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makeing a simple board

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nene93
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makeing a simple board

Postby nene93 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:59 pm

im makeing a my first board because im alltile short on money

i was thinking of makeing just a simple plywood board

my question is does there need to bee a whole bunch of fancy things like foam core, fiber glass, and rocker

or can i just cut a half inch thick plywood spray a cover over it strap fins on and be on my way?

thanks for anwsering :thumb:

kitehok
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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby kitehok » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:28 pm

You can make a board with quality 1/2" ply but you lose turning performance without any rocker. However the flat boards do work well for getting upwind. I would suggest making a plywood board with rocker if you have the time, or go all the way to fibreglass if you're really bored.

Plywood with rocker:
1) Buy 1/4" furniture or marine grade plywood, cut out 2 layers, leaving 2" buffer outside your design.
2) Stack the 2 layers and suspend between 2 objects. Add weights to flex ~3cm in the middle. Take off the weights, apply glue (waterproof expanding polyurethane glue or epoxy), add the weights again.
3) Remember the buffer around your design? Screw layers together in this buffer zone every 5cm, start in the centre and move to the tips, do both sides together. This helps bind the layers. Let glue dry
4) Cut out final design, sand and finish edges
5) Cut fin-holes, add inserts, seal wood with marine polyurethane or paint

Image

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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby adams420 » Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:17 am

so the finished product is 1 inch thick? man, seems kie that would be awful heavy.. would one 1/2 inch layer be sufficient or no?

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jaapd
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Re: making a simple board

Postby jaapd » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:43 am

1) Buy 1/4" furniture
So the result is 1/2"

Pads, straps and fins will cost you somewhere between $100 to $200. So if you want to save money just buy a secondhand board for that amount.

If you want to build yourself try building 2 boards at the same time, it wont add that much extra time or money and that way you can have a big and a small board or a square and a more round board.

tenover
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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby tenover » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:37 pm

That's a nice looking board kitehok......I just got a 1/2" piece of Baltic Birch, and I'm going to start making my own board tonight. Regarding rocker....I only want the slightest amount, and I like your technique with the sandbag/weights in the middle, however for one solid piece of wood, should I cut out my outline and then wet one side of the wood and THEN place it between two objects with the weights? Not sure how to get a decent rocker in there without wetting the wood......Thanks.

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afflatus
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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby afflatus » Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:18 pm

The answer would be no,

There's just no need for weight.

Plywood warps through a difference in the length of its layers...

To make it warp you only need create a difference....

Hose down your driveway on a sunny day and stick yo stick over the wet spot...

bingo---rocker

or just throw it on the lawn.

the grass is moist the sun is hot...

you get the same result.

The trick is in sealing it when it's doing what you want...that means it's reversible

too much rocker? flip it over, walk away....it'll go back...

like that, no need for weights...it's a finesse thing, not a brute thing...

fo

fear not the wet thing, it just raises the grain for sanding, and actually makes dents and scuffs go away...

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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby sflinux » Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:41 pm

Quality wood is key. 1/2" Baltic Birch is nice (they don't carry 3/8" where I live).
For rocker, I put each end of the shaped board on a vhs cassette box (remember those?).
Then I put a bunch of textbooks on the center so the center touches the ground. I leave it like this for a few days. Then I put the shaped board on the ground and make sure the rocker is symmetrical. If it is, I seal it right away. Once the board is sealed, it is difficult to change the rocker.
I like to seal (epoxy) the top first, then flip it over and put it on a board with 4 screws sticking out. Then I do a very thin seal on the bottom, then come back 20 min later and do another thin seal on the bottom. Wipe off any drips that accumulate on the top's rail.
For pads, I use 12"x12" interlocking pads that are meant to go underneath gym equipment.
For straps, I use seat belt webbing, and two sewn tubes from an old wetsuit, very comfy.
Fins are optional, fins4sale.com has a nice selection.

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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby tenover » Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:36 pm

Thanks. What do you mean you flip it over using a board with 4 nails in it? Any pics?

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afflatus
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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby afflatus » Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:42 pm

he's saying,

You can finish the bottom while the top is still wet, by flipping it over and resting it on nail heads...

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Re: makeing a simple board

Postby tenover » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:25 am

Got my outline cut and have trued up the lines. Haven't sanded the rails yet.....The 5'x5' piece I got will yield three boards. The full 5'x5' piece had some warp to it, and the piece I used for the board has just a tad. IS thee an easy way to get it nice and flat so I can THEN do the water or weight trick to add rocker? Don't want to end up with a warped board and I do want a little rocker.....Something about a totally flat board that just doesn't look right to me. Also, I want to paint this thing. Should I ainr the wood before I seal with epoxy or paint over the epoxy and seal again?


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