Rocker table/ former

Clamping the frame together

Until the top and bottom skins are glued in place the internal framework is very light and can easily bend and twist. A rocker table holds the elements in position while gluing.

The rocker table was built out of 18mm thick plywood. The central longitudinal spine of the table was cut to have the same profile as the surfboard. Cross pieces were installed at the same spacing as the surfboard ribs. Having the elements of the rocker table align with the internal board structure meant a lot of clamping force could be used without danger of the board shape distorting.

Rocker table

The three longitudinal elements of the rocker table were cut at the same time using a jigsaw cutter.

Rocker table construction

The shape was then smoothed out using a curved plane with all elements shaped together to ensure the profiles exactly matched.

After making the rocker table the first stage was to glue the internal structure together.

Gluing the stringer and ribs together

The next stage was to glue the top and bottom decks in place. I had a limited number of clamps so improvised by finding some heavy objects that would do a similar job to the clamps.

Gluing the board together