Surfboard build WIP

[Trainee neophyte]

I'm right behind you. 40°c today, so pretending it's raining, and not going outside, but soon, soon I will be making a board. The thread about making a ceedar wood kyak had me in a frenzy of research about skin-on-frame techniques and a quicker, cheaper, easier alternative to fibreglass, until I read about needing to take a puncture repair kit with you. Perhaps we will stick with fibreglass. You are nearly at the exciting bit - many, many hours of sanding! Looking forward to hearing more...

 

[Chris152]

Cool, wet and blowing a gale here - tho it does mean there'll be surf tomorrow...

And yes, it's starting to get some shape - the remaining rail strips will be more two than three-directional so hopefully easier, and then onto the top (after the tail and leash blocks). The glassing is almost completely new to me (I've only done a few repairs on old boards), but before I lose the link, I found this guide really helpful - clear and methodical without any surfy-baloney:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fFexSUyK1U
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKnbOpC_mic

ps, the last photo is cruel - just noticed in it that the stringer curves to the left toward the tail. I'll have to be sure the tail block/ fin go in true to the board or we'll be turning right all the time!

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Many thanks. My knowledge of fibreglass is entirely theoretical. I am assuming my first board will be a demonstration in how not to do it, but then the second and third (dream BIG!) will be easier to deal with. Theoretically.

 

[Chris152]

Update to give a few cautions, in case anyone's as naive as me:

1. Don't be afraid to reshape the ends of the ribs a little to allow for the properties of the wood you're trying to fit around for the rails. This is the one rib that I referred to above, which kept coming detached as I steamed the strip above to fit. I think it did this here because, in spite of steaming, it wasn't bent enough; and that it needed to bend too much because of the shape of the previous rib. Slight adjustment to the rib would have fixed this, as the other side was fine.

On the 4th go, I put the screw in, into the base (so not just along the ply joins) - I may leave it having ground the head away, and hide it; or I may remove it. Planning for the latter, I shaped a wedge to the internal contour and glued it to the base and the strips above, to add security (you can just about see the outer edge of the wedge).

2. Remove excess glue from the ribs before attaching.

One thing I've struggled with is putting enough pressure on the strips to clamp firmly against the one below, but not so much that it detaches the one below from the rib. A couple of time I've done this and heard a small crack which I suppose is the one below detaching from the rib, something that'll happen more easily if you don't clean the glue off the rib from the previous strip. The glue needs to soak into open pores on both sides.

3. Make sure your guides are well set up when routing coves and beads.

Mine were set well for the coves, but the beads I did before with no guides the far side of the router. Hence the inaccuracies on some strips, in spite of everything being set up correctly. I started to clean this bit up with a block plane and a bit of sandpaper just to see how it'd look - it can have more removed, but we can't just keep going or we'll weaken the rails.

All very obvious woodworking stuff, I'm sure, but it wasn't so obvious to me til we tried!

Another question. I wanted to stain the spruce strips for the deck quite dark and insert narrower light strips, but have realised that a) stain can make glue joins less strong, and b) we'll need to plane and sand the deck after attaching which'll remove the stain in places.
Can you mask wood and stain, or does stain just seep under the masking tape? Any alternatives? All suggestions welcome! Thanks.

ps - I forgot - sometimes you need to plane away the inner edge of the cove so the strip will sit properly on the strip beneath, as the ribs can stop this happening in places.

 

[doctor Bob]

Very interesting, looks extremely cool

 

[novocaine]

depends on the nature of the wood as to if the stain will leach under the tape.
a tight grain hard wood can often be stained to a line, a softer, more open pored timber (like spruce I'm afraid) may not. there is only one way to find out.

Might be worth pre-steaming and bending (or even heat bending) the remaining strips by eye then doing the last bit on the ribs to save so much steam around the glue joints.

crack on Chris, it's looking good, you'll be surprised how thin you can go on a curve and it still be strong enough.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

This has definitely confirmed my thinking: the rails are the tricky bit. Given that I am planning boards three or four feet longer than this one, it will either be easier, or a lot harder. About time to find out.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks for the encouragement fellas.

Novocaine - I think this confirms your thoughts on stain/ spruce!

Wouldn't have been quite so bad along the grain, but I think we'll park that idea. And I figured that a way to keep the steam off the already glued strips is to put a piece of ply underneath and keep as far away as possible, which seems to have worked ok - tho I'm now on easier fitting strips, so we'll see.

In my efforts to keep spirits up, I decided just now to take a proper look and some shots of the board so far...

