Solid Balsa

Tools
Get our darkest pencil, a tape measure, mat knife or saber saw, some 80 grit sandpaper, a shureforrn or small block plane and a piece of plastic molding 8' long.

Materials
You will also need some tin material to make your template from. 1/8" Masonite, plywood, paneling, cardboard, or (my preference) 1/8" sentra, a pvc material used to make signs. It is flexible and conforms to the rocker of the blank. Try your local sign shop for scraps or half sheets.

Procedure
Choose our template material and place it on a flat surface (the floor will do). The easy way is to get your hands on a finished board that you like and trace half of it to the template material.

Here is another process for a "half template": start from a straight edge of your material and mark a center point. This point will become the center of your shape (blank). Now decide on the finished center width of the shape, divide by 2 and mark that distance at 90 degrees out from the center point (a typical long board width will be 22" to 23"). The nose and tail points are done the same. Mark points 12" in from the nose and tail then another at the width you want them to be (typically tail 14" and nose 17").

Insert a finishing nail at each of these "main" points and bend the molding to the inside of the nails. Now trace the outside curve. The tail and nose lines can be done freehand and more points and nails may be added along the curve to change the shape or modify the template dimensions.

Now rough out the template with the mat knife or saber saw and true up the curve with the shureform. A nice final edge can be made by sanding with 100 grit on a long (14") block.