I want good foam blanks but I don't want to spend 60 on it. Do they have any at home depot or something like that for cheaper?
Zman- The foam you use for your board is important don't try to cheap out too much. You don't want to spend all the time and effort to shape/glass a board and then have it fall apart / delam because of cheap foam. Good luck and have fun Jim
Trust me on this one... If you can't spend $60 on a blank, you shouldn't consider building a board right now. Aside from that, building your own blank from HD foam increases your chance of error enormously. Better to start with a quality blank, with proven rocker and materials, than try to cut corners and end up with something whacked. Then you've wasted ALL your money. Make your first board building experience enjoyable and as EASY on yourself as possible. At this point, you're trying to minimize your mistakes - and there will be plenty. Give yourself your best chance at creating a functional board that looks good. Buy a blank. Use quality resin.
Starting with a quality blank is worth the money. Dont try making it out of the foam insulation panels from Home Depot. I WISH i could spend $60 on a nice poly blank! Not sure where you are located, but a poly blank from one of the suppliers in the VA beach or Ocean City, MD area will start at around $70 for a 6 foot blank. I just shaped a 5'7" Mini Simmons board out of a 6'2" blank from a company called Millenium foam. Nice foam, nice rocker, easy to shape since it wasnt very thick to begin with...after a couple of passes with the planer it was down to the 2 3/8" thickness i was looking for.
I saw where a guy used those home insulation panels and glued a cpl together. It didnt look all that bad when he was done but it had no flex and rode like a brick. Do like Mitchell says a get a quality blank.
There are options out there to make your own blank...aN eps block with a Hotwire, glue up sheet insulation, WMD, etc. fact is that your material cost and labor won't make it worth it...even for multiples. The tools you'll have to build and the storage you'll need...go the traditional route and get a blank from Greenlight. If you still want the hassle...Swaylock's has a number of threads on e routes above. I assume you're not going to buy an eps block...therefore check out this link.
