Funny---- He took a $#!t blank and got what he wanted out of it with a grinder and a rocker stick. Most guys on this site use blanks that are already rockered and have never had to do what this guy did. I have seen alot of youtube videos with worse technique. I've also heard guys on this site pump shapers who had worse technique. If Japan needs shapers; maybe some of you should take a trip down there and teach these boys a few things. You could be gracious and maybe finally attain that god-like status that has epscaped so many of you.
Yeah a bit hard to watch , only thing wrong with it really is that its been published or put up online, cause im sure theres worse techniques around but at least their safely confined to a shed or a backyard room!
The way he cut the outline out with the saw about an inch of the line and then proceeded to plane down to it on edge was pretty interesting to say the least:)
soundtrack was good though
Looks like someone who is completly self taught. No swaylocks and no time spent working and watching more experienced board builders in a factiory. There are quite a few shapers like that here in Japan. It sure does take a lot of confedence to post a video up on the interwebs but the all hand shaped angle plays to the masses so he might get a gew orders. The end product however looks like a surfboard so good enough. BTW the boards are going for about $800 US according to their blog which is fairly cheap by Japanese standards. http://www.bsgsurf.com/surfboard2.html Looks like the shop owner has a protege as well. You can see him on the home page. I can’t imagine that shop selling more than a few boards a year. I’m sure they make their money on repairs and accessories. BTW I skipped quite a bit over the video because the musac rendered it unwatchable for me. The wooden rockerstick cant be all that straight I think.
I’m with McDing here, this guy shape his one way but boards not look so bad, i see many bad boards here and there with bumps in rails,outline and rocker.
I don’t used a planer anymore, i do all the job with home made tracing tools and hotwires then sanding pads, my boards seems to be not so bad.
I see a windsurf shaper that shape EPS with a grinder, he cut rails bands so fast and accurantly, it was amazing. I test it and i understand it’s not yet for me LOL.
Sorry for my frenglish
‘‘At least he’s trying’’. Very good assessment.
But putting that up on the web where (no doubt) people will see it and think that’s how its done is unfortunate.
I was headed to Japan many years ago, but my wife spent the money and now I can’t get a passport. The clientel that I have from Japan seeks out high quaIity for the money they spend, this is one of the reasons I have so much work from them. One day I will go to the Land of the Rising Sun and show them what a hired planer slinger is all about
But McDing, he took a pass off the bottom and it was the rocker of the stick, so me must have gotten it to the rocker he wanted to begin with
Don’t post drunk
Mcding,
You haven’t been watching those “Fred Astaire” movies again?
Sad how quickly everyone becomes an expert on how to shape around here. Most of you guys couldn’t pass a basic skills test on proper use of equipment. Understanding comes with time and experience, while it can be accelerated through the internet. The most important tool is your mind, and then your hands, and then your eyes, in that order, when shaping surfboards. Style an technique are important, but in the end its the stoke that reigns supreme. As I have aged, I have began to feel my way through boards more and more. Shaper’s hand don’t lie, and if you ever have shaken someone’s hands who spends the majority of their work week shaping, you should know what I am talking about.
Most of you think you are out of “Shaping 101” when you haven’t even passed the class. Feel a master carpenter’s hand, and then a master shaper’s, and they won’t feel the same.
…so what s happen with the boardbuilder hands? Because my hands kind of “change” when I spend a week only sanding and finishing boards…
Japanese are known for their appreciation and respect of fine craftsmanship. They excel at hand pulled print, hand building making samurai swords and excellent pottery.
What is needed here is a good teacher. Someone to show the shaper a better way. The proper skills will lead to a much better product.
Jim if you look around You just might get someone to pay your way to Japan. rather then just shape teach some skills.
I don't have anything against Japanese but I realize there is sometimes a language issue with 'Rs' and 'Ls'.
I saw this at the bottom of the website and...
COPYLIGHT 2011-2012 BSG ALL RESERVED. お問い合わせ先 wave@bsgsurf.com
Just an observation , having spent a little time in Japan . The Japanese put a great deal of value in a well made hand crafted object , and they would and do pay a lot of money for first class , beautiful . well made , hand crafted surfboards , secondly they would and do pay good money for surfboards made in Japan by Japanese even if they are not of the highest standard . Third they willingly buy good quality used surfboards ,{ they do love brand names .} Buying cheap Chinese surfboards is WAY down the list and in fact may not even be on the list and perhaps that alone says something about the Japanese that we cant claim . As an aside they seem to be very territorial about surf shops , you better be buying your boards at the local shop in the area you surf . Aroha .
I can hook you up with a good shop that deals in high end retail. They usually bring a guy in for a week or two to knock out some wall hangers, originals and customs. No pressure just lots of fun. The gig is from late spring usually. Let me know.
R and L, H and F. Plus the R is often pronounced like a D. Karate is pronounced kahdahtay. My mom is from Japan. I have a friend named HF, short for Hugh Francis, another friend named Ray Lovell. Those names get chewed up all the time. But having known no other way of her speaking, it all sounded normal.
I’m not fond of paddling out and dealing with a pack of visiting Japanese surfers. They can be a problem. Actually many of the foreign surfers are a problem. Very different attitudes.
2lb. foam looks very forgiving. someday, I will do some equally ungodly things to a 2lb. blank that most likely make this guy look skilled. I will only say I cut my outlines closer (with a jigsaw). Whew, remind me to never let you guys see anything I do to a blank.
If you are like me with no formal training, you pick up a little here and a little there. The internet has made it easy to see how people do things. Without a proper training it’s all guess work and you eventually learn all kinds of “wrong” ways of doing things. But you don’t know it’s a “wrong” way because it’s the only way you know. The end result is what we are after.
I’ve come to realize that making surfboards is not something I intend to do for income, not even it’s just to recoup the cost of materials, so I use extra cheap tools, home made tools, and often the wrong tools. I figure that if I was given the proper planer, I’d be all messed up because I’d have to learn how to use it. Same for a couple of other shaping specific tools because I don’t use “real” surfboard blanks.
On the other hand, if I intend to make boards to sell, I’d want to make the best boards I could, using the least amount of time and effort. That would mean learning the “right” way of doing things with the “right” materials and tools, to get the job done accurately and efficiently. That’s how you stay in business, you learn how to provide a good product at a reasonable cost. Once you are known for providing a superior product, you can charge accordingly.
I know how…If you are interested Jim, PM me…
"Whew, remind me to never let you guys see anything I do to a blank."
I hear that!