Just for fun, I made this from some extra Paulwonia left over from the last boards…
The rough Paulwonia planks were 6” wide x 1” thick…Between them are 3/8” Cedar strips…Glued together with Titebond 2…
The curve cutout at the tail is a 10” radius cut with a router on a trammel jig…The idea for the curve is that it will help you stay centered on the board…
The bottom is convex up front and has a slight concave from the middle to the back…The deck is flat, tapering to rails that are pencil thin…
Shaped with a low angle block plane, then dry sanded to 220 grit…Oiled with Watco Teak Oil, then wet sanded with oil to 400 grit…Finished with Minwax Paste Wax heated to liquid, then brushed on followed with a lot of hard rubbing with a cloth, then finalized with soft touch polishing using 0000 steel wool…Smoooth…
Hi Paul, I wish the photo was able to show the work in your finish. When I do furniture that hand rubbed finish is what I'm shooting for. It is a lot of work. Your version is a nice alternative to Linseed oil and wax. I hate using Linseed oil. Nice work. Did you burnish with wax and steel wool mixed? That kind of finish makes you want to touch it and rub your hands over it. Reminds me a a few women I've known.
ps. I have a foam paipo made from a broken board almost exactly like yours only a pronounced belly in the nose. I think it helps cut through the water better instead of skimming on top of it.
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Your version is a nice alternative to Linseed oil and wax. I hate using Linseed oil. Nice work.
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It's my understanding that Watco blend is linseed oil with additives....the Teak Oil blend has UV inhibitors and fungicide. Plus a little bit of tung oil varnish. The actual recipe is a trade secret.
I’ve been tripping out on the speed of the wide, flat paipo’s, in particular, their ability to race through sections that break too fast for any other type of board. This has led me to notice that their weak point is when they lose their hold when shooting through a steep section. I re-read the Tom Wegener interview, and I dragged out a few of my favourite alaia’s and paipo’s. I looked at the ones that ride in a steep pocket the best and I found that these all had rolled bottoms. The concave ones work well too, but the rolled ones were definitely the best. I have made a couple of finned paipo’s and these hold brilliantly, but they are not nearly as fast as the finless, wider boards. So I started to work out a way to make a board which I could flex laterally, to create a rolled bottom, but which would snap back to being flat when I wanted to accelerate. Here’s my first attempt at this idea. I copied my favourite flip-nose paipo, and I made the nose a touch wider. I used 9mm ply, instead of my usual 12mm. I then added a 6mm rib around the perimeter (not across the tail) and I used the thickness around the rail to sand in a subtle roll up to the sharp edge, the whole way round. The idea is that as I’m trimming along, I’ll have my hand on the outside edge. As the wave gets steeper, I pull up on the outside rail, flexing the thinner centre of the board, which will create a roll through the back half. This should create some suction, and therefore hold. When I’m through the section, releasing the rail will flatten the board back out, which should cause it to accelerate dramatically. The board is still a couple of coats of sealant away from a test-ride. But I’ll write up a report as soon as I’ve had a good run on it!
Have a look at Paul Lindbergh's interview and the photos of his newer HPD model. Similar principle of stiff rails with greater flex in the tail and hence laterally. I haven't heard what the feedback has been. There is also an element of the spoon design here as well.
I'll be interested to hear how it goes. Winki would seem the perfect testing ground.
