anybody know, ive only seen one on foamez, but they charge 100 dollars jst to post (crazy !!!!)
Hi mate - a Fred is an easy tool to make. You just need a block of pine, a surform blade and a friend with a circular saw to cut the 30 degree angle.
Besides, there is no use in making one, either. Have you got those, in Australia?:
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OK, that was funny.
No, we have to order them in from overseas as well. It's tough here in Oz....
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Besides, there is no use in making one, either. Have you got those, in Australia?:
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[URL=http://img38.imageshack.us/i/343sx.jpg/][IMG]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/5814/343sx.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
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I never had much success with the fred tool, made a few, first with the surform blade but I found it tends to rip foam (chunks at times) when you really don’t want/need it to…like when your making your last pass, then with 40 grit sand paper. Sandpaper wouldn’t make clean even bands (fuzzy edges, hard to judge) and you’d have to make heaps of passes which are gona end up wobbly. My last attempt at getting with the fred tool program I used dragon skin which had a mixture of problems from the first and second attempts.
I think the bottom rail is one of the hardest parts of the surfboard to shape due to how fine it is and how important it is to the way your board goes.
Be good to hear what the more experienced gentleman do to replicate even ones?
I am a rookie but here’s what I do: make a couple of markings for the bottom rail band to taper towards the nose. Then I cut the bottom rail on a 45 deg angle with the planner, feels freaky at first but in the end it’s the most even way…Mike D, Barnfield, Huie, deadshaper ect have said this heaps of times before…legends!!. Then perfect the taper (I’m still not a master at the planner really) with one of those micro surform blades you can get them from Shapers.com, then I bisect this on the corners, above and below, and then hit it with the gauze.
Criteque would be appreciated.
It seemed to be working for me on holiday last November. (Sorry to come accross as a wanker, pretty stoked with the shot)
...the best ones come from thailand ....... smaller , so you can fit more of them in the bag ...
Mine is just two pieces of pine screwed together. I cut a 30deg bevel on the end of one, and screw the sandpaper in between the two pieces. Then one side lays flat on the bottom of the board, and the angled part ( with the sandpaper screwed in place ) runs along the rail edge. Then just run it from nose to tail and back again. When done, flip it, so the flat piece runs along the rail, and the angled part runs along the bottom rail edge, and you have an even radius from the bottom to the rail ( when you've' finished it off with guaze and paper ).
I didn't use mine last board though. I find marking out the rails is the most important part, but you can only go so far before you just need to use your eyes to see how its looking and adjust from there. Im a backyard hack, no professional.
P.S the guaze can be used to make slight changes to your rail shape. I prefer to use this when blending the rails to get the final shape. Run your hands along the rail, and you'll see what needs to be done.
Good luck!
Hey marsh, looks like its working fine for you mate!!
ditto. i use 80 grit sandpaper on mine. works well.
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I never had much success with the fred tool, made a few, first with the surform blade but I found it tends to rip foam (chunks at times) when you really don't want/need it to....like when your making your last pass, then with 40 grit sand paper. Sandpaper wouldn't make clean even bands (fuzzy edges, hard to judge) and you'd have to make heaps of passes which are gona end up wobbly.
Then I cut the bottom rail on a 45 deg angle with the planner, feels freaky at first but in the end it's the most even way.
It seemed to be working for me
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I'm glad someone is listening, we're trying to help...
With your permission, I'm going to advise everyone that if they cut the bottom bands with the planer they'll get waves like yours :-)
I think the “fred tool” is almost the stupidest thing ever fabricated for shaping surfboards.
The Fred’s not for every type of rail, but it’s handy to have when you need it. I just took a nice, flat, smooth piece of mahogany, put it through the table saw on a 30 degree angle, sanded the edges and corners, and screwed two short surform blades to it so they oppose each other. I did have to pre-drill the holes through the blades, or you’ll crack the blade trying to force the screws through one of the cheese grater holes. One half cuts when you pull… the other when you push. Easy. Cut the wood block just the right width to fit my hand and sit flat on the foam, with no overhanging corners that extend over the blades. Nice tool. Every few years I change the blades. I like it because I know exactly what I’m getting every time I use it.
i’m all ears MikeD… whether i get waves like that or not… though, i’d really like to get some like that!
i used the planer for my bottom edge tuck on my last board and, by far, it was the cleanest bottom rails i’ve shaped… in a rush, i messed up and cut too deep and the tuck went too far but, i’m hoping to better that effort on the next one…
any tips for using the planer on the bottom rails???
…hello,
the hand shaping process is better done with the e planer, possibly you want one of these tools cause are cheaper than buy planers.
Remember that the other tools are for finishing details or get rid of planer marks not for shaping at all. Ok, still you can shape the board with sandpaper and nothing more, but will not be the most accurate or the best method…
A good way is use the planer to make the bottom rails and get rid of the square bands with another planer with grit drum; a bit on the expensive side, but faster, safer and cleaner lines too
----Hello Marsh,
very good solid wave and riding position!
May you describe a bit that board? and if you feel that you needed a bigger or smaller board, etc?
thanks
thanks Reverb… i’m running a Clark Hitachi planer with the standard blades. any tips for getting a nice tucked edge?
I'd rather bump up Barnfield's rail band thread, that would be a better place for discussing planer use. But the short version for getting a full-length tuck edge would be to keep bands steep, nothing laid over into bottom. Then when you sand or screen, careful attention is paid to the ''wrap'' of the tool. Fine-tuning of bottom edge is normally the final step for most shapers before fin marks and signing. Tuck edge also has to be sanded back after lam/hotcoat, final product is only as good as sander's work.
reverb's comments are spot-on, as usual.
suprisingly,
fred tool is in australia
are at freds hoouse
wait til he’s not home
ask his wife If she would like
you to clean out freds work shop.
All fred tools will be free!
they are being held captive
and he hardly ever uses them
any more.
…ambrose…
. o .
. 0 .
. l .
use all the tools you currently have
a lot and they will do every thing
your heart desires and your mind
can concieve.If you are provided
an additional tool from a friend
or a yard sale or a cosmic coincidence
use that too ,try to free yoourself
from the Yoke of coveting fred’s
TOOL.His wife owns it anyway.
There will be no Fred tools around here !! Fred died a couple weeks ago and we planted him 4 feet under. Planted a Sapote tree on top so in the future we will have Fred Fruits ! Fred was my brothers pet mountain pig , he was 15 years old. My sister in law crys when ever you say Fred !! My wife is scared of Freds spirit !! Fred is dead ! Fred is gone ! No more Fred ! Long live Fred !!!
Hey Reverb here’s the board I was riding that day, it’s 6’2’’ x 11’’ x 18 3/4’’ x 14 3/8’’ x 2 3/8’‘. Bennett’s green I think, 6 + 4 oz on the deck 4oz on the bottom. It’s actually a board I made for my brother but he got too fat being a Lawer so I got it back off him. It’s a little bit wider and thicker than I would normally ride my 6’2’‘s but it goes really good in decent waves. I like the 6’2’'s once you get onto a good wave and I think the shorter boards are a bit easier in the tube but this board was too short to paddle onto the bombs this day.
I was bumed I didn’t have a 6’4’’ would have been ideal then anything up to 6’8’’ you’d be owning the sets…if you want them. Love that feeling when the solid ones come through and the guy next to ya asks who’s going and your both kind of hoping the other person’s going to say they want it. 
6’2’’ and bomb set wishing I had a 6’8’’
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