I usually shape longboards with a single wood stringer. I’ve done some triple stringer boards that had the 3 stringers off set a couple inches from each other, and running parallel to each other. Those ran from nose to tail and didn’t exit out onto the side rails. When it comes to triple stringers that have two of them exiting out the rails, It always takes me a long time to properly finish rounding the “rail stringers.” I’m pretty sure I’m just improvising my own learned “trial & error” techniques on it.
[b]What techniques/ tips/ tools do some of you use to easily do this rail stringer job?
[/b]
Also, anyone have tips for not messing up/ staining the white foam with sanding dust from a darker cedar stringer?
A razor sharp low angle block plane works good.The best trick I have seen is Jim Philip’s curved sanding block.Make a block around 8 inches long…put some rocker on one side…and glue down 80 grit paper.This lets you sand the end of the stringer without hitting foam.I use an air hose for dust.A small stringer bump will sand out flush after the board is glassed and hotcoated. RB
Use a hammer. No wait- just kidding! Multiple stringer boards always have been and always will be a pain. At my place of work, multiple stringer boards get passed around the bays from shaper to shaper, until someone does it- usually the manager comes in, holds one of us down and beats us with a yard stick until we commit. Thats usually because if you do one, there is 5 others that need to get done right behind it… so you know who’s doing the rest. Anyway, the best trick is too shape the board as close to the finished shaped as possible, including the rails- leaving a board with squared off rails is a big no-no… only to have to come back and work over the shape with your hand tools? I think not. Even do the tuck\roll on the bottom of the rail with your planer if you can. Be careful back-cutting over the stringers on the rail, especially cedar, it really likes to chip. so after you have everything all nice with the planer, use your med/small block plane to chip away at it… easy does it, a little sureform/sanding block action over the whole board to knock off the highs, and then screen the bad boy. comeback after you screen it with your block plane on the rails, and the entire board- you know the rest. As for the dark wood dust getting the foam dirty- thats what air compressors are for- if you don’t have one, go out and get one. It will make your life 110% better. -Carl
hmm. I love multiple stringer boards and often try to talk people into them. As for those exit points, just a small, very sharp plane, with a light touch, coming at them from all angles… fun fun fun. They look so nice!
As mentioned above, a sharp mini plane can be used to whittle those stringers down at the rail. Cut towards the ends. Do the final end grain whittling as one of your final steps. If you’re careful, you’ll hardly have to sand at all. Same with the deck and bottom - shave the stringers as one of your final steps. After finalizing the stringers, avoid sanding as much as possible. The more you sand, the more trouble you will get into as the foam will ALWAYS sand down faster than the wood. A slight convex blade sharpening and very shallow blade set will allow a “stringer only” final shave - hopefully without gouging the foam.
the most satisfing and frustrating venue in the shaping experience
I have a board that’s almost thirty years old that my eye always goes straught to that dip in the rail that I glassed in
sharpen the planer real good and sharp, the one inch stanley is always been cool ,
the sharp blade will reveal the grain better than 600 grit sand paper…take it down below foam level then bring down the foam carefully to match ,dont forget to get back and look that the curve remains true to the curve if that flat develops in the rail line by the stringer you will see it forever…the best shapers get lazy and leave a bump or a dip when you can se em you will never let the pity go wether self pity or empathic its just a shame to be so close to true and miss it… just do it slow and do it right the satisfaction is immeasurable…ambrose… praise to john’s effort to bring the s.a .event to reality truely a sacrifice never fully praised…shall we say thank you again without sounding hollow?
Go ppick up an wood carving exacto knife and an assortment of xacto wood carving blades. The cureved surfaces are ideal for taking down stringers where they meet the rail. Actually they work great for nose anf tail section of the stringers as well.
Here is the knife and what one of the blades look like.
