How to Shape a Balsa Surfboard

If you own a solid balsa wood surfboard, and aren't completely happy with its shape, you can easily alter it yourself. Unlike hollow boards that are constructed with a foam core and covered with a thin layer of wood, solid balsa boards can be carved and shaped to just the way you want. Balsa is one of the softest, lightest woods available, but great for use in surfboards due to its unusually strong cellulose and lignin mixture. Be sure your board is solid balsa, rather than a laminate, before attempting any modifications.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Towels
  • Power plane
  • Sandpaper of various grits
  • Lacquer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Support your board on a stable work surface. Protect the underside with some towels to prevent damage to the wood. Remember that balsa wood is very soft and can easily be punctured by metal or other woods that are pressed up against it.

    • 2

      Determine the shape you want to convert your board to. Draw the outline with a pencil directly onto the board if it is different than the existing shape. Mark any surfaces you wish to lower or remove by shading them with the edge of your pencil. You will be using a power planer for most of the shaping, which will remove the pencil marks used to guide the shaping.

    • 3

      Set the depth gauge on your power planer by rotating the dial on the front end of the planer to remove only a slight amount of wood, about 1/64 of an inch.

    • 4

      Have a friend hold the board while you plane evenly from tail to tip. Keep the planer in contact with the board at all times, moving it evenly and in straight lines with the grain of the wood.

    • 5

      Mark the wood where you wish to remove it by shading it with your pencil, then removing the pencil marks with the planer to ensure only the areas you want to remove are removed.

    • 6

      Sand the board smooth once the rough shape has been attained with the power planer starting with some 80-grit paper wrapped around a sanding block, moving up toward a 400-grit paper.

    • 7

      Re-lacquer the board to waterproof it when the desired shape has been attained. Balsa is kiln-dried for weeks to draw out the huge amount of water it normally contains. Without lacquering your board, it will absorb water when used in the sea, leading to it gaining weight and rotting. Lacquer the board according to the specific manufacturer's directions.