Is this possible? I assume it is just very time comsuming. Im obviously doing my 1st board its a 6’9A fish.
I have a block plane and a round surform and different sanding blocks etc…(made my “bucket stand” last weekend). Other than the fact its going to take days and days can this be done. My dad has a old power planer but I dont know when I can get that as hes about 6 hours away and Id like to learn via hand tools first unless thats just a bad idea. I wont be glassing this 1st board myself most likely. Ive tried searching for this question but havent found what im looking for i guess.
Times not so much an issue at least not on this board I want to learn and hopefully make a ridable board.
If theres any other obvious stuff im missing or may need to know please feel free to tell me.
I do all mine w/o power tools. Thinning the blank is the most time-consuming part. You have to hit it with a big sanding block nose to tail, tail to nose, then shave stringer with block plane, then repeat. Skin with same block plane (razor-sharp).
From start to finish, it takes me about 2.5-3.5 hours to shape a board without power tools.
Now sanding your glass job by hand will kick your ass, but you can worry about that later.
lots of people use only hand tools. if you’re just going for the bare minimum… a saw, block plane, surform, and sandpaper is really all you need. go do it.
I shaped and sanded over 40 boards without power tools.
Schwuz got the timing for shaping down. With a planer, you only save 1/2 hour and you tend to screw up by thinning too much.
Sanding a hotcoat takes about 35 minutes by hand, accompanied by 2 sheets of 50, 2 sheets of 80, and one sheet of 120 sandpaper. Hope your life has all that much free time.
Get hold of a flat surform. Also a 30" X 4" piece of wood and glue a piece of 80 grit sandpaper that you buy in rolls will help you keep a nice plat bottom.
Unless you already are a skilled shaper or close tolerance craftsmen, DO NOT thin off the bottom of the blank!
Thin from the deck! Naysayers will say it weakens the deck. So, let the blank sit around for a week after shaping. Then glass it strong. Then let it sit another week.
If you thin from the bottom, you WILL screw up the bottom symetry.
Since you picked a particularly thick blank, try to make a thick board.
Better to skin less than 1/4" before shaping, which thins it out another 1/8" minimum.
From start to finish, it takes me about 2.5-3.5 hours to shape a board without power tools.
Wow! It took me 9 hours to hand shape a board on Sunday! It was only my third board so I guess with more experience I might get the time down to something more reasonable. My girlfriend was pissed!
Anyone have any advice on getting the thickness of the board right? I’ve been having problems with that. I guess I just need to stay really focused on it as I sand down the deck.
Always wear a respirator with a particle filter for shaping/sanding AND THEN an activated charcoal cartridge for glassing.
The good particle filters are magenta colored and HEPA-rated. Laminating, hot coating, finish coating demand a vapor filter, one with activated charcoal cartridges. They are usually black/white.
Before you buy a respirator it must fit your clean (shaved) face. Learn how to do a fit test, do it every time you put it on.
Some respirators have one cartridge, others have two. Some are lighter than others. Good ones cost 30 to 50 bucks. How much are your lungs worth?
The incidence of lung cancer rises drastically if you both smoke and inhale asbestos fibers; I’d assume it rises drastically if you smoke and either shape or glass without a respirator.
Thaks Charlie, ill definately go w the best respirator i can find. If anyone has links to one please post otherwise i would guess the depot or paint stores would be a good place to start looking?
My dad has a old power planer but I dont know when I can get that as hes about 6 hours away and Id like to learn via hand tools first unless thats just a bad idea.
Shape it all by hand, but check your dad’s old planer someday: if you see something like “Skill 100” printed on it, just let us know: it could buy you some more blanks…
Good on you brother for handshaping. I did my first few by hand as well.
You can shape a wole board with just the following.
Sandpaper
24" Level
decent block plane
a couple of scrap wood sanding blocks.
Duct tape
maybe a surform
handsaw to cut template out
Take two sheets of 60 grit and but them against one another on the 24" level and then wrap them around and pull taught till there is no give on the bottom where the two sheets butt each other…then tapoe the other side. You now haeve a perfectly straight 24" sanding block.
Use that to reduce thickness from the bottom. Plane the stringer, then talke the level and sand till you hit the stringer again. Repeat till you are 1/4" from final thickness, then skin the top and crown deck to your tastes.
You can do the rails with the smaller wood sanding blocks.
wrao them in sandpaper and make your own rail bands. Or the surrform is also good for this, but not necessary.
Make a few boards this way then graduate to the Modified Hitachi planer, or SKIL if you can find one. ut learing with no power tools is essential to appreciateing the art, as well as gaiing familiarity with your medium.
I woulda thought I’d float under the radar of a master like yourself, Dale.
I guess that just goes to show what kind of resources are available here on swaylocks. Take a look at my boards above and consider this: I’ve now made a total of 12. Other than Shaping 101, Sways has been my only resource. I’ve never watched another shaper/glasser work in person.
Hooked on Swaylocks worked for me!
And I love shaping by hand, it is simply the most relaxing, rewarding, and zen-like activity in the world to me. I tried a hitachi modified on two boards, and after thinning out the blanks, I set it down for good.
Shwuz, your boards look insane! After my nine hour hand shaping session I was determined to get a hold of a power planer but based on your comments above, I think I might reconsider!
