Handplane making by Thomas Bexon.

Thomas Surfboards from Bird Man Media on Vimeo.

Check out Thomas at : www.thomassurfboards.com

Board building classes in Wales, UK

After a very successfull workshop last March, where ten hollow wooden surfboards where build, Paul Reisberg will host two more workshops at his place in Solva / Pembrokeshire / Wales / UK.

Paul and Rich Blundell (treetosea, grain surfboards) will teach you how to build a hollow wooden surfboard with the strip and feather method used by a lot of builders.

No woodworking skills are needed. all the paulownia and cedar needed to construct the shape of your choice will be provided.

Dates are: 12.-14. August and 19.-21. August
For more information : paulitspaul@gmx.net or call him 07790795117

Bruno's French Fish

" I am Bruno Hubert (36 years old), I live in France (Bretagne, Finistère (29 ) ) and I have built a hollow surfboard Fish.It is 5' 8" x 21 3/16" x 2 9/16"
I use the Paul Jensen Method, and the wood used are : Balsa, Red cedar and Sipo (fins) with
Epoxy resin."

" This is a good surfboard, it's very cool to surf with it."

For more shots of the board and the building process check out his blog:

www.surfobsession.canalblog.com/archives/le_pesk_nij__poisson_volant_/p40-0.html

" I love hollow surfboard and i am building a new hollow : 6'2" X 18 1/2" X 2 1/4 "
www.surfobsession.canalblog.com/archives/6_2_brian_hollow_pro_model/index.html

Thanks to Bruno for sharing a great looking board. He has done the Jensen method proud.

The "Nohu" from Charlie

Charlie Loiselle from Hawaii loves building wooden boards and gives them all names inspired by the sea. Mostly fish.
" The Nohu, or scorpionfish, is a real ugly fish. Thus I named my newest design after it."

" Latest out of the Island Dream factory (i.e. my car port). It's a twin-fin fish with little bitty fins and minimal rocker - kind of like the "bluegill" that Jon Wegener is doing in Cali, but hollow wood. Bookmatched redwood top, lauan bottom (ripped and alternated for a better look). Solid laminate rails - this is the first board I've done that I didn't strip-rail, and I don't think I'd do it again. It's faster, but strip-railing is lighter and...more elegant? Anyhow I'm taking it out this weekend (once the varnish coat finished drying) and will try and get some pic in action."


It’s a 7’ twin fin fish with minimal rocker and a wiiiiiide tail. I made it for small days when it’s too mushy for an alaia, as an alternative to a longboard. We’ll see how it rides – the fins are real small, so it should slide quite a bit but "

Check out Charlie's blog and his other projects at : www.islanddreamssurf.blogspot.com

We have been building and riding wooden boards a while now

Thrill of the Surf 1949 from Gary Crockett on Vimeo.

If you would like a board like this get hold of Parrish Watts at Noosa and he can build you one.

http://vintagepacificsurfcraft.blogspot.com

The Cabbage Tree and Agave board.

"Have you ever wondered how surfboards are made? If yes, do you know how the whole process and materials involved? Yes? Then, do you know how to make a wooden one? If you do, now forget everything you know about all of that and look at how Roger Hall makes a stunningly impressive surfboard made out of Cabbage Tree and Agave. The wood he uses is pretty much found on the side of the road, thereby turning a whole lot of surfboard building and commercial concepts on their heads, even throwing them out the window! Observe as his glasser, Matt Waite, reveals the wide colour ranges and textures that each wood offers. An extended version of this will be available as a bonus feature on the SEWN DVD. So get into some droning beats and admire this craftsmanship marvel of surfboard making, simply the best in NZ!"

This years Wooden Board Day is coming up...

Saturday August the 6th will be a night of meet and greet , a few beers and a BBQ with 3 guest speakers at the Gold Coast Surf Museum around the corner. A chance for you to put some faces to names and hear from some interesting and talented individuals.

Sunday August the 7th will be the day to bring along your board, lay it out in the park and go for a surf. Share your ideas, thoughts and experiences with a whole bunch of other stoked individuals that have put in the hard yards to build a wooden board as well. As you will know from building a wooden board there is no easy way of getting there. So you will find a very accepting and a whole lot of mutual respect amongst those that have gone the journey. So if you have a board you have built, please bring it along and share the experience. If you want to know more about building a wooden board, there will be no better chance to find out all you could ever want to know. There are many ways of building a board and they will all be there to see. Bring the picnic lunch, swap boards and ideas with others in the park opposite the Currumbin Alley.

If you have any questions , please contact me : grantnewby@bigpond.com

Matt builds a nice board

Matt Wachtfogel has been working with wood since he was a young kid. He says "It's just in my blood". He has been a General Contractor since 1982 and builds custom homes in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach California.

Matt started surfing in his twenties and after taking an extended vacation on Kauai a few years ago and seeing a hollow wooden surfboard he thought, "I think I can build one of those". The first board took a while to construct and after it was completed Matt felt building it was time well spent. Matt hand builds each board himself. The process starts with design and then hand selection of materials. All material must be milled to size, straight lined, glued up, shaped and detailed. The process is tedious and rewarding at the same time.

The boards are composed of wood, glue, fiberglass cloth, polyester or epoxy resin, fin boxes or fin plugs and leash plugs. A lot of labor and love goes in to each board too. "Matt finds it hard to part with a board when it's finished, he says it becomes a part of him". Matt's focus has been to try to keep the construction process simple and let the beauty of the wood do the talking.

Each board takes approximately fifty hours of labor to construct and shape, after that it's off to the Glasser. Matt uses one of the top glassers in Southern California to glass the boards to a mirror finish. The strength of the wood allows for a minimal amount of fiberglass (4oz. glass on the bottom and 4oz. on the deck with a 2oz. deck patch).

Check out his boards and how he goes about it :
www.wachtfogelcustomhollowsurfboards.com

Vincent's mini simmons

" Here are some news about the wooden Mini Simmons. I've cut all the ribs and the spine and glued them. I've glued the "counter rail" and now I will start to glue the strip planking deck skin.
Attached, you can see the Mini Simmons skeleton."

Look forward to more pics and progress on this board from Vincent.