shaping rails

I have been reading up about making a board and it seems to me the hardest part would be shaping the rails . Could someone give me a simple breakdown of the methods used and also tell me what a sanding screen is.Great site thanks

sanding screen is drywall screen. dunno thebest ways to do rails… i would confuse the heck outa you tryin to explain my way… so hope someone else can helpya better Good Luck . John C.

You’re not the only one wondering. All this jargon! What are 50/50 rails, and what does the measurement signify? What are tucked rails? Softer rails? Where can I find more information?

John thanks for your post but is a drywall screen and sanding screen the same thing is it just sandpaper glued to a block of wood .Shaping the rails appears to be a total art form with high degrees of eye hand coordination bordering on the artistic.But being an engineer there must be a methodical process .

Fredrick, Sanding screen or drywall screen can be found at a lumber store or Home Depot type store. It is, literally, a screen. If you hold it up to the light, you can look through it. They are usually around 8 1/2" by 11", but you can find larger ones. They are sharp, like sandpaper, but the holes in the screen allow the foam dust to escape cleanly so it doesn’t get clogged up. Screens are also a little stiff, which is good, because as you hold it with one hand on each side and pull it along the rail, you can bend it uniformly to get your rail shape. As far as shaping rails, someone could write a book. But here’s a quick reference: Imagine a board cut in cross-section (cut rail to rail across the middle). Now, looking at the outside curve, or rail, of the board… 1) 50/50 rail: The apex of the curve (the point furthest away from the stringer) is divided evenly between the bottom surface of the board and the deck. So you’ve got 50% of the curve on the underside and 50% on the topside. 2)Downrail: The apex is moved more toward the bottom of the board. Examples: 60% on top and 40% on the bottom = 60/40 rails. 3) Tucked-Under-Edge: The rail is curved and goes around the outside of the board and, at some point on the underside, comes to a sharp edge. The Edge is “tucked under” becaused it’s on the bottom. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I would suggest that you purchase one of the shaping videos out there. “Shaping 101” by John Carper (JC surfboards) is a good starting point. The book Essential Surfing by George Orbelian is also a good reference, with drawings of different rail types, tails shapes, etc. Look at boards in shops and talk to someone who works there,… if they surf. Then just jump in with both feet and have fun. Doug

I’ll try to put it as simple as I can. To shape rails you have to facet the edges(Rails) of the board. These facets are also called rail bands. Four bands will work in most instances. Picture if you will a sectional view of a gem stone, much like a hexogon or octagon. Sometimes the more bands you put in the easier it is to shape your rails. Accuracy counts, cut the same amount of bands on each side of the board, and try to duplicate the same angle. Now your rails should look like it has several edges coming from the deck to the bottom of the board. This is where the sanding screen comes into play. You want to knock off the hard edges of the rail bands with the screen. Take the screen and angle it over the first band. Angle (or round) the first rail band into the second using long passes from the nose to the tail. At this point you only want about 45-50 % of the rail shape. Basically you want to create more facets that will be rounded later on. Make sure that you count each pass, and repeat the same amount of passes on the other rail using the same amount of pressure. Round the second rail band into the third and so. on until the rail is the shape that you want.

I finally watched the Damascus Productions “Master Shaping” film and was blown away with Jim Phillip’s planer technique! If you can afford to buy a copy, get it. He covers all the nifty tools and various sanding blocks and pads that really help in shaping an entire board - rails and all. He mentions in the film to use shallow cuts and to take your time. I don’t have nearly the skill Jim does with an electric planer but use one to knock things down to size. I use a flexible sanding block with a coarse sanding belt to blend rail cuts. With progressively softer pads, finer grits and a contour gauge to measure symmetry, you can get rails smooth and fairly even. I try to blend my deck down to meet the tuck or roll from the bottom as a final step - too much edge sanding will distort the template. Finish sanding can be done with a soft piece of upholstery foam and screen. I would caution any beginning shaper to approach rail cuts carefully and have a game plan as to what the finished contours should look like.

Thanks for all the advice.I have been trying to get the Damascus productions John Phillips video and tried to log onto their website but will not respond.I live in Australia and would appreciate if anyone knows where I can but it here