Well, I’m into my build, cleaning up the CNC shape and I find that there’s always a bump where the stringer ends on the rail (board with the XPS rails in the photo). Slight but if you sight down the rail it’s noticeable. Now I’m thinking all those old time triple stringer longboard makers must have a technique they use to address that problem. Anyone? Balsa? JIm the Genius? Thraikill?
well im no expert at triple stinger boards but i some what recently made one for a guy and ran into the same problem, all i did though is go at it with a sureform and that got the job done for me
[img_assist|nid=1063350|title=latest board|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=575|height=850]
Thanks for the reply. Surform tears the XPS, so that’s a no go on this board…nice board though!
[quote="$1"] ...I'm thinking all those old time triple stringer longboard makers must have a technique they use to address that problem. Anyone? [/quote]
With a razor sharp ''mini plane'' or an actual razor plane, shallow cut on a skew angle, carefully take the wood slightly below the foam surface, then gently/lightly sand the foam flush with the wood.
Tape masking tape onto the foam to protect the foam. Two layers of tape. Then file or sand the stringer to where you want it. Then remove the tape, and bring the foam down to match the wood.
LLilibel, I do triple stringers on all my own boards. For wood I use a very sharp block plane and work it slowly and in small passes. If the foam at the rail is where you want it, then that is your guide. You can make a small sanding stick by glueing or using sticky back paper and sand away. The stick can be the exact size you need it to be. Circle the bump in pencil and sand down to the rest of the shape. Good Luck.
ps. Try not to do much finish sanding in those areas.
Thanks for the replies. I cannot use any kind of plane on that XPS or it tears. I will try the masking tape idea. Thanks Mark.
I love doing triple stringers and do it the same as Bill says, with a razor plane. Its very three dimensional so you have to look at the cuts from all angles, or there will always be a bump somewhere. It may sound strange but I also find that it can be helpful to reverse your grip on the plane and then pull the plane towards yourself when you are looking at the stringer from from the nose & tail of the board (as well as push it from the middle of the rail)… if you get my drift.
Check this old thread
http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1026892#359238
Includes tipsfrom the experts you’ve heard from here already plus Rich Harbour - with pictures.
Good stuff, But again I cannot hit the XPS with a blade or it rips chunks out. Also the stringers are only 1/16." I would need a nano razor plane and some thick reading glasses!! The masking tape trick seemed to work. Close enough for rock n roll…
Have you tried the microplane blades, they come in different shapes, 10’’ for your surform, works way better on foam than a normal surform blade that rips chunks, stainless steel, don’t rust. There’s an angled one thats good for swallow tails. They work really well on wood. Here’s the american site:
If you’re in Australia you can buy them from Carba-Tec, cheaper than shapers oz:
http://www.carbatec.com.au/microplane-surform-replacement-blade_c12540
one, I try to take the planer work to the point that there is very little left to do, second, as I tune the rails, I stop about 3 inched away from where the stringer exits the plan shape, When done, I have a sanding block that is about 5 inched long and very curved, this way I make contact with the wood and not the foam surrounding it. I see way too much over sanding by other shapers, all I am trying to do is eliminate the planer marks
I think I just got spanked by the genius. That board looks great.
12 foot modernized Malibu Chip, Moonlight did the glassing, when I delivered the blank, Peter went a dragged Manny out by the ear to show him how offsets were finished, he said his always were bumps in the outline !!!
At the risk of being nosy, Jim the G., are the inlays done freehanded?
Or do you use a guide?
Hell no, battened out on template material, cut out with a sabre saw,. slowly, then cleaned up with my radiius plane
Roger that. Thank you.
I hate freehanding anything but have seen guys on the job do it successfully. Shallow passes of course.
Jim the G., Thanks heaps for sharing your hard earned knowledge.
Sometimes I just use a dremel hand tool with a very fine tip and just touch the offending area very lghtly. With good lighting and a gentle touch you can work those slight convexities out flat without touching the XPS at all.
I used to do dental technology for a living making caps crowns and dentures and that fine attention to detail comes in handy for such finiky jobs.
Wow Jim. There’s a couple of spots around here (Palos Verdes) where swells come in but barely break in the summer but I’d love to cruise that board there…
if you are not into the small sharp plane method, then try the microplane rasp against the grain. works really well at taking it down and barely cuts the foam. as with everything, there are a lot of ways to do it, and all of them take a while to get just right…
