Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Wooden Budda's 9’1” Foam Core Mal

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Torsten Kofler (a.k.a. Wood Buddha) has been at it again. This year’s Wooden Board Day got him all fired up and he’s made a start on his latest woody.

The board is a foam core 9’1” mal loosely based on an old PU board he’s had for a few years now.

“It’s an old favourite. It’s had a hard life, and it’s time to retire it to the pool room and replace it with a woody” He explained.

The new board is constructed using plantation grown paulownia laminated over an EPS core. It will have solid laminated rails and finished with either lanolin or an epoxy hot coat.

Part 1 of the board build is available :   thewoodbuddha.blogspot.com.au

I am sure you will find it very entertaining and very informative . He has designed the board in AKU and had it cut from EPS and then takes you step by step through the whole process as only he can.











Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Italian wooden Vangard

 I have just been sent these from Simone Sivieri in Italy. "5’3" x 18” 2 1/2" mono concave to double, eps core, 3 mm paulownia skin, no fiber, resin hotcoat, home made cork pad, 5 fin with Mckee  M5 Formula… so at the end a Tomo shape, your construction, and Mckee fin position, nothing from my mind J but as I told you I’m not a shaper. I built even other 3 mini simmons for 3 friends but I have no pictures.
By the way boards looks solid like my old HWS I built, but weight less, and seems very strong!"

Great looking board

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Grain Surfboards Teams Up with Patagonia Cardiff

Since Grain Surfboards' successful Kickstarter project in spring of 2013, they have been dialing in a plan for a new west coast mobile classroom so that they can share the process of building wooden surfboards with even more people. With the new rig in the fabrication process they will be mobile soon.

The staff at Grain Surfboards is now focused on joining forces with other like-minded businesses and individuals to bring their board building experience to destinations up and down the west coast.

Grain is proud to announce a collaboration with Patagonia Surf in Cardiff California. Two instructors from Grains headquarters in Maine will be travelling west to teach a 4-day class right behind Patagonia’s Cardiff location. Not only that, but Patagonia ambassador and pro surfer Keith Malloy will be joining the class and will build his own board alongside the students.

The class begins Friday October 18th and runs through Monday October 21st and each student builds their own board and takes it home with them at the end of the class.

Grain has always admired Patagonia for its practices, values and overall approach to the world we live in and is so proud to have one of their first mobile classes held at the Cardiff location.

Registration is open now and is filling quickly, please visit Grain's class site for more information and to sign up.  The class is open to a total of 6 students.

August 24th Hand Plane workshop

Get in quick, spots going like hotcakes, I mean handplanes! Call the store on 07) 5576 1901, 
FB message, or email us on burleigh@patagonia.com.au, to reserve your spot. 
 BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!!
Cost includes Paulownia handplane blank with contrast stripe, tuition and barbecue lunch at our workshop in Burleigh Heads.
So grab a friend or two and call the guys at Patagonia in James St Burleigh to book. 
0755 761901.

Monday, August 12, 2013

The "Bogong" at speed

Wooden board builder and film maker John Purnell built this great little chambered fish he calls " Bogong" Here it is getting the seal of approval from Heath Joske , interesting hands there Heath. Not sure what he has ahead of him but he looks pretty well ready for whatever comes his way.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

5th Annual Wooden Surf Board Day 2013

Well today was one out of the bag. We sure got lucky once again 24c air , 21c water and 3ft of swell and off shore winds , with low tide mid day. Just the best weather in 3 months at least and a great turn out of people and boards. Probably upwards of 200 wooden boards in the park today. I must say that the quality of boards and the skills of the guys building them has gone up a notch. And that is what the day is about just sharing your experiences and what you have learned with others that have put in the time and effort to build a wooden board. I would like to thank all those that came with boards for their support and making the day such a success once again. Please enjoy the pics below and if you have some to add please send them , if you have some names and details to add please feel free to send them as well.
 Rubin and Grant look pretty pleases with the day
 A great day and plenty of people soaking it all in.
A couple of nice longboards
 84 year old Barry Regan getting interviewed for the NBN local news. He has been building wooden boards for 50 years. He has been to all 5 events. Nice one Barry
 Dave from Surfing Green had some nice boards on display
 Dick Van Straalen with a 10 foot Balsa over EPS board he has built for himself. He has a nice show of others he has been working on as well.
 The best foiled wooden fins out there by John Devereux on a DVS
 Small craft , lots of fun.
Peter Simon from Emerald Beach near Coffs Harbour drove up for the day to show off some great boards he had built.While there he bumped into another local Coffs board builder Garry Keen.
  Greg Wheeldon from Brisbane
 Raz from Firewire had a few of their new Timber Tech range on display
 Serious finnage
 A young girl getting a quiver together for summer
 Balsa frame kit.
 Geoff from Dove Tail surfboards with a great range of boards
 Tail detail by Tony Crimmins
 Tony's fin
 Balsa blanks from Bali Balsa Surfboards

 84 year old Ballina board builder Barry Regan

 Dave Franks and his great looking boards, high sheen Cedar




 A Mike Grobelny board from New Zealand all routed out
 DVS




 Tall timber , 20ft Bill Wallace toothpick and 18ft Tom Wegener looooong board

 We were in safe hands with all this timber and a hot day. The firemen turned up.

 Cameron and Tom all loaded up for the trip home
Bar none the largest fin on a surfboard anywhere in the world for sure on a 18ft board. Serious stuff on a serious board.
Click HERE to view the NBN coverage
Thanks to all those that made it a great day.