Mikes new Hand Planes

Hand planes , small pieces of wood with lots of fun built in. That seems to be the theme. Yes lots of things are new again and with Paulownia now very popular so are hand planes once again. Mike Cunningham from NZ / Fish N Log Blog has been getting into building them and having heaps of fun.
" I took the larger one out for its third test ride last Saturday and was so stoked with the way it went, got so many waves I lost count, lots of clean face and big drops, even a cover up of sorts, not bad for a 105kg pie eating beer guzzler, yew !,Roger has helped me mill a slab of paulownia, making two double handplanes and a prone alaia/paipo hybrid, even rode my 9'6'' electraglide longboard prone on a few waves last week, such a buzz being that close to the wave face, takes the views you get to warp speed so I am busting to shape my paipo thingie, anyway thats my story and i am sticking to it !,"
Mike is fizzzzing with his new project. So maybe after you have built your wooden board you and the kids might need a project for Christmas , this could be it.
Built the Alaia and can't get to your feet , cut the bugger up and make hand planes.

Paul Jensen Wooden board building classes

Paul Jensen from Washington State USA is a credited with the revival in hollow wooden boards and has set about conducting classes in his construction method.Paul uses the same internal frame method as say the Grain construction but varies in his rail build out.

Paul's boards use laminated cork and bending ply rails as above. Where as the Grain method is cove and bead more akin to their boat building roots.The difference with Paul's courses is that he is mobile and will come to you where ever you are to conduct the class , as long as you have the minimum numbers and a venue for a week to build the boards in.He has conducted classes in many countries in all sorts of situations , so he is very adaptable.

"During a workshop under my guidance you will build a hollow wood board starting with the assembly of a supplied frame kit. After that you will create the deck and bottom “skins” from very thin solid wood strips, fiberglass and epoxy. Next the skins are attached and tensioned to the wood frame. You will then build the outer rails onto the board with bending plywood and cork. Finally the rails are hand shaped and the board is given a light final sanding. At the end of the class the board you have built will ready to take home to be glassed. I will also show you how to apply those epoxy and fiberglass layers when you get home. There are several to choose from."

Paul has options on his classes as well:

Five day - Build Your Own Board workshops ,will have up to ten participant build their own board ready for glassing.The actual cost of materials will vary, depending on location. Some places things cost less than others.

Three day - Collaborative Board workshops ,will have up to twenty participant building two collaborative boards, ready for glassing.

Again, the "How To" CD will be included, as will a Template Kit .

The finished collaborative boards will be offered for sale (for the cost of the materials)

to selected class participants, chosen by a random drawing .

If you are interested in being a part of one of these workshops, or would like to organise one in your area , contact him at:

Organise a class

Grain Surfboard Building Classes

If you are looking for a class to learn the ins and outs of building a wooden board for yourself then there are a couple of ways to go. Grain Surfboards in York , Maine hold classes throughout the year . They run with a number of options and you build the boards right in their factory with the guys who work there with all the tools and gear you need to get the job done.

Here is a list of their classes for next year so you can plan ahead.

2011 Scheduled Classes
Nov 14- 20 2010…… Last available class for 2010, sign up now!

Feb 6- 12 …… Any Kit
April 10- 16 …. Any Kit
May 8- 14 …….. Any Kit
June 3- 5 …….. 3- Day Board Blitz
June 19- 25……. Any Kit
July 17- 23 …… Any Kit
Aug 5- 7 …….. 3- Day Board Blitz
Aug 21- 27 …. Any Kit
Sept 8- 10 …. Alaia class with Jon Wegener
Sept 11 …. Handplane class with Cyrus Sutton
Sept 18- 24 …. Any Kit
Oct 9- 15 …. Any Kit
Nov 6- 12 …. Any Kit

So you see they have a variety of options and special ones with guest shapers on hand as well.So not just their kits , but Alaia classes and handplane classes." The 3 Day Board Blitz is an interesting one as well .Teams of two students together build a single board with a Grain board builder directly helping as needed to keep on schedule. Giving the phrase “team-building” a whole new meaning, this six-person, three-team class is designed not to help you build your own board in class, but as an affordable way to teach the method for those planning to build a HomeGrown Kit at home, and for those non-surfers that are merely curious about how it’s done. Great chance to do something cool with a buddy or your sweetie."

Then there is:
Surfboard Builder’s Fantasy Camp
"Surfers can be loners – their ideal is a deserted break with no one out. That’s why we decided to offer a one-on-one class in board building and/or glassing. For a week or two, it’s just you at your own shaping stand with your own board builder guiding you through the process of building a board you’ll have forever. This is the only class where we will help you build any board in our line of kits and custom boards.

