Handplane Goodness

I’ve been bodysurfing since before I could even surf and since then it’s stayed one of my favorite things to do in the ocean. In all my years of bodysurfing I’ve never used any sort of handplane so it’s about time I stepped my game up and tried it out. Instead of going out and buying one, I did some research on the internet, watched a few videos and then spent most of yesterday afternoon crafting two custom handplanes out of an old skateboard deck. Below are some photos from the process.

It all starts with the template. We got some ideas from photos of other handplanes but we basically just did what we thought might work.

We decided to use a strap over a hole for a handle so I cut the straps off an old backpack and created this prototype.

To keep things somewhat symmetric, I only created one half of the template that would be used for each side.

The shape of the skateboard deck we were using was a little oddly shaped but it had a nice concave to it and we managed to fit both templates on.

Rough cuts from the jigsaw.

After a few minutes under the palm sander with 80 grit sandpaper.

We used a drill bit to create some pilot holes and a jigsaw to cut out the slots for our straps.

Once all the sanding was done was done it was time for the polyurethane sealer.

 The final product.

 

Making these handplanes was super fun and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. They’re not perfect but for our first ones I think they came out pretty well. I guess I’ll have to wait to try them out to see how we did. If you want more info on the process or some tips on how to make your own, shoot me an email at jz [at] surfbang.com.