Templates?

Discussion in 'Surfboards and Surfboard Design' started by fish66, Mar 30, 2012.

  1. fish66

    fish66 Member

    17
    Feb 7, 2012
    Im starting to get into shaping and i was wondering what i should use to make templates?
     
  2. Greenlight

    Greenlight Well-Known Member

    286
    Nov 13, 2008

  3. live4truth

    live4truth Well-Known Member

    866
    Feb 9, 2007
  4. JTS

    JTS Well-Known Member

    231
    Feb 21, 2010
    If you are looking to shape, a GREAT place to do research is www.swaylocks.com
    There is a wealth of information, read through the archives and use the search function - you will find answers to just about anything that will come up.

    Good luck -riding a board you shaped yourself is a great feeling
    JTS
     
  5. LBCrew

    LBCrew Well-Known Member

    Aug 12, 2009
    Buy a roll of red rosin paper and start by drawing a straight line to length for a "stringer." Mark your nose and tail widths and your widepoint width, then connect the dots on one half of the board, nose to tail, with a pencil. Keep erasing and drawing lines until you have a fair curve with no lumps or bumps, that looks like what you want, and meets your desired measurements. Cut out one side of the template with a razor blade and a steady hand. Fold the paper along the stringer line, and trace it onto the other side of the board. Cut that out with a razor blade, and you have a full board template. Hang that baby up on the wall with tape, and step back. Does it look good, or does it need some adjustments. If you have to, go back to the roll of paper and make your changes. When you finally get a perfect, symmetrical template on paper, you can transfer that right to your blank, or to masonite for a re-useable template that will last generations. I cut my masonite templates with a jigsaw, fair it with a surform, and finish it with a block and sandpaper.
     
  6. dudeman

    dudeman Well-Known Member

    264
    Jan 21, 2011
    Use boardcad and print a spin template.
     
  7. Mitchell

    Mitchell Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    LB Crews advice is critical.

    Make your tamplate on a sandable material like panelling or masonite and smooth out the curves with long strokes with a long surform, then more long strokes with 40-60 grit sandpaper on a foot long 2" x 4"

    Then cut your blank (go 1/8" outside the line) and repeat that smoothing process on the blank by planing and sanding back to the line with long strokes trying to bring down the high parts and leaving the low parts alone. A power planer or block of wood have long bases so they will do this well.

    Spend WAY longer on making the clean template and cutting out the blank than you think it should take. If you start out with a bumpy template, or flat spots in the outline of the cut blank you will NEVER recover from it no matter how hard you try and it will show up in the finished board guaranteed.
     
  8. redrum540

    redrum540 Well-Known Member

    67
    Oct 5, 2009
  9. a2tall

    a2tall Well-Known Member

    301
    Aug 7, 2011
    LB and Mitchell are spot on. The better your template the better your outline.. the better your outline the better your shape, the better the shape the better the lam, the better them lam the better the hotcoat, the better the hotcoat, the nicer the sand, the nicer the sand the smoother the gloss, the smoother the gloss, the more shinny the polish!