I picked up a 7’3" A at Surf Supply in Oceanside, Ca. It’s 2# EPS with a 1/8 basswood stringer. This is a stock blank right off the rack. Someone on Swaylocks told me about Surf Supply.
I have a 6’11" RayEgg template that I used. The RayEgg is my own version of the Bear Speed Egg. I bought the Bear at the Long Board Ghrotto back around 2001. I think it was shaped by Gary Goodrum. If you go to the Long Board Ghrotto today you will find a cool surf shop called Surfy Surfy. I marked out the board a little over 7 feet to give my self some room for error. And I started much wider than my final goal…
I cut the nose and tail with an old hand saw. The outline was cut using a homemade hotwire cutter. Everything I needed to know about building a hotwire cutter was found right here on Swaylocks.
I start a little wide and work my way inward. The hotwire cuts are less than perfect…But that’s what a surform is for…
Did you see the Little Fish in the background of the last photo. Red plywood stringer with black glue lines !!!
I’ve never shaped a surfboard in one hour. I’ve never shaped a surfboard in one day. Like most people I meet on Swaylocks it’s a hobby not a job. I work slow and make lots of marks and measurements…
And I normally have more than project going. Sometimes if you hit a mental wall you just need to walk away and come back later.
I know that on a pro level all the marking that I do is a waste of time. I’m no Pro. The lines on the deck help me see where I’m going with my rail bands
I don’t have blue walls or special lighting. I do have a boatload of homemade stuff. After making a few passes on the bottom I use a wood sanding block to make the bottom flat.
I did not take photos of all the shaping steps. The board came out nice. I getting much better with the power planner. I re-did the outline and pulled in the tail. Bottom is full single concave. I made a few passes with the power planner and then used a homemade single concave sanding block that I made out of foam.
Whatever your doing it looks nice!
I know blue walls are nice, but I too shaped w out em. You can still see high spots if ya tip board up etc…
Very good drawings! :))
yeah ray.
With a slight mod. to your hot-wire cutter, you could cut that outline using your template.
Using those lines will help you.
I was taught measurment marks.
Works the same as rail bands usually taper at the ends.
However, after you do it once, you should be able to see the contours and do it again by eye.
Study the deck and rails after you plane.
That is what those side lights and darker walls are for.
You gonna vac. that veneer?
Or go old school weights?
Looking good.
Most of my boards start with a template and then get modified. I can see doing the hot wire with the template…But I have stress in my life that needs to get burned up and the surform helps with that…working on loading more photos of homade tools and then on to vac bag…fun stuff…
Very cool, Ray. And I love the trippy contour-map doodling. Too bad it’s gonna get sanded off.
Hopefully you don’t mind a little constructive criticism. I would skip that hotwire for cutting out the outline. You’d be much better off with a real fine tooth hand saw, router or jig saw with a fine tooth blade. It all starts with a perfect outline and a square edge to that outline. Your rail bands clearly show where the outline is wonkey. If you must use that hotwire for fear of tearing out beads I would come up with a means to keep it perfectly square to the bottom of the blank and dead on the template.
Hi Ray,
Why did you sharpie all over that board before you sanded it. ( It really does help)
Hey Ray
I bet foiling out that 73A helped improve your planing skills. That’s a beefy blank!
Looks great
~Brian
187 RT 71 | Manasquan | NJ | 08736