I’ve been checking this forum for some time but this will be my first post, as I am a bit confused with this matter and cannot find any clear clarification on the internet.
I have made a total of three boards. For all of them, I have designed the outline on shape3d, printed it in full scale and used it as a template.
For the new board I am doing, I plan to make a wood template manually in the “old school” way, and my doubt is: one template is only used to make a board of a particular length and width, or it can be used to make the same board in differents dimensions?
So for example, I cut a template thinking in a 5’5’‘x20’’ fish. Can I then use this template to make a 5’7’‘x19 1/2’’ fish?
This doubt comes from thinking on the professional shapers who work by hand. Do they have one template for each model and each size or they use a template for making the same board model in different sizes?
I am not sure if the question is silly… but I think that one day i saw on the internet that one template can be used for making boards of different sizes…
…hello, your question is not silly and in fact is a very good one. Also I am glad that you want to understand the concept behind involved in making templates.
You will finish developing and “eye”; a thing fundamental to be a good shaper.
Yes, is that way.
The important factor is to have different types of curves;
The easiest way to understand this is with this tip: group the curves in families; so like you say, have a curve that you can rely for a given fish, then if you want to do the same but an inch bigger or so, you can use the same; if you want less curve more curve (variations) you can use other types of curves (templates)
I recommend to have several templates following the previous tip, that way you can fulfill a wide range of surfboards.
Almost any template can be used like a ‘‘French Curve’’ to create a new surfboard outline. Most templates can be ‘‘adjusted’’ six to eight inches, without much difficulty.
Like Bill says… don’t worry about trying to line up the template with the stringer. Mark some dimensions where you want them and shift the template(s) around to fit. You don’t need a straight edge on one side to line up with the stringer - just match the curve as needed.
For someone like me who just makes a few boards per year I think the best bet is to take advantage of today’s computer technology and scale and reprint a fresh paper template. I haven’t made a masonite template in years. When I’ve made the same shape in different sizes I just use the computer tools I have at my disposal to scale the PDF template of the prior board to the new size.
For a one-off with no template or digital file I’ve also used a light batten and some finish nails at my desired dimensions to create a fair outline on one side of the board then cut it out and clean up the outline. Then simply tape down some paper and trace it to create a template for the second side so I can create a mirror image.
I don’t see much reason today for masonite templates for the hobby builder unless you plan on one day getting into production hand shaping. Its a lot easier to store a bunch of PDFs than hard templates. I could easily turn any of my PDF templates into hard templates if I ever had the desire.
Mako,
Good point on the paper templets, plus storing them is a lot easier. I must admit that I don’t like to trace against the papers thin soft edge. There is a strong plus tracing against a the hard edge of a Masonite . It’s just more positive.
Thanks a lot for all your answers! I will update you on this if needed and tell you how it goes.
Regarding using the computer, the thing is that i’ve been using it till now but at the moment of printing and seeing the outline in full scale i always need to modify it as it’s not exactly what i was looking for, and want to try to get away from the keyboard and work directly in full scale, after doing some drafts on the sketchbook of course.
Hello Jan, sometimes I find it helpful to draw the full size outline onto a large piece of inexpensive paper taken from a roll before I commit it to the blank.
One of the guys here ‘Huck’ also works from a sketchbook and then uses a grid system to enlarge the features to full size.
Based on the rather inexpensive cost of Masonite, I’d go so far as to say the ‘hard copy’ route would be worth it even if you only used it one time. It is nice when truing the cut pattern to be able to plane ond sand the edges to get the curve just right. Tracing around the pattern (as pointed out) is far easier with Masonite. A decent spin template can actually be used for a number of outlines once you get the hang of shifting it around to fit points on a curve. With one sheet of Masonite you could have the shop slice them in to 12" widths and end up with several spin templates. They could be stuffed in a closet and take up practically no space.