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Shaping fun
- Thread starter griffinsurfboard
- Start date
Trying to learn to backyard shape from scratch seems really hard
On the other hand if you had some good files you could order pre-cut eps blanks from greenlight and just scrub/glass them. I don't think it would be all that hard to get good enough at finishing the board to produce quality shapes. I'd try it if I had a better space to do it in.
On the other hand if you had some good files you could order pre-cut eps blanks from greenlight and just scrub/glass them. I don't think it would be all that hard to get good enough at finishing the board to produce quality shapes. I'd try it if I had a better space to do it in.
Custom Designed Engineered EPS Foam Blank 4'0" - 6'5" Long
Shape your own custom surfboard blank by designing it in AKUShaper software for a close tolerance EPS foam blank. Custom surfboard blanks reduce shaping time and effort and create much less dust in your DIY work space. Plus, you can make a copy of any popular big brand surfboard model for a...
greenlightsurfsupply.com
u dont have to do the bottom if youre copying a greg griffin!
It will get you a generalized outline, but you still have to carve the rails and concaves. That's the hard part in getting it all symmetric, and really the difference between any shaper. I don't think those online shape 3D views capture the subtle modifications in rocker shape either. You could try glassing it yourself too, but then now you are really pushing your luck and lack of skill. Or you can take it to your local glasser and have them do it with much better quality and durability. But, by then you have accrued enough cost and time/labor to just buy one off the shelf instead. It's a good idea though, and I hope they continue refining the CNC process so you can truly design your own board and have it built to expert level craftsmanship. But if you just want to goof around and make boards for yourself and friends cheap, then do a homedepot build. This guy has some great videos on how to DIY boards.
The easiest way to a decent board for someone brand new to shaping is not CNC; It’s by choosing the right close tolerance blank, don‘t attempt to alter the rocker, subtle bottom contours n just “follow the blank” when shaping. They’re designed by world class shapers to work.
Any free file I’ve seen floating around on the internet is garbage/worthless. Stolen files, well everyone agrees those are not okay. Designing boards in Aku etc that will come out as you want is not as easy or intuitive as one would think; way easier to fck up than hand shaping a properly chosen close tolerance blank.
Any free file I’ve seen floating around on the internet is garbage/worthless. Stolen files, well everyone agrees those are not okay. Designing boards in Aku etc that will come out as you want is not as easy or intuitive as one would think; way easier to fck up than hand shaping a properly chosen close tolerance blank.
My flat bottom programs show how well the machine is cutting
Some have roll on one side and concave on the other
Some have concave
Was that a bit of humor? Kudos!My flat bottom programs show how well the machine is cutting
Some have roll on one side and concave on the other
Some have concave
He lost me when he sent it out to a glasser. Real men glass their own back yard boards.
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Most who use concaves don't see these changes in their programmed cut
When a flat bottomed program ends up concave it means the machine is pushing the outside of the cut away increasing rail line rocker while the center is cut to the program .
I started in 1989 long before the internet made everyone an instant shaper. John Carper hadn't even made his videos yet. Starting out I had almost no info to work with other than an outdated book I purchased from an ad in the back of a magazine. Just assembling the materials and getting blanks from Clark Foam was a challenge. Its easy today. The hardest part today would be sifting out all of the bad information on the web from the gems. There is way more bad info than gems but there are gems out there.
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Every surfer needs to shape and attempt to glass a couple boards.
Worst case you will never complain about board prices again.
I need to find pics of my #1 and 2 , there was a reason for no #3.
I stick to painting stuff .
Worst case you will never complain about board prices again.
I need to find pics of my #1 and 2 , there was a reason for no #3.
I stick to painting stuff .
I got this book when it first came and out and immediately started making boards. Wish I still had the book. I'm not a pro but have been making boards a long time.
About the same time I got second book which I still have. Ironically, I didn't realize it at the time but it was published where I live. It was the book that fueled a thousand surf trips, long drives up and down the coast. And when I look back and read his spot descriptions, they were surprisingly accurate.
Surfboard design and construction: Kinstle, James F: Amazon.com: Books
Surfboard design and construction [Kinstle, James F] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Surfboard design and construction
www.amazon.com
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it's more the sanding than the glassing
My dog, myself n one of my “non-expert” boards.
There is something special about surfing your own creations - & there is no substitute for the feeling.
I made five boards. This was like 10-12 years ago. My step dad always shaped his own boards as I was growing up and he gave me all of his old tools to use. He gave me a couple tips but that was about it.
I really enjoyed shaping. Glassing was less fun. Sanding, ugh. The first board I made was a 6-0 that I shaped out of a broken longboard. It was ugly but not completely useless in small waves. I think I botched the fin placement somehow and the fusion boxes ended up set inwards from the rail further than I'd intended (I flipped the jig or something?). So, yeah, not the best board I've ridden but still pretty rad to ride something I'd shaped.
The 2nd board I made, a round pin quad, was really fun. I rode it a lot and I must have surfed it okay because a few friends pestered me to make them boards after that. I said, what the hell dudes, I'm not a shaper. But I did shape one for my best bud and he loved it. I think the template was something off of an early 2000's JS but I widened the nose a bit. My friend surfed it all winter and then took it to indo and busted it at lakey peak. He still talks about that board sometimes but I think he romanticizes it as is his tendency to do about anything related to surfing.
The 4th and 5th boards came out looking better than the previous ones but they didn't surf very well and I couldn't figure out why. 4 was a basic bitch squash tail thruster and I think I'd thinned it out too much. 5 was a longer swallow tail and it was so stiff. had a few fun sessions in tubing waves but never could get it to turn like I wanted. I don't think I gave much though to fins. I probably had one or two sets and no clue what size or template they were.
After building those boards I definitely had a new appreciation for how much skill and work goes into a well constructed surfboard. Doing the math on what it cost me in materials and how many hours of work was involved to build a board made a custom seem like a total bargain. Still, there is definitely something special about riding waves on something you built with your own hands and I would like to make a few more at some point.
I definitely recommend anyone who has the inclination to try shaping to do so.
I really enjoyed shaping. Glassing was less fun. Sanding, ugh. The first board I made was a 6-0 that I shaped out of a broken longboard. It was ugly but not completely useless in small waves. I think I botched the fin placement somehow and the fusion boxes ended up set inwards from the rail further than I'd intended (I flipped the jig or something?). So, yeah, not the best board I've ridden but still pretty rad to ride something I'd shaped.
The 2nd board I made, a round pin quad, was really fun. I rode it a lot and I must have surfed it okay because a few friends pestered me to make them boards after that. I said, what the hell dudes, I'm not a shaper. But I did shape one for my best bud and he loved it. I think the template was something off of an early 2000's JS but I widened the nose a bit. My friend surfed it all winter and then took it to indo and busted it at lakey peak. He still talks about that board sometimes but I think he romanticizes it as is his tendency to do about anything related to surfing.
The 4th and 5th boards came out looking better than the previous ones but they didn't surf very well and I couldn't figure out why. 4 was a basic bitch squash tail thruster and I think I'd thinned it out too much. 5 was a longer swallow tail and it was so stiff. had a few fun sessions in tubing waves but never could get it to turn like I wanted. I don't think I gave much though to fins. I probably had one or two sets and no clue what size or template they were.
After building those boards I definitely had a new appreciation for how much skill and work goes into a well constructed surfboard. Doing the math on what it cost me in materials and how many hours of work was involved to build a board made a custom seem like a total bargain. Still, there is definitely something special about riding waves on something you built with your own hands and I would like to make a few more at some point.
I definitely recommend anyone who has the inclination to try shaping to do so.