By Dave Parmenter
Before getting to work, most shapers will “address the blank” lying on the racks. For the experienced shaper looking down the sweeping side-lit lines, this is the Zen-like waggling of hips before teeing off in golf — but for the novice, it’s more like the polite bowing to an opponent in a jujitsu match. For the next few hours, that blank will be your adversary in hand-to-hand combat.
How brutal the tussle will be depends a lot on which blank you choose. Although it is usually best to have one that is closest to the desired shape, most of the newer line of close-to-shape (close-tolerance) blanks are meant for production shaping and may be a little too thin and sensitive for the beginning shaper. Since most surfers seem to pick a length in the 6’2″ to 7’0″ range for their first shape, I would suggest using either the 6’7″ or the 7’1″A (Clark Foam). These blanks are slightly thicker (but have modern rockers) so you can practice with the planer for an extra pass or two, and you’ll have a little more foam in reserve in case you make a mistake. Use the Supergreen density at first. The lighter weight blanks are easier to tool — for the expert. The firmer Supergreen will behave itself better while you learn to control the tools.
You’ll need a template or two, as well. There are various types of templates and a number of ways that shapers use them. Initially, it would be easiest to make a template from an existing board that is similar to the one that you want to shape. This way you can take the dimensions from the “copied” board as well.
An easy way to make a template from an existing board is to trace around it. Lay the board, belly down, over a strip of thin 1/8-inch Masonite or heavy-duty poster board. Make sure the board is securely pinned down somehow so it won’t move. Then, trace around it from nose to tail using a soft lead pencil taped vertically down a tall, flat-bottomed guide (a tennis ball works OK). See that it runs smoothly along the rail of the board. You only need one side. Cut out the template and true it up, taking care not to cross over the pencil line you have marked.
As you get more and more into your shaping, you will collect many templates, and you’ll figure out which of the different outlining methods suits you best. Templates can be thought of merely as oversize French curves. They need not be limited to just one surfboard model, but can be blended, broken up and spliced into many different shapes as you develop an eye for this skill.
Hands On
1. With the blank on the racks bottom side up, take the handsaw and cut off the tip of the nose. With the existing rocker of the blank in mind, you’ll usually want to center your board-to-be-shaped on the blank, i.e. if the blank is 6’7″ long and you want to make a 6’3″, cutting 2 inches off the nose will leave the board centered, with 2 inches at the tail remaining.
2. Starting from the nose, use the tape measure to mark off the overall length and nose and tail dimension spots. Pencil in dots on the stringer at a) the tail, marking the length; b) 12 inches up from the tail; c) the center of the board, ah, back to the heady schoolroom days of fractions and division and d) 12 inches down from the nose.
3. Place the T-square along the stringer at each interval that you’ve marked and measure out the dimensions you want. Give yourself an extra 1/8 of an inch or so tolerance, since this is your first board and you may need a little leeway for correction later. Make sure to line up the shorter arm of the T-square directly along the center of the stringer. Put shallow pencil dots in the foam, marking the nose, center and tail dimensions.
4. Set your template on the blank and adjust it (one side at a time), so the curve best connects all the dots. The larger the collection of templates you have, the more likely you will have a match. If it doesn’t exactly fit, don’t worry. It’s better to trust the curve of a good template than to try and force it to fit your dimensions. Let the template find the best arc that is closest to your dots. Templating surfboards and developing an eye for good outlines may be the most difficult skill in the entire process, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come easy. This area separates the designers from the shapers and often takes years to get a basic understanding of how subtle adjustments in outlines affects performance. Remember the old craftsman’s adage, “Measure twice, cut once.” I use soft lead pencils (easy to erase if necessary with a blast from the air compressor nozzle) and sometimes change colors when I am working on a new or troublesome outline. Periodically stand the blank up against the wall and step back a ways so you can better appraise the one-dimensional outline you will soon commit to.
5. With the board bottom up on the racks again, put the soft weight bag on its center to stabilize it. Cut out the desired shape with the handsaw. This is trickier than it seems. Take care to keep the saw cutting straight so your rail sides don’t waver and dip. Give yourself an extra 1/4-inch along the pencil line if you aren’t confident with the saw, as you can always true it up during the next step.
6. True up your rail edges to match the penciled outline using the sanding block with 36-grit sandpaper (you can use the 40-grit if the former is too rough on your hands). Try and get the rails as square and as true as possible. Sometimes it helps to place the blank in the crotch of the racks sideways, so you can more easily look at the outline and decide where you need to fine tune it.
Step One – Address The Blank
Step Two – Milling To Thickness
Step Three – Shaping The Bottom
Step Five – Blending It All Together
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June 04, 2020 at 02:56AM
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Step One – Address The Blank - Surfline.com Surf News
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