Compsand Community

[scot]

OK so on my first attempt at one of these things I had a shocker and I have to start again and i'm going to try and follow the beginers guide a bit closer this time.

Anyway I am looking at doing the foam block style rocker table but I dont really want to have lots of these thing clogging up my garage, so how do you design the rocker table to do multiple boards of different lengths?
my lengths are likely to range from 5'8 fish style to 6'4 ish.

do you guys who have these do a separate design in boardcad or similar just for the rocker table and use inserts or shims to adjust the nose and tail kick as appropriate?

do you keep the rocker pretty low as a base?

thanks, scot

[RoyStewart]

  Adjusting the rocker table is a fine idea, however I  have a confession to make  which might be of interest: 

 I have very successful built boards from 6 feet long to 14 feet 9 inches long on the same rocker table.

 So certainly the same rocker table will be fine for boards between 5'8" and 6'4".

.
 

 

[Bernhardt]

from Tree2Sea website:

Simple



Complex

[point]

My semi complex version. 

[RoyStewart]

 Those adjustable  rocker tables are works of art, how does the 'semi complex' one operate  ?

 By the way when I said that we have made boards from 6 to 14-9 on the same table, I meant on exactly the same rocker, on a non adjustable table. It's one of those things that isn't supposed to be done. The point is that between 5-8 and 6-4 the same rocker will work just as well.   

.

[paul cannon]

yeah i think that in a 1 ft range you can get away with same rocker

[scot]

Thanks guys,
I was looking at just using the foam offcut style like pauls in the how to thread



Paul did you have a "special" template for the rocker table or did you just use one from a longer board?

I think i'll just use the bottom curve of the longest design i have.

Cheers,
Scot

[paul cannon]

that one is a long board rocker table for 72 to 8 ft boards
its pretty flat
but adjustable
just stick a bit of wood under the nose and tail and weigh down the middle
i just use flat insulation sheet because its available around the corner
i would prefer to cut one out of solid and have a thicker base on it
really i have about 4 or 5 tables and they take up about 1 1/2 square meter standing in the corner
and theoretically i could bag 5 boards in succsession and they are adjustable with blocks and wedges.
if you want a really good adjustable design dave aka Craftee has a nifty one that is changes around a bit.
i would post it with his permission

[point]

Roy,

The horizontal "beams" have 5 one foot bolts that pull them together and tighten the vertical 2 by 12s.  Basically you shim up the rocker then clamp it down.   With it not tighten all the way you can make small adjustments, but once all the bolts are cranked it won't move. 

I had a bunch of lumber left over from installing some french doors.  I wanted to make sure the table would not twist, so I came up with this design.  Once I bite the bullet and buy a block of foam I'll probably use the offcut or actual boards for my initial rocker and just use the table for rails and maybe making small changes.  I just pulled 3/4" balsa rails using 1/4" by 3" by 48" balsa strips on the table for rails.  Seems to be the way to go for me on the rail build up.  My thoughts are less strips mean less glue and less weight.... and less time.  We'll see.

[tomway]

I just pulled 3/4" balsa rails using 1/4" by 3" by 48" balsa strips on the table for rails.  Seems to be the way to go for me on the rail build up.  My thoughts are less strips mean less glue and less weight.... and less time.  We'll see.

  now that's an interesting idea. An adjustable planshape jig for pre forming rails. I wonder if any of the hws guys are on to that yet? (box style hws that is, not the roy/wegener method)

[point]

Hess probably does something like that.  The pics of the rails pre built prior to the foam is what got me thinking along those lines.  So far it's worked out well.  There's no way I could have bent the 1/4 balsa one 48" strip at a time and not had a bunch of gaps.  Pull a vac and they form once hunk of wood.

[Marsh]

I'm building one like this which I saw on Sway's.  Seems like it would be pretty accurate.  I like the idea of putting a hole in the table to pull the vac from.