What do you guys use to finish the butt crack in the swallow tail. When I use a chisel and sand paper it never comes out clean. It seems sand paper takes to much foam then you bring down the butt crack with the chisel and inevitably it slips an gouges the foam etc. Suggestions?
try this. once you’re ready to start shaping the butt crack, lay a couple pieces of masking tape on either side of the stringer. find a round file and begin forming the butt crack to your desired shape. the tape will prevent the file from gouging the foam should it slip off the stringer. once the stringer is shaped, pull off the tape and shape the foam to match. kirk
Steve: Now I know why some of the early Fish with those deep swallow cuts had special blanks made. One of my older ones has a 1/4" Bass at the nose, tapers to nothing and it ends about 1.5 inches from the butt crack. The guy was thinking about what a pain in the ass the finish work is on 'em. Here is what I’ve been doing: 1.I used a small hand coping saw to cut out the swallow and took extra care when I got to the stringer. Bisecting that narrow piece of wood so that it is clean and perpendicular on top and bottom is easier said than done 2. Work the swallow/stringer down while you do the final tail foiling 3.Mini block, edge cutter on a rough wood rasp, rough round file and lastly a couple of 1/4" hardwood sanding blocks wrapped with 50 or 80 grit 3. Blend it all together for final foiling. Lots of work, but while I did the last one I thought about how much more work a guy spends doing a multi-stringered board. Makes you appreciate even more what guys like J.Phillips can turn out. Tom Sterne>>> What do you guys use to finish the butt crack in the swallow tail. When I > use a chisel and sand paper it never comes out clean. It seems sand paper > takes to much foam then you bring down the butt crack with the chisel and > inevitably it slips an gouges the foam etc.>>> Suggestions?
What do you guys use to finish the butt crack in the swallow tail. When I > use a chisel and sand paper it never comes out clean. It seems sand paper > takes to much foam then you bring down the butt crack with the chisel and > inevitably it slips an gouges the foam etc.>>> Suggestions? Buy a Stanley round sureform with handle(about the diameter of a finger), use the tape on sides of stringer, finish with your very well used sanding srceen to blend with your middle finger up and down crack. Pain in buttski! Can’t imagine the work put into a six channel to rail double-wing C-5 swallowtail. The glasser would be cussin’ you. ha-ha!!!
Care for an amateur idea? (hand goes up). I’ve never shaped a butt crack, but in areas like that I use two things, a hobby tool and finger nail emory boards. That’s how I’d be working on it. These tools often sound amateur-ish to pros, but they might be the fastest tools for the required accuracy.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I’ll go with the protective tape idea. Book tape(much like duct, but better) will work good here. Also I do have a really nice half round chisel I just bought from a wood-workers store-$15.99 I s_it you not! The well worn screen will work to blend. This pain-in-da-butt-crak finish shaping makes flat stringer planing sound like child’s play! Thanks again. I really am a lot more experience than I sound sometimes-just getting it down to perfection. I’ll pass on the channels, cause a friend gave me a shape to glass once, we both ended up cursing!!
One more. An electric chisel with a V shaped blade works very well, Scott. Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I’ll go with the protective tape > idea. Book tape(much like duct, but better) will work good here. Also I do > have a really nice half round chisel I just bought from a wood-workers > store-$15.99 I s_it you not!>>> The well worn screen will work to blend. This pain-in-da-butt-crak finish > shaping makes flat stringer planing sound like child’s play!>>> Thanks again. I really am a lot more experience than I sound > sometimes-just getting it down to perfection. I’ll pass on the channels, > cause a friend gave me a shape to glass once, we both ended up cursing!!
Steve:>>> Now I know why some of the early Fish with those deep swallow cuts had > special blanks made. One of my older ones has a 1/4" Bass at the > nose, tapers to nothing and it ends about 1.5 inches from the butt crack. > The guy was thinking about what a pain in the ass the finish work is on > 'em. Here is what I’ve been doing: 1.I used a small hand coping saw to cut > out the swallow and took extra care when I got to the stringer. Bisecting > that narrow piece of wood so that it is clean and perpendicular on top and > bottom is easier said than done 2. Work the swallow/stringer down while > you do the final tail foiling 3.Mini block, edge cutter on a rough wood > rasp, rough round file and lastly a couple of 1/4" hardwood sanding > blocks wrapped with 50 or 80 grit 3. Blend it all together for final > foiling. The tape works great to keep from scarring the foam. There are some bitchin tools out there, one is the “micro plane rasp” a surform type of tool availible in triangular or round . They are made of stainless and are razor sharp. Te triangle one cuts on the edge of the corner. They are about $9.oo at Cut&Dried in Solana Beach. JIM>>> Lots of work, but while I did the last one I thought about how much more > work a guy spends doing a multi-stringered board. Makes you appreciate > even more what guys like J.Phillips can turn out.>>> Tom Sterne http://www.JimtheGenius@aol.com