I also experimented with bending three boards at once, and then later glued the vertical joints after the wood dried for a couple of weeks. This worked with different woods. I put a 1x2 mahogany in between two pine 1x6's. You could go as wide, or use as many pieces as your bending jig will handle. There's lots of room for other folks to experiment here on a method that seems to be off the beaten path.
Mr. Mike was kind enough to help me glue up this board, and then it went into my backlog of blanks. So I don't have a finished board to show you. But here's a picture of it in the bending stage, long before it gets glued. Notice that only two of the clamps are doing the actual bend. The other clamps and boards are there just to keep it all together during the bend, and then the drying period (3 days?)
As far as bending cedar, I've only messed with fence boards. And not that many. I had some trouble with cracking at the far end during the drying process. Usually about an inch. At worst two inches in from the end. I had similar problems with redwood. Maybe it's a softwood problem. It could also be a problem with the number of days I presoak before the big boil. It might be worth the effort to slop some hot paraffin wax on the end grain right after you do the bend. I don't know if that will help. It's untested mad scientist advice.
Good to hear of another paipo rider on Cape Cod. Maybe we can meet up next summer. There are one or two older regulars that I've found riding either Coast Guard or Nauset Light beaches--though they're not super sociable. They also insist that they're on alaias and look at me strangely when I say I'm on a paipo
It's been a while since i've posted, but our trip to the coast is coming up and i figured, i'd upload some photos of my progress. All three boards are ready to be oiled. This is my first time building Paipos, but i'm sure i'll be doing it again. I have no idea how they'll ride, but it's been a lot of fun! The first set of photos are of the wood i was selecting for the three boards. The wood came from a barn that i dismantled, that dated back to the 1840's.
Here are some more progress shots. The boards were all hand shaped. I carved out the concave with a pull shave and my block plane. I didn't bend the nose, but i've shaped it back about 8-10" from the tip.
And the last set of photos. I'm lucky to have a friend who has a laser, so i designed a logo and had him etch the three boards. I've hand sanded them up to 400 and will be oiling them all with linseed oil. The last photo is me with my board and my 65 VW. I can't wait to see these babies in the water.
Thanks! My buddy has a laser and etches tags for most of my furniture, we were able to hack his machine in order to get the boards in. I love the etching.
