Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Balsa wood surfboard build. Bottom planks and rails.






Building up the bottom deck surfboard planking. I set the planks on a pre-cut rocker table, the same Table I use to build the rails on. This gives the planks a little memory to the  shape of the surfboard, for when the planks are attached to the surfboard. I use all sorts of weights and clamps to keep the planks in place while they are glued together with only a couple cross pieces, to hold all the planks together. Don't forget your wax paper, don't glue your surfboard to your tools.
You must be extremely careful of the balsa wood, it dents so easy. The soft nature of the wood is why I lay so many weights out on the board, while it is being glued together.
The weights hold the wood pieces down without denting, all the clamps have wood in between the two heads of the clamps to keep them from marking the wood with dents all over.

After the planks setup i give 12 hrs or so before I start working with anything
 glued in most cases.
 You sure wouldn't want your new surfboard falling apart on you while you build it.
When the fiber glass resin has setup,  I cut the shape of the surfboard out of the planks that I glued together. After cuting out the surfboard template in the planks I A-line the frame of the balsa wood surfboard to the bottom planks. I always leave some extra room over lap. Using the rocker table.
This way the bottom planks and the surfboard rail line up nicely. following the same 
 clamping procedure. The frame and the bottom planks are now one piece. I will now carry this surfboard everywhere with me and show it off un finished   :) love surfboards so much....lol

So now that the bottom planks and the rails are together. I can sand some shape into the surfboards rails. I also have a huge step ahead of me putting in a whole bunch more, of what I call the surfboards skeleton.
I also have a center stringer to install down the surfboard. There will also be a-lot of cross pieces being installed. Its time to strengthen her up.