Fantasy Camp is also perfect if you can’t make dates in our schedule, can’t get into a full class, or want to share a really unique experience with just one other friend. So if you need some alone time, or dig the idea of being just another builder in our shop for the week, think about the Builder’s Fantasy Camp.

Any board, any time, your own builder. Pretty sweet."

So I think they have it pretty well covered .They have had people coming from all over the world, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Norway and France to build boards.So if you want to take a break and travel then this could be right up your alley.

Check them out at :
Grain Surfboards

Lesleys new board

Lesley Adamski, has just tested her latest chambered board and here is her report.
" Here are some pics of the latest board! I won’t say finished board coz it took in water and I’ve had to cabinet scrape off the oiled surface, will wait for it to dry out, reglue some failed joints and refinish with epoxy resin! My main worry now is getting the moisture out, getting rid off slight cupping at failed joints and hoping the resin will adhere to any oil residue left in the timber, then whether to surf it or not! Maybe I’ll keep it for a wall hanger! If only I had wall space to hang it on!!! "

" Would like to use a bioresin but is proving difficult to source, I’ve just seen some on the surfing green website that they are trialing but is yet to be released."

"So,oiling (lanotech) the recycled western red cedar, chambered board wasn’t the best idea. Nice idea but water found its way into hairline cracks. I heard water running up and down inside after the surf."
" How did it surf? Great, looser than I expected, sometimes didn’t carry through flatter sections, which could be too much rocker or I just needed to shift my weight forward slightly!"

Very trick little hand plane indeed.

Nick Allen is a photographer and in his spare time likes to build things.Check out this cool hand plane.
Nick said " Poplar and plywood, with what hopefully amounts to a good amount of flex. It just needs some varnish and a strap, and it's ready for the tube."



To check out what else Nick has been up to: Here

Inspired by the sea

Charlie Loiselle , loves the sea and loves his surfing. Like most of us he is inspired by what is around him. Here is his latest Alaia and his story...

" The latest out of the shop is this unique alaia. Based on the success of the Omilu model, I made some changes that I hoped would be beneficial. First, more wood. The Omilu was a bit to thin and too light, making it flex more than I would like. Additionally I don’t feel like it would hold up to overhead waves. Also, maintaining more width throughout would help in catching waves and planing. The omilu tended to downshift once off the face. While fairly easy to maneuver, I felt it was too loose – particularly when in the flats, where it was a chore to keep it from spinning out.

So, I developed the uhu. Very little wood was removed from the blank – just enough to give it a nice outline.Unlike the narow waist of the omilu I went with a “stinger” tail, keeping the board wide up until the last 20 inches or so where the tail steps in. For control I went with a catch surf setup – rounded 70/30 rails up front and hard, inward-canted rails in the tail (Catch Surf hand-makes finless soft surfboards which are really taking off) The bottom is the standard single concave, with the addition of a couple of channels in the tail to help keep it straight."

Unique step / stinger rail on this board.

"So how does it work? I took it out on a nice chest-high day at an empty reef break out by the Coast Guard air station at Barbers. It was perfect alaia surf – long, gentle lines with reforms and multiple sections. The board performed beyond expectations. It was markedly easier to catch waves than the omilu, allowing me to get in earlier and really set up my rides. It tracked straight – almost too straight, and I really had to use a shortboard-like technique to turn it, unlike the omilu which really needs a light touch. The only negative was that it really wasn’t any easier to paddle than the others (alaias are a MAJOR arm workout). The extra wood didn’t make a difference – it was essentially neutrally buoyant weight. The positive side of that is that you can duck-dive the thing about 6 feet no problem, and actually “swim” underwater with it. "

" As for the graphics…after cutting the outline, it just looked like an uhu (parrotfish)." Great looking board and the graphics really set it off.

For more of what Charles is up to check out his blog :
http://islanddreamssurf.blogspot.com

Hidden Wood from France

A couple of French guys building Alaia's and having them decorated by some great local artists. A couple of them travelled through Australia in the last couple of years. Tristan worked at Classic Malibu at Noosa and Paul worked for Dan MacDonald here on the Gold Coast. It is a small world. A number of guys who have visited these shores recently have ended up in France and working together. Sergio Gomez worked with Roger Hall in New Zealand and now has his own set up in France.Great to see them working together as they are all very talented artists , shapers and surfers.

