Monday, June 11, 2007

First Pass

Very exciting news today, I made my first cut with the planer! After almost two months of preparation and planning, waiting for blanks, building out the garage/shaping room, I finally mowed my first piece of foam. Felt great! Using a throwaway blank to practice on kept the experience painless and carefree. I also practiced knocking down the stringer using various hand planes as well as taking some time to get to know my Surform. Was mostly a 'get-to-know-my-tools' kind of night.

Getting ready...

I look like a one-armed shaper in this pic...


A bit wiggly, but good enough...


Check out the big crack/gouge in the blank. Part of the reason this one was half price I guess...


Have to remember for next time - Pay attention to direction of the planer exhaust. Something I failed to do and ended up with a face/eye full of foam dust. Which reminds me that I need to buy some safety eyewear and/or build an exhaust rig using slinky hose and shopvac like this one shown in the Clark Foam catalog...


Can't wait to get back to the shop...I'm hooked now!

5 comments:

CDKyle said...

Haha! It's pretty amusing to watch your progress! Of course, it's got to be difficult, but that blank has been MURDERED! I'm sure that you'll smooth it out, shape it into a sweet fishy, slap in some bamboo keels, and pigment-tint the resin. Can I buy it when you're finished? :)

BTW- those pics of the blanks opened up in your office is HILARIOUS! I can just imagine what your co-workers were thinking!

Have fun!!

CK

Anonymous said...

Hey,
That blank is perfectly serviceable. Don't waste it just practice. Use it to actually shape a board, even if you don't glass it.

Anonymous said...

yes PLEASE take care of your eyes and respiratory system, FOR GODS SAKE.

KC said...

Bubba, I was thinking the same thing. I'm going to true up the outline on this blank and do the rails, just for practice. Then, I'm planning on re-skinning the blank, and then making a real board out of it. I've already learned so much just from that first night...and it was soooo much fun!

KC said...

sister,

i hear ya...err, sortof, i didn't wear earplugs either so my ears are still ringing a little. ;) (just kidding). however, i DID pick up some safety goggles which have already saved me from a few eye-tearing accidents.

kc