by Willzilla » Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:41 am I am using a bit of untreated 3 ply plywood that I had lying around, it smells like pine but im not completely sure on that. I made a template out of cardboard and cut it out then traced around it with a pencil onto the ply wood. I made the board as long as I can, its not a very big bit of ply I had. I cut it out with a jigsaw, then did some quick sanding with the beltsander just to get it a bit smoother. I then placed it in a hot bathtub for an hour to soak, I have to put a weight on it and the very ends werent under but it didnt matter because they were bendy enough already. I cut a whole bunch of small wedges and set up an area to clamp down the middle of the board, then hammer in wedges around the sides to give it a curve (the only photos I have so far are of this). So far the middle where the board is clamped down is touching the surface its on and it bending well, im just leaving it overnight to dry out.
Ive added about twice as many wedges in between the ones already there and the side are much more straight now. After seeing the second photo I decided I needed to do that. I had 12 wedges laid out around before I clamped the board down which made it alot easier, then added more but hammering them in. I hammered each wedge in the right amount so all the sides are straight, and I just used a steel ruler to make sure both sides were curved about the same amount. Its a bit of a funny shaped snowboard but I know it will work, and I can always take some of the side off at the ends if I want.
I have never done any wood bending before and I have to say this is going better than I expected! It has a kind of bowl curve all around I wasnt expecting to get. The wood was VERY flimsy before it was bent, and from what I can tell it doesnt flex in the middle at all now! This board might also work on sand dunes for when the snow goes. Im going to go do some night sledding soon, the snow will only last a few days.
For tomorrow: I was going to nail some bits of wood with curves on them to the board to help it keep it's shape, but I dont think I will need to now. For attaching my feet to it, im planning on gluing some sandpaper onto the board for grip, and attaching bits of wood with lots of holes drilled on the top to the sides of where my feet will be. There will be a bit of a gap so i can move my feet around a bit. With the holes in them going to zig zag quite a bit of cord between them so I can put my shoes under and tighten them like shoes laces. I think that will be enough with the sandpaper too. I could also add some bits of wood to the toes or heels of where my feet will be to help even more.
The bottom of the board will be waxed with candle wax and the top too but it doesnt matter as much. i think then it should be all go! No time to paint or anything I just want to get out and use it while the snow lasts.
(I dont have the energy to proof read this so sorry for any mistakes or things that sound funny)