for my next board i’m thinking about putting in some stripes(probably 1’’ - 4’‘) with the wood i use for my templates. its 1/8’’ door skin wood. i’ve never used wood for a board before but i was going to route a 1/8’’ deep cut by whatever the width of the stripe,put down some lam. resin and lay the wood down. then glass as usuall. the only problem i’ve thought of is getting it around the rails. anything wrong with the process or ideas on gettin it around the rails?
Zach, You will have HUGE problems getting 1/8" door skin around rails. For one thing, the rails are compond curves, and the door skins have usually three layers of ply going 90 degrees to each other. They are made to lay flat, or at best, bend only slightly in any direction. For inlays on relatively flat areas of your board, you will do fine. (I’ve inlayed 1/8" wood by routing out the area first and laminating the wood directly to the foam before applying the cloth). For compound curves, like Surftech boards, a very thin single layer veneer is needed, and a vacuum press that can apply pressure evenly over curved surfaces.
But keep experimenting. You might discover something nobody else has thought of yet. Doug
You can always use solid wood - lightweight like Balsa or Bass - for the rails and inlay the deck & bottom. Shape your blank, cut off the outside 2-3", glue on your rail material, leaving it proud of the foam by 1/8" top & bottom. I’ve been considering something like this as well…
