the FairMaster

deckhand · Post by **deckhand** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:58 am

My long boarding days are over.

Check it out

Ancient Race · Post by **Ancient Race** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:30 am

Great! Put me down for an XL, Dave . . .

Greg

Hirilondë · Post by **Hirilondë** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:09 am

Clever idea, probably works too. Our painters have a couple air actuated long boards, but they are expensive for the boat owner, especially considering the amount of use over the long haul.

Quetzalsailor · Post by **Quetzalsailor** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:44 am

Yeah, I looked at the cheepie red-Chinese air driven linear sanders for long boarding the new veneer on my Flying Dutchman. I ended up making a hand-operated long board. I'd have had to buy a big-enough air compressor, too. Maybe one day; I'd much prefer sanding the bottom on Q with an air-driven orbital sander and wet-or-dry paper. Less poison in the lungs.

I'd imagine that an orbital sander would be pretty stressed by the extra area of paper and the extra mass of the platen, but I have two of 'em, that I never use anymore, with which to experiment. A negative of the pictured device is that the hand on the front of the board would be damping the motion of the platen, and that hand would soon feel really bad! I've tried making an adapter for a Sawzall to sand the interior of a centerboard case, unsuccessful so far but the job remains to be done.

feetup · Post by **feetup** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:23 am

I have an Ingersoll Rand linear sander that is heavy, uses a phenomenal amount of air, and is like a bull in a china shop in any confined area. My 8 hp compressor works hard to keep up with it, and it's quite a shock when you first pull the trigger. I would choose a root canal before using it overhead to fair a bottom.
I also have a hand board that uses the same size abrasive strips. The air powered long sander never gets taken out of the cupboard, and the hand board gets used a great deal. I suppose that for fairing large horizontal surfaces the air board might prove useful, but in general it is an expensive dust collector/maker.
The hand board is an auto body shop type, with a rubber covered aluminum bed with two wooden handles like a jack plane. I only wish it had a third handle so it could be more effectively used single handed. I have often thought to add one, but that is pretty low on the 'to do' list.
I don't find hand sanding to be that tedious, and in general it is more controllable and nearly as quick if done correctly. I sing in time with the strokes, which ensures that I will not get visitors till I'm done.

Tim J

Ronin120 · Post by **Ronin120** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:41 pm

I would choose a root canal before using it overhead to fair a bottom.

That's pretty funny.

I used to have that same sander hooked up to a 12 HP gas-powered compressor that worked mightily to keep up with it. I'm pretty sure that every little bone in my right wrist was re-arranged when I pulled the trigger on that sucker.

That was 20 years ago. I just got through using my new flexible, hand-powered board file and am quite happy with the results. Sanding is sanding and the exercise helps keep the beer carbs off.

I may have try the singing thing though...

Cheers.

deckhand · Post by **deckhand** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:05 pm

the difference between this home-built and the air powered monsters is that it weighs a lot less and has a flexible board. The body shop inline's I've seen also draw a lot of juice (by way of a huge compressor).

True my little cobble job gets the arms tingling but man, I was able to finally fair my decks smooth in a little more than an hour. I had been struggling with that area since I had pretty much rebuilt that entire side of the boat and didn't have much to go on in terms of shape and shear. Just pushed it back and forth and let the sander do the work. I think what really does it is the latex pad, just the right combination of firm and soft.

When I used to be in the boat yard, all the pro repair guys would come by and chuckle at my long boarding. That was when I discovered the amazingness of the 1/2 sheet 3/8 horse finishing sander... I think once I bang out the "XL" my arms will be a lot less numb (better bearings and an isolated platten on the the craftsman 1/2 sheet).

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:59 pm

Thats a great idea! I'll have to build one now. (Grin)

I've been looking at the pneumatic long boards for fairing out a few projects. The chinese ones would take some serious speed holes before being light enough to want to use...

Wondering if you guys that are fairing bottoms might enjoy a little tidbit from the days working assembly in a factory.

Take a pulley and hang it overhead. Put a weight on the other end of the cable thats the same weight as the tool, or even a little heavier (so it lifts up instead of dropping if you let go.)

Now you don't have to carry the weight of the tool... (grin)

My vision is that of a wide ladder beside the boat, with a coiled spring wrapped around a flexible conduit down stream of the pulley so the cable always runs with a fair lead. Getting even fancier... a rolling cart with enough weight down low not to tip, but that would just be overkill. (Grin)

Probably wouldn't work real well once under the curve of the boat, but who knows.

My manual long board is pretty short... its a 3M for doing auto body work, and takes the gold paper right off the roll. (Now that is some nice stuff...)