Prep Work Continues: Week 1

This week I am just putting one foot in front of the other. The task list seems depressingly long so I am just focusing on one step at a time! I finished prepping the space I am using for the build. I also just finished constructing my shaping and glassing table. Both of these steps had their complexities. I managed to push away enough of the storage in the garage I am using to have a 8'x 12' space. This is going to be tight! I have an outdoor space that I will use for steps that require more elbow room. The board I am building is 6'5" x 20ish", and the table I built is 8' x 23". So I have 4' x 6' to spare.

As for the table I built for shaping and glassing, it is really more of a ladder. This ladder will rest on a couple of saw horses to make the table. There are few complexities to the construction of this table, but I did have to make some important considerations. The first consideration is load. Since I am building a short board, I used 2x4 as the supports for the ladder. A long board would require 2x6 supports. More important than this consideration is the spacing of the rungs. The appropriate spacing will change from board to board. These rungs are used to clamp the board down at what are called the frames. These surfboards are hollow and supported by an internal ribcage. This "ribcage" consists of a backbone (the keel) and perpendicular ribs (frames). The spacing of the frames should correspond to the spacing of the rungs on your shaping table. My frames are 8" apart, as are the spacing of the rungs on my shaping table (measured at the center-line).