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The Sculpting Begins
The clamps are finally removed producing a huge beam covered in smeared dried glue. Eager to discover how the finished blank will look beneath this mess, I begin with spoke shave, hand plane, and electric planer to bring both the deck and bottom to a flat and parallel surface. Ultimately the beauty of the wood grain and the quality and success of the glue lines are exposed.
The outline of the board shape is traced on to the blank from templates. The blank is then cut into the rough outline shape of the finished surfboard. Now, at long last, it’s finally time to begin the process of sculpting. The common term for making surfboards is “shaping”, however, I prefer the word “sculpting” when crafting wood surfboards. As in the making of furniture and other fine objects made of wood, I choose to believe that I am trying to craft something beautiful - an object of art to be admired.
There are now manufacturing companies in Asia that produce wood veneer over foam core surfboards for some of the top brand surfboard companies. They have become very popular because they are inexpensive and beautiful. Most people can’t tell, don’t care, or even prefer that they are not “real” wood. I’ve heard several talk negatively about the industry evolution to such “copy pop-out” boards. I personally don’t agree. Naturally, the marketplace will always produce whatever there is demand for. There are apparently a lot of folks who appreciate the wood look-alike boards. However, there are a few connoisseurs who understand the stoke - not many purists who truly appreciate a handmade masterpiece with which they can personally connect with the soul of surfing. But for those few folks, I am here.
Someone once said, “If you’re going to sign it, your work better be worthy of the ancestors by whom you are named.” It’s also been stated: “A person’s work is a window into his soul”. However viewed or stated, craftsmanship is important to me, and if for no other reason than it just makes me feel better about myself, I strive to do good work. It’s just more fun to go about it that way.
