Alaia Wooden Surfboard project: Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5 | Post 6 | Post 6b | Post 7 | Post 8 Finis
Mini Post: I’ve begun sanding the concave, but it’s hard to tell in pictures so I’ll do that in the next update. I started with the belt sander and formed the shallow ‘V’ in the center of the board. The concave should start a third of the way from the nose, so at 7′ overall, I started 28″ from the nose and worked my way to the tail.
I’m not exactly practiced at the belt sander and I removed more material in some areas than others. Before I go back to the belt sander and exacerbate the unevenness, I thought it best to hand sand a bit to get it more or less back to level. I’m working with 80 grit on the belt sander and 60 grit by hand (because it’s what I had). I’ll work my way up to 220 as I get closer to the final concave. When I start applying the linseed oil in phases I’ll sand before and between applications using 280-320 grit.
Looking at the board upside down and from the back the shape loosely resembles a bat. The lowest point in the middle, rising on both sides and then slightly dropping at the ends (see the picture of Rasta’s board in Post 1). The edge needs to be sharper on the bottom since the Alaia’s hold the wave that way (no fins here). When the sanding has progressed to a point where pictures clearly show what’s happening, the explanation above should hopefully be obvious.
Posted by: Lawrence
Significant progress this weekend with the Alaia project. I cut the board to shape with a jigsaw, working in one direction. I said in the previous post that I wouldn’t cut the Stuth tail, but I had a change of heart. I like the side-cut it creates and given my 24 years of snowboarding I’m drawn to that shape (yeah, I’m that old and have boarded that long!). 
Once I was satisfied with the shape, I used a pocket plane to put a 1/4″ bevel on the top edge (you can apply very light pressure since the Paulownia wood is so soft). Holding the plane at 45° and moving in one direction, I cut until Jon’s marks were no longer visible. After inspecting and small tweaks I flipped the board and transferred the center line which I’ll use to create the concave. I also transferred 3 perpendicular markings from the top of the board at 12″, 40.5″ and 70″ from the nose. I believe these marks were used to create the shape, but it can’t hurt to have them on the bottom.
Next I’ll work on the hardest part, the concave. Jon told me the concave should start about a third of the way down the board and Tom gave me some advice on how wide. 
These are the tools I used for this phase (a special thank you to 
When completed, the Finley should have, according to Wegener Surfboard’s model description, “a light roll on the deck and a concave running from the nose all the way to the tail. The concave is 3/8” deep.” (Note: Jon recommended I keep more material on the board and stay within 1/4″) “This really helps keep the board from sliding sideways too much and gives the board more traction in the face. 
Tides don’t affect the breaks I surf all that much, but at my favorite spot, low slack tide (between low tide and when the incoming tide starts) is probably slightly better. That’s all the reason I needed to go out and plunk $95 on a new 
flexible lithium polymer batteries, each weighing about a quarter ounce to provide heat to the fingers and palm. The gloves are designed to provide up to