. Then you can cut out the foam with a Forstner bit without damaging the hole. This is the method used for FCS and it should work for this type of plug as well. Of course if you can buy a bit that cuts both holes in one pass; that's better.
Hey Antony where did you get that, looks handy!
hey bro I got it from the fiberglass shop in hamilton. talk to terry i think he has only got 2 or 3 left as he only imported a hand full of them
cheers antony
Hey Cass,
Sorry for being slack, but the net has been down here for a while!
By Hole saws, I mean the top orange one. But cut the largest diameter one first. Here’s what I do: Pilot drill with a 3mm bit (so id doesn’t wander). Mark the depth with some tape and drill the largest Dia. Then drill the smaller dia. (again with the depth marked on the hole saw with tape.
Cheers,
Craig.
Thanks Gill. One more question…
How do you remove the guts? Using the first saw would make a cylindrical cut with a hole in the centre, but surely unless you went right through the deck, there would still be a little column of foam left in there. I see someone suggested using polypipe and a router. I can see how that would work, as long as you have some handy scraps of polypipe lying around. What technique do you use?
Hey Antony, do you know if that bit was made by Shapers (who made the plugs) or by someone else entirely?
Any chance on getting some info on that bit Antony? Manufacturer, name, your supplier in NZ? I’d like to get hold of one but need some more info to chase them up over this side of the ditch.
Cheers, in advance…
hey bro give terry a call here in NZ he heads up the surfboard gear etc at " the fiberglass shop" in hamilton and he will be able to tell you were he got it from I am pretty sure the one i got was one of a few prototypes and that shapers in aus aare planning to bring out a full install kit for them soon but have a talk to terry phone is 07 8469007 or goggle" the fiberglass shop" hamilton nz they have a ok web site
hope this helps
cheers antony
Hey Just send a enquiry to shapers Australia. I have been using them for all my boards lately.
They should send you the install kit, the special whole saw, the one show in the picture …After you drill the hole it needs to be flaten out with a cylinder shaped sanding drill bit, Also needs a powerfull drill to use the special hole saw where the stringer is otherwise it may tear up the stringer…
Once you figure the way to fittem tight and neat these fin plugs are the best. 7 degrees cant by the way, not sure if they make other angles but 7 degree is perfect it`s close to 5 degree and 9 at the same time…With FCS fusion you have to go one extreme to the other. So Ｉ prefer S plug.
Works for EPS and PU
Also install after the hot coat and just sand over like the old FCS plugs.
Thanks fellas. I’ve bought heaps of stuff on Shapers, and they’ve always been good to me, But I’ve never seen anything about an install kit on their website. They’d have one definite sale if they do bring it out though. I’ll follow your advice KMD and give them a call today.
Update: I just spoke to shapers and they do sell the bit in question - for $110. Apparently it has to go through four different manufacturers for its various parts. Dunno how you managed to score one for $40 Antony, but hold onto it!
Jake (the bloke at Shapers) said it’s more a tool for the production shaper, to cut down on installation time, which is why they don’t include it on their website, which is more aimed at the hobbyist (ie. me). He recommended the two holesaw avenue. He also said that some people just use the one, larger holesaw and add more resin into the cavity and this apparently works pretty well, and the extra weight is negligible. I think I’m going to stick with two though, I’m a big fan of over-engineering.
Oh, and the full installation kit (drill bit, jigs etc) costs around $160.
Hey don`t let the cost let you down…If you see the drill bit you would see why it is not the cheapest drill bit…
Two hole saw option is recommendable too, like Gill said but be carefull to adjust the depth of the hole by marking BOTH hole saw with masking tape or any other option you know… Setting the perfect depth for the plug and the flange is necessary for doing a neat work…
Then It is all good to go !!
Hey KMD,
Are you the same KMD that used to make a few boards for Pacific Dreams in Newy?? If so, where are you located / shaping now? As a grommet I rode a few of your boards and used to hang around a few shaping bays in the area “learning stuff”.
Cheers
Craig.
So, can anyone tell me what size holesaws to use if going the two-holesaw mehtod?
Hole saw number two is a forstner bit. Use it to remove the foam at the center of the cut you made with hole saw number one. Slide a piece of metal conduit the diameter of the cut in to it. Then run the forstner bit attached to a drill down into the conduit. That will remove the foam at the center of your circular cut. Same process as FCS plugs. I don't know if the diameter dims. are the same . I can check my set tonite. Whats the diameter and depth of the S-plug?
Hey folks,
I’ve got a 32mm hole saw that’s the right size for the smaller cut, although I agree with McDing that a forstner bit would be a much better/cleaner option for removing the foam. The larger size is 42-45mm, depending on how much space you want to leave around the edge (you should aim for a 1.5-2mm gap). From what I’ve seen in my travels to various hardware shops, the standard holesaw size in that vicinity is 44mm, so that’s what I’m going to get.
Hi all,
Great thread as I’m curious as well on how to get these plugs installed. Can I just ask to what depth do you do both cuts with the holesaw?
The narrower cut, does it go (almost) to the glass on the deck (obviously without touching it - (as per the H-pattern used by FCS X-2 for example), or purely down to the depth of the plug?
As I understand, this is the process - if any of you could confirm it that would be great!
-
Narrow cut with holesaw - to what depth?
-
Insert cylinder on cut made - clear out foam with drill bit.
-
Wider cut with holesaw - to what depth?
-
Insert bigger cylinder on wider cut - clear out foam with bigger drill bit.
Do the little outriggers on the plug need to sit on top of the foam?
Thanks in advance guys,
Regards.
Hi folks,
I’ve finally got around to shaping and glassing the board which I referred to previously in this thread, for which I bought a quad set of s-plugs. I’ve spent the past couple of nights working on the install and have documented the process with some photos. Hope someone finds this useful.
Fuck it, the system is telling me that I don’t have Javascript enabled, which is bullshit, because I’ve checked and I do. I’ll try again later once I’m on better terms with my computer.
Watch this space…