Making Wooden Surfboards FAQ: ‘Do I Need Any Making Or Woodwork Experience?’

And the short answer is…

No!

Here’s James’s take on why no experience is necessary:

‘We limit numbers on each workshop and pride ourselves on being able to guide anyone of any ability through our courses. In fact, we often find those with less experience make better listeners.’

For those of you who would like an idea of what kind of skills you will be learning, and the tools you will be using – look no further!

Here is an article all about a tool you will become very familiar with, once we have shown you how to use it – The Japanese Pull Saw.

As well as sawing, which is a skill used at various points in each workshop. You will be doing plenty of rasping and sanding during the shaping process, as can be seen in the pictures below…

The best thing about making a wooden surfboard, paddle-board, handplane or bellyboard with us, is the expert guidance you will receive.

James has cleverly broken down the making/shaping process into bitesized stages, and has a knack for teaching the techniques needed. He then watches from a distance, as he gives you your own space and time to get your head around the mechanics of what he has shown you, the surfboard coming together as you learn your way around it.

It’s always pretty special to experience someone getting to grips with new skills, and realising that they are able to do things successfully they may have found challenging at first. During workshops James finds a good balance between encouraging you to overcome setbacks, and calmly reassuring you and stepping in if ever there is a particularly hard challenge that crops up.

As always we are here to answer any questions or talk through any concerns you may have, contact us here!

If you would like see more of what happens during a workshop, click here!

For more information on joining our workshop courses, click here!