He starts to be rewarded as the image glittering & reflecting a smile straight back at him. It is here as the cutting compound starts to release his image of what was trapped in there all along. His gloss work will also be off the highest standard all his little tricks will ensure the fact that as the glosser he is the polisher. For he is the sander.Īs the shaper he continues his extraction of the final image he has set his sights. His glass schedule will be well thought out for the design as the glasser, he will seek no short cuts. His preparation of the final shape will be diligent as he is the glasser. He will glue up the rocker & then go at it to extract his vision. He will select the right medium for his project ( right blank). He applies all the tricks and secrets passed down from the master board builders he learned from.

Surfboard maker is a highly motivated individual who has a dedication to his craft from the time the project is envisioned. Surfboard manufacturer v surfboard maker (artisan) Now what if he sculpted from a nearly finished piece of clay that came from a machine who actually did mostly all the work? Is he truly a sculptor? I think not!

Lets examine that term shall we? Shaping would imply that someone actually formed something from nothing.

That's a term that is thrown around very loosely these days. On a 1st quality blank, my vast collection of outline, rocker, and rail templates, my Skil-100 planer & my own two hands. I shape and design all my surfboards in my shaping room. Computers have made hack craftsmen look like hero's. I believe a lobotomized circus monkey can sand out the grooves on a CNC'd surfboard blank.

Surfboard shapes templates