Digs, I’m with Beerfan, get a close tolerance blank to the bottom rocker you like and basically stick to it. As blanks are relatively thick nose and tail, most just need finessing/thicknessing at the tail from the bottom (more lift) so you avoid taking too much from the deck and flattening/thicknessing of the nose, but this time most may come from the deck side as we assume you won’t be standing there.
Basic tools are all you need... Surform, and 40 through to about 150 grit sandpaper. Some can be stuck on lengths of timber which is good for cleaning up your planshape. A baby block plane or David plane is necessary to take down your stringer. Straight edge of some description. Safety gear!
Get your template smooth, pencil it onto the blank bottom and cut your planshape with a
circular saw as close to your pencil line as possible. Using the circular saw will keep your cut vertical, you may need to take a few bites around the nose and tail to accommodate your blade. Stand opposite the edge you are cutting and hold the fence up with one hand. Have a weight on the blank on the opposite side you are cutting a make sure you are going to clear your stands when you cut.
Cutting close to the pencil line means you don’t have to tidy it up too much as that is when you frock it up. You have to resist the urge to keep away from your pencil line and THINK you can shape down to it. Once cut, you can feel any imperfections usually more than you can see them - well hopefully. Put the board on a rail and run over the rail with the board with sandpaper.
You can do all your grunt work with a Surform, if you don’t have one just get the small one they fit in your hand nicely. Sandpaper wrapped around ‘stuff’ with and without foam backing will allow you to smooth out your shaping. Some guys even use orbital sanders for shaping, probably best not to go there at this stage unless you feel confident. Same with an electric plane, basically good for the fast removal of masses of foam.
Good side lighting helps a whole lot obviously but is not essential, stands are. UV resin is a good option albeit expensive, but Fong can glass in his sleep so let him do it.
Cheaper to use UV than stuff up your board. Won’t go into the whole glassing things as it is a new topic in itself. If it turns out really well consider getting someone else to glass it even if they leave it unsanded. Put in a fin box rather than a glass-on... for this you can probably get away with a Stanley knife and sharp chisel or router, we use small trimmer routers with an appropriate jig.
Take your time, you can’t add foam but you can always remove it. Look from all sides, all angles, often. Whatever you do on one side, do on the other. Trust your fingers, hold the board up and let it glide through your hands to feel if the rails feels symmetrical.
Have fun getting dirty and dusty, it will be the best board ever!
Until the next one
and the next one...
Let us know if you need any help.