(happily over-exposed on the board so you can't see the terrible glue lines)

You can see a little of the concave toward the nose in this one, and

the 'V' toward the tail in this one.

That'll do to keep us going, we're pretty pleased with it so far for a first stab. We'll see how it unfolds.
Definitely get stuck in, Tn!

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Any day now - just need to make a decision as to which plan. I'm thinking to take the cheaper, easier route, which also gives me a faster board, but not as pretty. I'll use it to practice fibreglassing, before moving on to pretty, fun boards which may not actually perform as well. The real stress is not being able to try out different designs to know which board is best - I can't just nip down to fistral beach and have a go on a few different boards. Just need to get through August, and finish the bathroom cabinet.

 

[Chris152]

I'm thinking to take the cheaper, easier route, which also gives me a faster board, but not as pretty. I'll use it to practice fibreglassing, before moving on to pretty, fun boards which may not actually perform as well. The real stress is not being able to try out different designs to know which board is best - I can't just nip down to fistral beach and have a go on a few different boards.

Funnily enough that's exactly what my boy was doing on hols last week - at Fistral! (Between watching the world-series surf competition.)

If I had the money I'd go on one of those courses where you can build one in a week - you'd learn a clear and efficient method. But they're expensive (well, £500/ day, tho you do leave with a board you've built and (I think) someone has glassed for you. Second to that a full-on kit, making a rod for a second build. But again, we're looking at £1000 from what I can see.

But if you can make one from plans and accept that it's not going to be the best before starting another, it's relatively cheap if time consuming (trying to figure out/ correct problems). And if the plans come with clear instructions/ guidance, that'll be easier - I've been trying to put together bits seen on the net and they tend not to show all the problems that can arise (see above!). I'd go for a more simple-looking design for a first go, then once you have a method that's clear it'll be easier to tackle a more complex build? Just some musings.

 

[NickM]

As a surfer (only very occasional nowadays but used do a lot in my youth in Guernsey) I'm really enjoying reading about this project. Keep up the good work!

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I've been procrastinating for two years now! At least it forced me to buy a table saw (which I probably won't really need, but don't tell the Project Manager who must be obeyed). I want to build a board á la https://sliverpaddleboards.com/#, because they are oh so pretty,but I don't think they will suit my paddleboard style. So, I am going to go with the Kaholo plywood 14' monster, for touring and downwinding. Two of these to practice, then a sliver board, and then finally something from clearwoodpaddleboards.com - probably a racer, which I will keep falling off. I have only a limited number of years before I am too old for this sillyness, so better get cracking. By the time I have finished the list above, I ought to be able to design, shape and build my own, with my eyes shut. I wonder if the old people's home will have room for a table saw?

If anyone has any other designs then I am all ears - just need to get past the insanity that is 15 August, and then I should be able to look to the future. (FYI: https://news.gtp.gr/2014/08/14/15-augus ... on-greece/)

 

[Chris152]

Finally glued the last rail strip last night

and cut and glued the nose and tail blocks today, after initial rough shaping with electric sander.

I think I'll avoid using that on the board as it may shake my dodgy glue joints loose. I decided to use ply for the nose and tail blocks and I definitely now think of this board as a learning experience - I'll save expensive wood for the next one.

Speaking of expensive wood, I just got a quote for 8x 90mm x 2400mm x 6mm cedar, wondering if I should hold off doing the deck til I get nicer wood, but the price was £165. Bit rich for my blood - I'll try Stones in Devon next (referred to by colinc in BM101's canoe thread) to see if I can get bigger boards to cut and plane myself.

 

[Chris152]

Fin and leash blocking. This is so the fin and leash have something solid to be routed/ drilled and set in to. (At some point I'm going to have to get a plunge attachment for the Katsu so I can do this. Ooo err...)

We're doing the build at home and everything so far's been done in the dining room (one of the advantages of not having another half) but now into the garage for the extra mess. I've adapted a log saw horse thing to hold the board in a position that allows us to plane ok, tho just from one side on account of the lack of space (we'll flip the board).

As for glassing, after we'd been in the sea this morning I got speaking to a fella who makes boards and he says he's happy to glass it for us, just waiting for a price. The only place I've really got to do it is a workshop that's used for woodwork and the thought of discovering dust in the resin puts me off trying unless we have to - dust and ham-fistedness, that is. We'll see...

Edit: We (I)'ve planed and sanded a section of one rail, just to see how it goes. Looking carefully I can see several gaps where the outer edge of the cove hasn't contacted the bead below properly.

