Adding the Top Panel
The next step in building a hollow wooden SUP kit is attaching the top panel. As a professional builder, I have a lot of clamps but you do not need walls of clamps to do this step. Customers have successfully completed this step with only webbing straps and tape.
Attaching the Top
The First step is to lay the top on the board and trace the outline on your top skin and then trim the panel so that it is no more than 1 inch larger than is required. Any extra material that cantilevers over the transition from the top panel increases the chance of the panel cracking...
No clamps!
I will share a secret that isn’t apparent when looking at how I attach the top skins. The Bar-clamps holding the strong-backs do not do the real clamping! I do not even turn the clamping screws!...
Shaping the Top
The secret to shaping the top is removing the excess material without touching the tape. Everything under and below the tape is basically complete. Ideally you should be able to remove all of the excess until only a paper-thin layer is covering the top of the tape.
...
Sanding! Yippee!!
Very few people consider sanding the most fun part of woodworking. I used to hate sanding until I heard a woodworker say, “You have to sand the sequence”. The key to sanding is to start with the largest sander possible with the courses grit....
Fairing Board
After you are finished with the spokeshave it is a good idea to sand the rails with a flexible fairing board to even out the highs and lows. Fairing Boards are a necessity to get a truly fair surface...
