My New Little Project (Part 1)...

As my fascination with body surfing continues, I've spent plenty of time on the internet looking at handplanes. I've read that a handplane will help for longer, more enjoyable rides, especially on mushy waves like those we get here in the gulf.
I've seen many beautiful pieces of work by some really good shapers, I even follow a blog or two.

Maybe it's my need to feed a creative bug, or maybe I'm just too cheap to invest in a really nice handplane, but I'm going to give a go at shaping one myself.

My research into handplanes suggests that a good wood to use is 'poplar'. So a quick trip to Lowes and six bucks later, I have myself a blank. I purchased a piece of 1x8x24 poplar plank. I selected a nice piece with a beautiful grain and completely free of knotholes.

My next step has been to draw up a basic template for the design I'm going to try. The dimensions for this piece are going to be:

• 14.5" L
• 7.0" W (wide point 6" back from nose)
• 3/4" T

I've debated whether or not to install some type of handle or grip, but for my first attempt, I think I'm going to go with the more traditional "finger hole". This should allow for quicker transfer from one hand to the other (for going either left or right).

Thats it so far... I'll document my progress in this blog as I go along.

See you in  the water!