I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on trimming a stringer to prepare for glassing, particularly in the nose rocker. I am still just learning to shape on my own, going mainly from reading and intuition from having surfed most of my life. I have yet to find a spokeshave, and the few methods Ive come up with (I wont even mention those)have been nearly disasterous on my first couple blanks. Any advice would be much appreciated. Rob
You can buy a small block plane that is about 2.5" long. it will go anywhere on the nose rocker and the rest of the stringer. dont use a spokeshave they suck. they are sharp straight out of the box usually, but make sure you keep them sharp, stringers hate a blunt blade and you will get chips.
Take the time to find yourself a good Spoke Shave. Stanley has a good one now. Be sure it’s super sharp and properly adjusted or they suck. You didn’t say if you were doing shallow curves of a longboard or the abrupt lines of a shortboard. The tool is worth perfecting; it’s done me right for almost thirty years!! When they cut right, only the wood will come down and the foam will be unscathed. Squirt some silicone spray on the contact area for some extra-smooth action. Be patient… Good Luck.
Hey Rob, I know exactly what you mean. I sure don’t have the experience some of these guys do but I think once you find an acceptable tool you have to learn to “work it” so that it does the job for you. I have a little block plane about 2 1/2 or 3" long that I use. It sucked when I first started using it…wasn’t sharp enough. Once I got it really sharp I had to play around with the depth to get it “right”. I set it to just barely cut on a flat area, then in the nose curve I turn it sideways and gradually srtaighten it out as I move through the curve ending up running straight out onto the flat deck area. Takes a lot of practice and feel but once you have it it works pretty good. Basically controlling the attack depth by the angle you put on the plane. Same basic move you have to use with the electric planer in the nose area. Keep trying and it will come to you. Try the plane and the spoke shave. One or the other will just feel right to you once you “get it”!! Krokus
On the EastCoast, Ace Hardware carries spoke shaves. I find it gets into the nose of a shortboard easier than my small planer but… as you can tell by this thread, alot of it boils down to what your comfortable working with. Try one, if you don’t like it put it on ebay. http://www.naglesurfboards.com
Spokeshaves suck? sounds like operator error on your part, you need to micro adjust it and find the best depth for cutting. I use a spokeshave dozens of time a day while cleaning up the deck nose rocker and NEVER have any problem
I had a lurning curve while getting used to my spokeshave and block plane. After some tweaking and practice, it works real well. I have found , though, that the stringer gets finicky on me in certain spots. It must have something to do with the change in the wood grain, but the spokeshave basically starts to bounce (for lack of better description) and doesn’t slice smoothly. The remedy I’ve discovered is to just switch directions and hit it from a different angle. 
OOPS! Sorry for the pic (that’s not my spokeshave!) URL was inadvertently left on from another post I did.
If you can’t find a spokeshave (and they can be hard to use anyway) try to find one of these small Stanley block planes, they call it a “trim plane” (model 12-101) - they cost $8-10 and are only about 3" long. They carry them at Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. You’ll have to adjust the blade a bit to get it set so that it cuts nice little peels, but doesn’t gouge the foam (try this on a scrap of wood, or on a flatter part of your stringer first). Figure out which way the grain goes on your stringer, and when you get up in the nose section, angle the blade about 45 degrees, using short cuts. I’m sure you’ll get more pointers but this should help. http://http://www.brandnametools.biz/hand_tools/w/Wood_Planes/_1290025.htm
A decent hobby shop should carry a small cheap, but very effective planer.
I really like using Japanese block planes for the stringer(s). Below are links to companies which carry a nice selection. The curved bottom planes are ideal for that hard to reach nose area, etc. http://www.japanwoodworker.com/page.asp?content_id=2896 http://www.hidatool.com/woodpage/plane/sp-carve.html
Check out “Lee Valley Tools” internet catalogue for killer block planes and spokeshaves (Veritas Brand). They’re a bit pricey compared to other currently made tools, but cheap over a lifetime of use. The planes have a single lateral/feed adjustment like the classic english “Norris” planes and adjustable mouths. The spokeshave has a shimmed adjustment to close the mouth. Both tools feature thick blades which helps prevent chatter. I bought one of the block planes 6 months ago and am EXTREMELY impressed with the quality. (I am not affiliated with Lee Valley Tools) The chatter problem mentioned by others is likely due to flex in the spokeshave blade in use. You can’t see it or even imagine it, but that blade edge is bogging-flexing-and releasing the wood in cycles as you use it. Dull blades and wide mouths are the culprit. Razor-sharp blades, thicker blades and finely set mouths all help to prevent it. Also skewing the tool @ differant angles as someone mentioned, will help. Otherwise it’s like a washboard road, every car accenuates the washboard. Part of the joy of craftsmanship is tuning your tools. Old saying around the joinery shops: “A poor workman blames his tools.”
