I’ve been picking cleanlines’ brain about making a cork board, no glass. I recently bought a couple 3’ x 2’ x 4" blocks. It’s much heavier than I thought it would be, so now I’m thinking it needs to be chambered. I was thinking about making a micro-simmons (4-4.5’) with two bamboo stringers inline with the fin toe in (to glue the fins to). This is for a project I have going with my students to make a board using non-toxic materials. I have a couple questions for you wood guys:
have been noticing the emergence of cork on decks and rails..gotta think a whole lot more surface drag with cork compared to a gloss or sanded finish..?
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can see your point...but not if its only on the deck
cork could also be used just as the inner core...tho i don't know how well it can be glassed over
and i have doubts its ultimate stength and memory...how does it flex?
and if it flexs alot....hows that go?
will try glassing a fishing float next time i'm fixing a ding
small r&d i know...but i'll happily share results :)
They have blocks as thick as 6" x 3’ x 2’. I bought the high density blocks, which are 13#/cu ft. I don’t remember what the low density blocks are, but those might have been better for this project so that I won’t have to chamber it.
Any thoughts on Titebond III for gluing it up? I’ve read both good and bad reviews online.
I was thinking about sealing it with pine tar and raw linseed oil.
I think I would first rip it in to 4" wide strips. (Just like balsa) Then use a scarf joint to get the length you need. Then I would use a bandsaw to cut the rocker in to each strip. Next I would tack it all together temporarily and shape the board. Take it apart and do the chambering and do final glue-up. After that you can figure out the sealer.
No different than making a balsa board from scratch. I would think titebond would work. These are just my thoughts. There are some great craftsmen around here and it is VERY interesting concept. Cork is a renewable resource. I have been drooling over it for years. Plus the board should float like a cork. (had to say that ya know)
I wonder if it really needs to be sealed? When I was a kid I used cork fishing floats and they never sank or took on water. They made liferafts out of it also. It was just wrapped with canvas. Maybe you should take a scrap and toss it in some water. See what happens.
It comes in different densities. and from what I’ve read the cork beads soak up next to no epoxy resin themselves except for the final sandpaper grooves and density choice factors… The voids in between the individual beads are your main anchor points ,so no sealing is required… It would be like roughed up XPS, but better in many ways (no off gassing for one)… Except for cosmetics… You either like the dark cork look or get out your acylic or poly spray paint set up again…
Apparently the lower density cork does soak up more resin as would be expected, so higher density is generally prefered… Skin thickness is usually around 1.5., 2, to 3mm…
I haven’t used it yet but I will on one of my current builds…
There ya go…Now we all have everything tech. except practical hands - on experience…
Enjoy…2012 !
Oh Yeah… One of my 2012 resolutions as far as I’m concerned… I’ll be posting very minimal and then only(hopefully) helpful information, with out my involvement in discussions on this forum from now on.
I feel it’s best to help where you can and where appreciated … Otherwise… If there’s nothing good to say, or if an argument seems imminent… Say nothing…
I use to work in cork flooring as a layer, and some of the tiles I worked on had a higher density for industrial flooring, we started to get into water based sealers so Im of course going to find this thread extremely intersting to follow
So I finally finished this. What a disaster! My students sealed it with raw linseed oil and pine tar. Didn’t work. Took on about 20 lbs of water. In addition, it flexed like a wet noodle, even with the 1/8" or so bamboo springer from left over flooring.
Positives: the scarf joint was solid after bagging it overnight. Tom at Daumtooling was nice enough to donate a couple Red X boxes and they felt solid in the cork without any reinforcement. I never shaped a simmons-type board before, so that was fun.
If I did it again, I’d use lower density cork, seal it with epoxy, and add parabolic stringers or something else to give it structure. Live and learn.
Great, naked is great. No wax, and no slip… Deck grip stuck down good too, but sponsor stickers didn’t last long… Got a little dirty easily but a light rub with 150 grit should fix that.
