Sanding (Long) boards

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:25 pm

At the end of a long day of sanding, the tools shut off, the mask and ear muffs off, enjoying the sweet fresh air and noiseless evening, the smooth hull surface - one side completely sanded with 120 grit, a truly idyllic time,the sun setting behind the boat, sunset colors reflecting off the hull, the hull as smooth as a..... GOLFBALL?!!!

In the right light my hull is completely dimpled down the side. Some of it is me. The gel-coat is extremely soft and my DA is powerful.

So, I see some longboarding in my future. In the past I have simply wrapped some sandpaper around a flexible board but I don't think that is going to work this time.

Question (finally): Is a real sanding board worth the money and if so is there a particular one anyone can recommend? I see Jamestown has a couple for around $30. If I can build one in half an hour I will do that but if I am going to spend half a day perfecting this tool I think I should just buy one.

Thoughts/suggestions?

-Britton (aka The Sanding Master)

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:02 pm

I hope CharlieJ sees this, as he has made some really neat longboards out of ordinary materials. I think he uses 1/4" ply and spray adhesive, then mounts ordinary wooden knobs, but I'm not sure. They might have been mentioned here in the past.

Edit: I just searched and found an actual thread on the subject:

http://triton381.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... =longboard

And this thread has Charlie's post:

http://triton381.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... =longboard

Not to be an obnoxious "Well if you had only searched" type; I just happened to remember this topic :-)

Rachel

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:23 pm

Thanks Rachel,

I had forgotten about those threads.

I actually found some knobs about two years ago and I bought them with the idea of making a long board. I just got hung up on getting the paper to stick to the board. Stikits didn't seem to have enough grip on bare wood. Spray adhesive or layering the bottom with a better material like Mike's duct tape sounds like a workable plan. Then again, a few clicks and I can have one right at my doorstep pain free...

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:28 pm

My homemade board is ok, but I must admit that I use the store-bought one a LOT more.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:26 pm

They don't give those 30" ones away though... I could easily drop $150-200 on a board and the requisite paper stock.

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:28 am

There are a million and one ways to make your own longboards, of course.

That said, the 3M boards such as those at Jamestown are nice, and effective to use. The hook/loop paper is expensive, but the sheets last a long time in general. The hook and loop is very effective at holding sheets in place on these tools.

I bought the pre-made one (30"), but then I don't much like spending time building tools; I just want it ready to go when I want it, and to know that it will be effective. To each their own. If you're so inclined, by all means make one. But you have to decide for yourself how much your time and ingenuity are worth, and to also be prepared for your first attempt to perhaps be less than ideal.

Quetzalsailor · Post by **Quetzalsailor** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:46 am

I'm cheap and lazy... Made my longboard with a strip of 1/4" (shy) x 1 3/4" x 30"-ish hickory. Used a strip of sanding belt bent over the top and stapled. Handles are a couple 4" lengths of shovel handle with 3/8" dowel glued into the ends. I drilled several 3/8" holes along the centerline of the hickory and simply stick the handles into the holes du jour. That the handles are not permanently mounted is not a negative; any sort of screw or glue would simply work loose, and the variable positioning means you can vary the curvature and stiffness.

Used for mahogany veneer on a Flying Dutchman hull.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:57 am

I closed my eyes and clicked the mouse. Only $154 from Jamestown for the board and paper...

After thinking about it, I would rather concentrate on the boat rather than engineering an effective tool. I just don't have the time right now for those little side projects. I don't have the money either but that is purely an academic question.

Thanks.

-Britton

keelbolts · Post by **keelbolts** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:27 pm

West System has a plan for a sanding board. I'd imagine you could find it on their website. As mentioned in other posts, it's just some plywood and a couple of handles - knobs will work. Rip a sheet of sandpaper into 3 sections, the long way, and spray it with some Repositionable Artist's Adhesive and go... and go... and go... and... I find that you leave less paper stuck to the board if you spray the adhesive on the paper, not the board. One trick, used by guys restoring mahogany runabouts is to draw all over the hull lightly with a pencil and sand. Anywhere you see pencil marks is low. A quick and dirty, thin coat of a slightly different color paint takes a little longer, but I like it better. You'd want to be careful about what paint you use for this. Make sure it's compatible with your 'real' paint.

I reread your last post & I see you ordered a long board. The technique is still the same.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:21 pm

bcooke wrote: I don't have the money either but that is purely an academic question.

One reaches a point in life where money is basically an abstract quality anyway; it's all just random writing on little bits of paper (or, more recently, on bits and bytes of electrical impulses, which are even more unreal).

Rest easy.

Capn_Tom · Post by **Capn_Tom** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:37 pm

I have a longboard I bought from Jamestown with the spring clamps that hold the paper. I've found the length of the precut sheets as well as the vinyl backing material on the longboard to be too short so there is very little under the clamps. As a result the paper slips loose frequently. Next time I'll go with hook and loop or adhesive.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:39 pm

I buy the self-adhesive rolls. It sticks to the longboard just fine, and I can use the same product on smaller sanding blocks, or stick it to a dowel of whatever other profile I need for a particular nook or cranny.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:19 pm

Hmm...

I'm going to try some headliner adhesive on non-stick paper and see if it'll make adhesive backed out of the cheap paper.

Edit: Re-read the thread... Keelbolts already talked about this...

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:56 am

I tried using Stik-its on bare plywood and it didn't work so well. That is when I thought I could get mired in tool building/engineering/timeconsuming/donthavetimeforthiskindofstuff.

To justify myself, I have maybe a week or two when the weather window might open up enough to prime the hull. I am trying to maximize my chances of getting the job done quickly.

One reaches a point in life...

Tim, you are a really, REALLY bad influence on me...
You say it, but I act on it.

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:45 am

Tim wrote: One reaches a point in life where money is basically an abstract quality anyway; it's all just random writing on little bits of paper (or, more recently, on bits and bytes of electrical impulses, which are even more unreal).
.

Is that the point at which one has accumulated more debt than one could ever possibly be expected to repay?
Cool. I'm on the right track!

Post by **dasein668** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:53 pm

Figment wrote:
Tim wrote: One reaches a point in life where money is basically an abstract quality anyway; it's all just random writing on little bits of paper (or, more recently, on bits and bytes of electrical impulses, which are even more unreal).
.
Is that the point at which one has accumulated more debt than one could ever possibly be expected to repay?
Cool. I'm on the right track!

Aren't we all...

Post by **Tim** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:34 am

It's the American way.

meubcr · Post by **meubcr** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:46 am

$5 dry wall, 1/2 sheet sanding blocks with a little foam on the pad are light weight and have comfortable handles are nice complements to the 30" 3M longboards.