So if you would like to check them out :
www.hiddenwood.fr
http://hiddenwoodalaia.blogspot.com
http://glasslove-artwork.blogspot.com
http://polish-artworks.blogspot.com
www.fishcove.blogspot.com
http://glass-sandingjob.blogspot.com
http://wallako-surfshop.com/blog

Paul Jensen class in Japan

Paul Jensen with Nobby who helped organise the course prior to Paul's arrival.Nobby has been to the two events here in Australia and met Paul at the first Wooden surfboard Day 2009.

Paul course comes with notes and a CD of information to take home.

Nobby sent me these shots with a few notes... "Paul held work shop in Japan from Sept 20 to 24 and he set out for Australia to hold next workshop yesterday.13 participants made own wooden surfboards and they will make more in own local area from local wood."















" Paul spread culture of modern wooden surfboards throughout Japan!!! I was very impressed Paul with the quality of his skill, knowledge and wisdom."


"In Japan, he was bedeviled by language barriers all the time but he was doggedly persistent and always polite for participants and me (sorry for that Paul…).
I look up to Paul as a teacher of wooden surfboards and a better way of life… "

A big thank you to Nobby and his friend for getting this all together and helping spread the skills needed to build wooden surfboards with Paul's course.I know from my own experience it is no small task pulling this all together and having all the gear and space required to make it happen. So my hat goes off to you Nobby. And thanks to Paul as well.

The Life of Ply

Not just a movie on belly boarding on ply. But a great little story on why we surf.

Old Paipo board

Simple design , heavy wood , lots of fun , a long time ago , still going strong. Things don't need to be complicated to be effective.

Franks fish all ready to ride

Frank with the board all strapped down and getting the rails sorted.This is his second wooden board he has built.
" Well, it's finally finished and here are the pics. I'm pleased with the result and will now be waxing it up to try it out. It's considerably lighter than the mal I built last year, and hopefully it will perform OK. If the fins don't do the job I hope they will I can try different types of fins. The leash plug is one with the Goretex breather built in, so I won't have to worry about doing the plug up or losing it.
The final measurements are 7'6 3/4" x 22 1/2" x 2 5/8", so the size is spot-on to the original plan"



Franks own fin design to be tested in the coming weeks.


Great looking board Frank and look forward to the ride report.

The Hollow Kite Board

Greg Wheeldon is an architect from Brisbane who did the Paul Jensen board building course last year. He and his son who is into kite boarding wanted a project to do together so set about building their own.
"As promised, attached are some photos, of the kiteboard in progress, and the completed board."

"Over all dimensions are, 140cm x 45cm widest, 35cm narrowest, 25mm at thickest point. Single concave full length, 6mm, including through the rocker. Rocker 65mm each end. The board is a double ended shape for multi-directional use, with a semi-swallow tail cut end."

"Construction is basically similar to the hollow surfboard concept, with internal bow frames from 6mm ply. I had the frames CNC laser cut by a friend for free, which made the over-all job much easier, and less time consuming. "


"The external skins are from 4mm paulownia and western red cedar. The detailed patterns are mostly 450 cuts, and so are easily achieved with a 220mm dia bench saw, with a fine tooth blade."

" The foot-binding and central handle fixing plugs are made from inset 6mm stainless steel acorn nuts, glued into a double thickness ABS fixing plate. Full stainless steel plates would be too heavy. The acorn back to the nut seals the back of the bolt thread and prevents water entry into the hollow board."

This is the rocker bed to set it all up on during the build.

"The deck is rolled and the concave to the hull needed to be accurately cut, to ensure overall shape. At the thickest point the bow frames are 12mm deep, shaped for the deck and concave hull."

"Rails are laminated from cork and plywood, similar to the surfboard construction. Rails are only rolled from the deck side, as the hull skin and tough-edge insert are full width."

"The detailed patterned strip inset in the deck, is purchased from a joinery shop by the metre. A vast range of patterns and colours are available. The strips are typically 1.5mm thick x 6mm wide. So a standard 6mm router set 1mm deep will cut the perfect groove for the inset."



"The black inset strip is made from ABS Side-wall plastic. A type of tough polycarbonate used in snow board and snow ski construction. The strip will protect the outer edge from sand scrapping when coming to shore in shallow water, as all kite boarders do."

"Fin fixings are holes through the solid ABS insets, again to prevent water entry into the hollow board. Fins are fixed by counter-sunk stainless steel Phillips head bolts, and are standard spacings to fit standard purchased fins. Fins on kiteboards cope a pounding from the sand in shallow water and need to be easily replaced. Hence, easy replacement is required."

A very detailed and technical build for sure. A lot of work on a very small board with a great result. Thanks Greg we look forward to seeing it at the next board day.