"Toller" writes:

snip

I bought some 8/4 white oak on ebay for almost nothing (100bf for $1.25),
and figured I will build a new daggerboard while I had something intact to
copy.

The blank is 44" long, 2" thick, and 15" wide. It weights 35 pounds.

Question: Is this a massive plank or quarter-sawn strips glued together?
If it is a massive plank you should count on it warping.

I originally intended to cut the corners off on my table saw, but it is so
heavy that it doesn't seem particularly safe.
So, I have been going at it with my 3" belt sander and my 2" power planer.
Both would work, but they would take hours and hours of work.

Any suggestions for a good way to shape my blank into an airfoil shape?
I am thinking of buying a better planer, but hope someone here will be
resourceful.

This is probably the wrong answer but I actually mean this:
Use the oak for something else. Buy some light wood like Western Red
Cedar and shape a board. Add unidirectional carbon for bending
stiffness and strenght. Sheat in glass-epoxy and paint.

A WRC blank should be light enough to handle on the table saw.
Cut grooves to a depth that just 'touches' the future profile.
Use a power plane to remove material almost down to the future
profile and then continue with a hand plane and long board sanding.

Have someone calculate how much carbon you need and then use a
router to cut out some material from the WRC board so you can add
the carbon without ruining your profile.

More on boards at:
http://hem.bredband.net/b262106/Boat/dagger.html

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Martin Schöön

"Problems worthy of attack
prove their worth by hitting back"
Piet Hein
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