I ran into the same problem in the nose rocker. Due to the upward curve my block plane with its straight base didn’t work. Here is my solution; there is a tool the cabinetmakers use ( it might be a cabinet scraper). It is a small flat piece of sheet steel with no handle. You drag the edge across wood. One version has a rounded edge. Just put the tip of the rounded side on the stringer and drag it. Stringer comes off with no damage to surrounding foam. Any woodworking supply place can tell you what its called and sell you one.
that’s a cabinet scraper, all right. Some have made spokeshave-like two handed holders for 'em. For wood, well, you can get a no-sanding-required finish if you use it right. Some cabinet scraper care and feeding tips: Angle the top of the thing towards you, not away from you. The edge is faintly hooked ( see sharpening techniques ) so that’ll allow it to work well. Kinda like you’d use a squeegee, right? Many cabinet scrapers are just rectangular pieces of Really Good Steel: you can work 'em with your hands holding the edges of the scraper and that makes it sit pretty square on top of what you’re scraping. Watch out for the corners digging in. Can you make a scraper? Sure can. The trick is in finding a thin, flat piece of very good steel, such as a sawblade. Can you reshape 'em? Yep. Grind away, but dip in water often while yer doing it to preserve the temper of the steel. If it gets too soft it won’t be much use. Sharpening isn’t like the sharpening you’re used to. I’d type it all out, but a quick search told me I don’t have to: http://members.aol.com/illinewek/faqs/scraper.htm I’d note that the above link mentions a slightly different technique than I was taught and use…whatever floats yer boat, y’know? Scraping seems to work better for me with harder woods or very straight grained woods like Port Orford or yellow cedar…again, that’s me and the way I do it, you may develop a better technique than mine for softer woods. It’s definitely good for that last little bit you cut. hope that’s of use doc… http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=2_236
Sears sells a small, curved reverse surform. pulls toward you. finish up with the japanese block plane, then samdpaper on a small block of wood.
With a properly finished edge, held with both hands, bending a slight tension into the blade… drawing across the wood produces ultra fine micro shavings. As much a sensual pleasure as efficient function. I used to design/make musical instruments, and my (Swedish steel) scrapers easily replaced nearly any need for final sandpaper, leaving a lustrous, natural finish. Again, minimal noise or dust. Beautiful, simple, ancient tools which are still relevant. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrapers/Scraper_Blades.html http://www.internationalluthiers.com/ http://www.luth.org/books/books.htm http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/jdscrape/top_index.htm 
Spoke shave with cheap replacment blades Foam-ez.com buy two I think the spoke is $8 and a pack of 3 replacement blades is another $6. there about 3in and work great in the nose. Take them and sand the base and edges round with wet dry on your sander and they will slide and glide thru the nose and not tear the foam nicely… Or you can take the silver block plane that clark and everyone else sells and cut the front and back off and make it a about 2 1/2 in long and it fits well to. After you cut it down round the edges all the way around with your sander… I have one of those blue blade shavers and i cut it down that is by far my best shave. It has the round backside. I cut the front down and made it short . Works as my med cut shaping shave. Cuts deep but not to deep as to tear. I clean up and shape Tails and noses ( foam ) after I do roughing with the planer. It cuts the highs and levels better then surforms ( Caveman tool ) . Try the new micro surform blades they cut foam 100% better then standard stanley blades. Fiberglass supply carrys them. They shape stringer ( cut thru wood ) clean and better. Try these ideas i know you’ll be Stoked!!! Share one for me…
The little spoke shave from Foam EZ works fine its really small. You’ll need to hone the blade and set the depth properly. But once its done it’s really easy to use. If you get grain chatter, try reversing the way you work the grain of the stringer. it’s kind of like shaving your face the wrong way. -Jay
I use a plunge router!
Wow, thats alot of info. Thank you everyone for passing on some knowledge and experience, this has given me a lot to go on. I must say since I made the decision to try my hand at shaping, Swaylocks has probably been the most invaluable resource I have found. Whenever I actually have a few dollars to spare I will definitely be making my donation, Id say I more than owe it. Thanks again everyone, Rob