Working on my second board and am wondering what’s the best way to ‘true’ the outline curve after cutting the blank. Inevitably you get little peaks and valleys after cutting out you design and even after working the surform its not 100 perfect. Any suggestions?
Working on my second board and am wondering what’s the best way to ‘true’ > the outline curve after cutting the blank. Inevitably you get little peaks > and valleys after cutting out you design and even after working the > surform its not 100 perfect. Any suggestions? Yeah, most of the problem comes from not having the cut-out saw 90 degrees from the deck. As you plane the board, you cut into and bring the “s” patterns into the bottem. Plus, sur-form is a hack tool – not for fine tuning. Try this, cut about a 1/4 to 1/2" outside the outline mark as close to 90 degrees as you can. Attach a rabbiting fence to your planer and set it to 90 degrees, then use the planer on the rail with the fence on the bottom to cut away the excess around the outline to where it just touches the line. Touch it up with a sanding block. Best to do this with the board in the saddle. When done, the outline should be as straight on the top of the board as it is on the bottom – if its not – you are hosed again. Shine http://users2.fdn.com/~shine
You need to learn to use your planer for this. Set the blades shallow and run it up and down the outline fairly quickly until it’s even. The planer will go over the low spots and cut the high spots. Make sure you’re holding the planer at a 90 degree angle to the bottom.You want to leave your pencil line for reference. When you develop good saw tecnique you will neen very little if any cleaning up of the outline. aloha
A lot of people I know use their planer, but that kind of freaks me out. Along with the surform I use a 2x4 about 2’ long that I have rounded off the square corners. I then got a belt sander belt and cut it (so now you have a long strip of sandpaper). I attach the sandpaper to the block with small screws and some washers. The belt is strecthed tight and is great to use along your planshape cut out as well as smoothing out planer cuts on the bottom of the board (and rocker adjustments). I like using it on the cutout because it is long and will blend high or low/uneven spots much better than a surform. Just make sure that the wood does not have any weird twist or knots in it. You want that belt to be tight and flat along the block.
I started using a handsaw the switched to a Skil saw which has a built in 90 degree cut. It has helped a lot, cut short of the line then use a sanding block to finish up. The planer helps out in the tight curves in the nose areas. Keep an eye on those first templates too, harder than it looks to get one “true”, if your peaks and valleys are in similar position on both sides you need to check the template you used. TS>>> Working on my second board and am wondering what’s the best way to ‘true’ > the outline curve after cutting the blank. Inevitably you get little peaks > and valleys after cutting out you design and even after working the > surform its not 100 perfect. Any suggestions?
i rely on m template lines. when i draw the template on the pencil mark leaves a little groove. i jigsaw the outline, hit the big bumps with a surform, then put the board in the saddle and run the sanding block. as i get right to the line i go slow and, along with feeling the flow, go right to the indent of the pencil line, erasing the outside edge. just make sure your templates are good and smooth.
Cut it out about 1/2 inch out side your line. Then either use the planer to take the bulk off our take a sanding block with some 80 grit and sand it to the line. If you use the sandpaper method make long strokes so that you don’t put flat spots on the curve.
I like the skil saw idea, I might try that on some prototype/new model stuff. Usually what I do is make a really good template and clamp it down with modified spring clamps and diving weights and then route it out with a 1/2" X 2.5" router bit in a d-handled router and a template guide. There us usually no fairing required afterward and you don’t work up a sweat trying to get the perfect outline.>>> Cut it out about 1/2 inch out side your line. Then either use the planer > to take the bulk off our take a sanding block with some 80 grit and sand > it to the line. If you use the sandpaper method make long strokes so that > you don’t put flat spots on the curve. http://www.siempresurf.com
Thanks guys this helps. Need to get this board done while the waves are still big if cold (5l*) up here!>>> I like the skil saw idea, I might try that on some prototype/new model > stuff. Usually what I do is make a really good template and clamp it down > with modified spring clamps and diving weights and then route it out with > a 1/2" X 2.5" router bit in a d-handled router and a template > guide. There us usually no fairing required afterward and you don’t work > up a sweat trying to get the perfect outline.