Does glue have any binding property when not under pressure (clamps)? Or should I just use filler? (It'll be filled with resin in due course - should I just leave the gaps?)
Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Does glue have any binding property when not under pressure (clamps)? Or should I just use filler? (It'll be filled with resin in due course - should I just leave the gaps?)
Thanks for any thoughts.

The wood is just a form to provide a base for the fibreglass, so I don't think there are any structural issues. The gaps are therefore purely cosmetic.

Probably.

I had a quick look at http://sliverpaddleboards.com/paddleboa ... the-rails/ and it looks as though there are similar gaps on his boards (last photo),although possibly less pronounced. Whack some filler in there, and no one will know any different.

Besides, there is major kudos in snapping a board on a big wave :mrgreen:

 

[Chris152]

The dream:
[youtube]g7yWDrn2XBM[/youtube]

The dirty reality:

I found planing away so much ply and then the underside of the rail - and especially the nose and tail blocks - tricky on account of the pressure it exerted on the board where it was held, so tried the sander at a low speed and 60 grit and found it was less demanding on the board, so long as pressure was kept low. And there was less (visible) dust with the extractor running. But I'm now planing again to get a better finish and to remove the high spots the sander left along the length. Planing on the tighter curves isn't easy - I know some use a spoke shave, but I don't have one of those.

One side roughed out so far; once the second's done, it's time to move on to flattening the tops of the rails so the top of the board can be glued down onto it.

edit - once re-sharpened, the plane was far quicker than the sander and put little strain on the board.

and, update...

Brought into the house to look (in comfort) for symmetry and overall shape of rails. Looking much tidier now.

ps Tn - I'm going to do as you suggested and use neutral colour filler. As for the balance between strength of wood/ strength of glassing, I really have no idea about that but suspect the wood has a significant job to do in terms of strength? It's going to get a pretty light coat of glass fibre, and for sure will have to withstand the odd whack from other boards in the sea etc, but I don't know what the balance is.

 

[Bm101]

:roll: This is big project and hence it's a steep learning curve mate. Keep your chin up. It looks amazing!
You have any scrapers Chris?
I'm just a div down my shed well behind your skill level but I watched a David Charlesworth dvd on planes and a light went on. Well tuned and sharp ok we all get that at least in concept but what struck me was the speed. It was sacrificed for control. And when you sacrifice the speed you are able to tuck a finger under the bed to maintain an angle. The speed goes but you become more efficient because now you ain't grunting with effort you are directing energy into the tool. Or at least you are trying. And your balance of efficiency goes up exponentially. All of a sudden you become aware of a squirrel directing his gaze in your direction. The sound that clouds make as they trail across the sky, the quick glimpse of an otter AS HE COMTEMPLATES THE WIDER BALANCE OF.. .. ok ... I LOST TRACK I'M SO IN HARMONY WITH MY PLANE YEH?!?!? [-o<


Ok, I'm being a daft pipper for a cheap laugh. Just for a change. :roll:

If you haven't used a scraper... just saying... slow sharp plane pushed from the legs and well turned scraper blade. Bosh. I'll be quiet now before the bigger boys hear me and pipe up about the close set cap iron. :|

It's looking great Chris. Keep cracking on.

Ps! Also. Cascamite and sawdust that you have been keeping handy for gap filling. Yeh?!? (hammer) Course you have. 8)

 

[Chris152]

...well behind your skill level...

:lol: "Cut along dotted lines; glue along continuous lines; fiddle endlessly with router til you achieve something vaguely like bead and covey shapes; glue (and screw) strips to sides; buy large tub of filler..."

But i think you're completely right about speed - hogging off the rails is one thing, but the final shaping does need a different attitude. If the shapes along each side aren't right, the board won't work properly and i think we just about stopped the hogging before I went too far. The plane's a bit of a stranger as I've not used it in quite some time, and we were just vague acquaintances at best. Maybe by the time I get to the 10th board...

As for scrapers, would any of these work?
https://www.axminster.co.uk/hand-tools/ ... t-scrapers

or this?
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-r ... s-ax945814

Thanks Chris, really appreciate your post. I'll try to get in the zone...

 

[Bm101]

There is far better advice than I can offer here Chris:

scraper-sharpening-t117600.html?hilit=sharpening%20scrapers

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Another idea, which the foam board shaper boys use, is a long strip of wood with sandpaper attached. By long, I mean something like 12". Two or three screws into the ends, or the top of you prefer, will hold the strip of sandpaper in place. There is probably a name for it, but I call it my "sandpaper screwed to a bit of wood". It might help you sneak up on the last little bit. It shapes foam boards really fast, but might be a bit tedious on wood. Cheap to try out though.