Wooden Surfboards: April 2016

Monday, April 18, 2016

This years Wooden Board Day is planned for Sunday 7th of August 2016

If you are building a board, now is the the time to make sure you have it finished to come and join us in the park here on the Gold Coast. Bring along your project and share the journey and experience of building your board with others and those that are yet to give it a go, but have lots of questions.

If you have any questions: grantnewby@bigpond.com

Sunday, April 17, 2016

This is the story of the Walnut Kookbox...

"We have always been very inspired by craftsman that have come before us. The old saying "they don't make things like they used to" is one that we refuse to accept. Whether its ignorance or optimism, we are constantly working to make things of lasting value, all the while giving a nod to those who came before us. One of the most influential and supportive people of our journey has been Pete Tresselt of Laguna Beach, CA. If you aren't the least bit familiar with Pete, we did this video sharing his story a little while back. Pete has two surfboards that I am especially envious of. One of them is a 1950's solid balsa Hobie that hangs in his living room. The other is an old 1930's Tom Blake style Kookbox."

"I love the beauty of Kookboxes, something about the hard lines of the square rails and the narrow, curvy outline. Wild to think that at one time this was at the cutting edge of surfboard design. 1930 sounds like eons ago, but in the scope of history it really isn't so long ago.

My Dad and I built a hollow kookbox that adorned the wall of our Pacific Coast Hwy store, above the shortboards. When we moved up the hill to Costa Mesa at the end of last year, I knew we needed a new show piece to hang on the ceiling.

We enlisted the help of a few friends on this one, because true collaboration means working with people who are better than you at things.

Arnaud Pacaut and Alex Kelso have been friends of ours for a long time, and they are rather handy with all things lumber. Griffin and I opted to do an EPS foam core, and entrust the wood skinning to the furniture builders.

We specifically selected 1/8" Walnut lumber (not veneer) with highlights of blonde, to give this board maximum curb appeal. When building something that is essentially intended as a large piece of art, no expense can be spared. The 10' Kookbox was finished with a solid brass drain plug (unnecessary but historically accurate) and an oil finish.

Great to see young guys building old school boards and experiencing the for past themselves.

Thanks to the guys at Almond Surfboards.

almondsurfboards.com

4 Day Wooden Board Building Class May 2016

"If you are interested in a stick that not only stops traffic but is one you have built yourself, why not think about a 4 day weekend in May to make a dream ride come true. You can chose the deck timber designs, classic blond (Paulownia) board with red pinstripes or an all red (Cedar) board with 1, 3 or even 7 pinstripes anything is possible."

No wood working skills, no problems. We have had students with no woodworking experience of all ages and they have created beautiful boards.

Have a look at the recently finished 4 day wooden surfboard class in Northgate Brisbane
And as you can see there are some great looking boards.

2016 …
4 Day Wooden Surfboard Class
May 26, 27, 28, 29
Each day from 8am-4pm
·         All parts ready for assembly,
·         Full assembly and gluing of frame,
·         Gluing the top and bottom skins into flat panels ,
·         Cut out skins ready for,
·         Vacuum bagging your board together ,
·         Then shaping your rails,
·         Fin placement, and sanding (ready to glass).

Our last class was filled to capacity so if you are interested please let us know ASAP
instagram @bywater_design
bywaterdesign.com.au

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Time honoured by the late great shaper Terry Martin

This is a sanding block used by Terry Martin for sanding flat parts for surfboards. It is a piece of masonite from a clip board with a block of Balsa Wood glued on top. This well worn shape is from 20 years or so of his 60 year career handshaping some 25 - 30,000 boards. We all have a awy to go.

Wooden Simmons finally found

Here's an awesome piece of history finally uncovered! For the first time Hydrodynamica has presented this Simmons family picture: Evo Simmons (5'5", age 6 months) meets Great Grandpa Nelson Simmons (5'6", age 59). Hydrodynamica's 12 year quest to find Al Nelson's 1957 5'6" Windansea dual keel ended yesterday at venerable collector Spencer Croul's studio in Newport Beach.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Wood, island style

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Building an EPS core, Paulownia skinned, lanolin finished 9ft 3" pintail.

Great looking outline

Concave through the nose to rolled V through the tail

Final shape and clean up and then cut the rails off and sqaure up the rails.

Home and ready to add the first 3mm rail bands

First one on

Both on and ready to trim them to the foam blank. The 3mm parabolic stingers if you like hold the rocker and when gluing the skins on encapsulates the eps in wood.

All trimmed up, rocker table setup, ready for glue, skins and bagging.

2 hours in the bag with the Polyurethane glue. Bagging is the most effective and simplist clamping system you will ever use.

Out of the bag and as solid as a rock

Ready to trim off the excess.

All trimmed up and ready for rail bands

Nice

All the tools I need to laminate and bend the rail bands onto the board. The old steam iron helps out here. You will be amased at the pulling and holding power of good masking tape.

One each side now.

Just keep adding them

Last of 8 rail bands on, 4 a side.

My little hand plane got quite a workout, no wonder it gets hot.

All cleaned up with the rail bands foiled to the deck and bottom. Bag it up and off to the shaping bay.

looking the goods

Small hand plane and some emery cloth and sandpaper.

The emery cloth is great for taking the planed rails and smoothing it all out really quickly and simply as you can get some weight into it. The cloth backing and the grit lasts way longer than any sand paper.