So ive got 3 boards out of the 4 eps blocks i bought 12x6x48 inch I just got 2 more so im thinkin a longboard triple stringer old school with except of eps foam and epoxy rather than the pu and a fish for my grandson with of course a spiderman logo
You can consider stringers out of other materials besides wood. You can hotwire thin stringers of foam, then sandwich them together with fiberglass and resin. Multiple layers of foam and glass, sandwiched together makes a decent stinger that's also relatively easy to shape. Color the resin for a rainbow effect, or tape it off and paint it once the whole board is shaped. I've also used high density pvc foam, plastic, and solid fiberglass.
Yes but for the board in question i want a triple stringer i have cedar for center and balsa plank for outboard stringers Ive built stringers out of paulownia,balsa ,poplar and bass ,plywood ,and once used veneer glued together but sometimes you want some wood cuz of the style of the board your building
While i was out with my eps board one of the guys had his 9 ft triple stringer out there Said his shaper got the template from mike hynson I love the old triple stringer look and he was not being pushed around by winds cuz it was old school pu While this EPS board i built was blowin around like a kite
All my longboards have been 3-sticks for the past 20 years except one. That board broke on it's third session. I've done single stringer boards with HD Divinycell foam stringers, and painted it once it was finish-shaped with 3 different colors of cabinet glazing. An artist showed me a technique where you dab the tip of a round brush in the tints. then draw the brush down the stringer while slowly twisting the brush from side to side. The different tints fade in and out and waver down the length of the stringer to leave it looking like real wood grain. Amazing results with a very simple technique.
Back on track this afternoon. The blank has been painted and given a full day to dry. The next step is to lay out my fins. I'm going with a thruster set up on this board. Center fin 3 1/4 up and side fins 12 1/2 up and 1 1/4 off the rail. To set the Tow In I use a simple trick using a piece of masking paper. For this board my toe in will be based off an imaginary line 1 inch to each side of the stringer at the tip of the board. First thing I do is measure 1 inch from the edge of the piece of masking paper. Then I sick a pin in that spot. Now I take the paper and stick my pin in the center of the stringer close to the tip of the board being careful that I'm perfectly centered on the stringer . Now I pull the paper tight against the pin and stretch it to my fin dot. The paper becomes a perfect strait edge and gives me a very visual way of thinking about how the water will pass over the board and to the fins. I check how the tow in looks to my eye and if need be I can adjust the toe in by moving the pin in the paper to either increase or decrease the tow in. Experience has shown me that the boards I liked the most had toe in where the toe in of the fins converged about a foot in front of the nose of the board. This may not work for you. I suggest you use your imagination and the little paper trick I've just shown you to take some toe in measurements off of boards you like riding. When I'm happy I measure up 4 1/2 inches from the rear fin dot and I make my front fin dot. Then I just connect the dots. Having marked out the first side now I flip the paper over and put my pin back into the same hole in the paper and into the same hole in the stringer. Now I can mark the toe in for the second side and by simple geometry I've created a perfect mirror image of the toe in I did on the first side.
Now its time to make some logos in preparation for glassing. Rather than pay through the nose for "Logo Paper" go to your local art store or on line and look for this paper. https://www.amazon.com/Loew-Cornell-P-906-Rice-Paper-Pad/dp/B0041D7OG0 For $11 most backyarders will have a supply to last them for years. I've used this paper through the years with both Inkjet and Laser Printers. These days everything I do is done using a laser printer as it creates nice sharp graphics. To get the paper to go through my printer I spray a little spray adhesive on the leasing 3/4 of an inch of a standard piece of copy paper. Next I adhere the leading edge of my piece of rice paper to the carrier sheet so the two sheets stay together as they go through the printer. Make sure there are no sticky spots left on the paper that could jam your printer. If you are using a laser printer like I do be sure to go in the print driver and tell it that your "Paper Type" is card stock. This will force the printer to apply extra heat to make sure the image is really melted good into the rice paper. This image shows how I have the leading edges of the paper glued together Now its time to hit the print button. I always make an extra set of logos and have them ready just in case something goes sideways when I go live with the resin. Logos are done and ready for me to glass the board bright and early tomorrow.
Now its time for some fin boxes. Went with FCS Fusion on this one because I have a bunch of them left and a good selection of fins. Everything laid out ready to go. Router of choice is this Rigid variable speed Trim Router. Setting depth is critical with FCS Fusion and FCS II boxes. Not too deep and not too shallow. I err on the side of being too deep as its easy to shim a box up 1/64th than to realign the jug and make another pass. Check how they are sitting with this very inexpensive tool from Harbor Freight. All set to resin them in. I didn't bother taking a pic after they were set. Had a chunk of stringer blow out and put a goober in the edge of the box.
