Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Scot Cherry, Simmons Sequence

Sunday, December 20th, '09 - Simmons Reef, La Lolla
Lil Bro, Scot Cherry getting behind the curtain on a 9'0" semi-gun that I shaped for him back in 1995.









I know.........you are all wondering why there are no similar photos of me on this blog.
Truth is, I'm usually so SHACKED.................you can't tell who it is surfing anyway.
Really.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

PS: And it grows in italy!

One of my favorite surf Bro's at home in Bari Itay with agave he harversted there, after being infected by the Agave bug here in SC during the summer.


Step 1; Getting it Rough-Milled

Milling Jig.
After cutting the agave to length, I clamp it into a simple jig and follow the top of the jig with a chain saw to cut level both sides. The deck and bottom sides are against the jig. A new, sharp chain makes a HUGE difference.
After the agave is milled to this state, I band saw off the bark on the deck and bottom sides. I then run the blank sections through a thickness planer to obtain smooth, even-width sections for glue-up.
Out of 13 trunks, only one had to be wasted because of pithy wood. The stack next to the balsa contains mostly 4" + wide sections, ranging from 7'-9'. The stack next to the wall averages 3" wide and 7' long. The entire batch yielded, firm, light, colorful wood. STOKED!
This agave was collected over the past year from several sources and locations around San Diego County. It grows on public and private property. It is not hard to find (not always so easy to harvest) if you know where to look and if you have sources that locate it for you or turn you on to it. Special thanks to Surfer Brett Wellington and Jerry McCann for some of the best stuff this year.

More to come on this project.









Friday, December 11, 2009

Got Agave??

Last year's 6'3" fish. This years Monster Agave.
These Agave stalks range from 9' to 11'. The bases range from 10" to 14".
It appears to be all very good, stable wood. It can yield a much bigger board than the 6'-3" fish, with plenty left over. I'm waiting to see exactly what I have to work with after I have milled it all before I make a final decision on the board it will become. I will keep you posted.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Terry Martin's 8'2" Experimental S.U.P. Board

Terry Martin's new SUP. 8'2" x 30" x 4-7/8". L-R; Chuck Bassett, Terry Martin, Mickey Munoz, John Cherry.
We installed a LokBox quad set-up plus a center fin box in order to ride the board with different fin configurations.
The Board has a "Simmons"esque template, an S deck and an 18" tailblock. It still maintains a beautiful curved rail line.
I designed a new set of fin templates for Terry's board. I then made base molds so my fins could be used in the LokBox bases. Lead s/f fins are canted 5 degrees. Trailing d/f fins are canted 2-1/2 degrees. Woods; Purpleheart and Brazilian walnut.


Chuck and Mickey wasted no time getting the board to Dogpatch for a test drive. Terry will have plenty of test pilots besides Chuck and Mickey for his new design to help work out the bugs on the next one, including Tyler Warren, Chuck Patterson, Sparky (owner of Rainbow Sandals) and a few other South Orange County SUP experts.
I had a BLAST working on the fins for this one with Terry.
My next project with Terry, after we receive some feedback, will most likely be an agave SUP along the same design lines. Thanks for iincluding me T.







Monday, November 30, 2009

Catch Me In Slide Magazine

With the help of Slide Magazine's Alan Ashworth, I will be reaching out a bit further with this 1/2 page ad, starting with this quarter's upcomming edition. Alan made it all the way from New Zealand to be at Sacred Craft Del Mar. Alan has been a great guy to do business with.
And I LOVE the magazine!

LokBox Quads for T. Martin's 8'2" SUP


These new JC templates are for a Terry Martin 8'2" x 30" x 4-1/2", P.U. foam stand-up-paddle surfboard. Terry's SUP shape is based on the original Simmons boards. The experimental board is fitted with a LokBox quad system........and a center fin box to allow for riding various quad setups or as a single flex fin. The SUP will be finished tomorrow (12/1). I will post some board photos when she's ready.
Woods: Brazilian walnut and Purpleheart.

Monday, November 23, 2009

J. Phillips Balsa Longboard ~ J.Cherry Custom Box Fin

Owner Chris Young from Huntington Beach sent me a photo of his new fin, installed in his Jim "The Genius" Phillips' custom longboard. I am always stoked when one of my fins gets to adorn one of Jim's creations. CHINGOW!!! what a pair these two made. Thanks Chris!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Reproduction Simmons Boards in Action

9'0" Bob Simmons "spoon" reproduction by Terry Martin and John Cherry. Bottom has slight V off of the tail, zero concaves. Finished weight: approx. 22 lbs.

Richard Kenvin on the 9-0 Simmons. Big Wednesday, LaJolla, Dec. '05
9-0 Simmons. Big right. Big Wednesday. LaJolla, Dec. '05
10-0 Bob Simmons "Spoon" reproduction by T. Martin and John Cherry. Bottom: 7' of center concave out the back. Twin Keels. Finished weight: 32 lbs.
10-0 Simmons. Justin Phillips. Cardiff reef, Nov. '08






Sunday, November 15, 2009

New Venue for Art Boards


9-6 balsawood longboard and 9-0 Bob Simmons reproduction balsawood board at the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente, California.
.
This art collaboration by Terry Martin, John Cherry and Artist, Ric Allison will be part of the
Surfing Heritage Foundations opening inventory at the Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza, Surfing Heritage Foundation Mini-Museum and Gallery. Headed by Surfing Heritage Foundation's Dick Metz, the Gallery is scheduled to open on November 19th. we are honored to have a place there. The mini museum will display selections from the grand collection of surfboard history from the Surfing Heritage Foundation Museum in San Clemente.
In photo 1, with the inlaid art boards is Shaper, Terry Martin and Builder / Shaper, John Cherry. The incredible art inlays are by Ric Allison, noted Pennsylvania artist and Professor of Furniture design at the University of Pennsylvania.
Additional collaboration pieces are on the drawing board

New Center Box "D" Template Fin for Chris Young




This Center box "D" fin is for Christopher Young of Huntington Beach. It will be going in a Jim Phillips Blasawood Longboard. 100% hand made.
Woods: Quilted maple, Flame maple, Chechen (dark diamonds) Phillipine mahogany, California redwood pin lines.



Saturday, November 7, 2009

New Finz

Three new fins this week:

Chris Young's "D" template fin will have a 1/2" bead and be laid up for a center box.
Woods: Quilted maple, Chechen. Flame maple, Redwood pin lines.
It will be going in a Jim Phillips Balsa longboard.

"D" template. This fin will be a glass-on with a 5/8" glass bead. It is for a future balsa board.
Wood: Solid fiddle-back figuered Hawaiian koa.
This fin will be a framed art piece for my friend and guitar teacher, Jerry McCann.
Woods: Agave, Balsawood and PU faom.


Cherry Surfbaords Skateboard Deck

46" skateboard deck done in inlaid woods.
TailLogo
this incredible deck was done for me by my good friend, Ric Allison of Maker.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

TBTB, To Busy To Blog!

At Last..................a new post! It is a long one, but I have been Too Busy to Blog all summer.

In the shop, away from the computer, with the exception of responding to client's e-mails.
Here's what I've been up to, starting with............SACRED CRAFT, Del Mar, 2009.





Sacred Craft exhibition was even better than last year! The atmosphere in general was much more upbeat. The cloud of financial doom and gloom seems to be fading.........Thank God!
Christopher Tomlin, single-fin finatic / shaper and JC.

NEW: INLAID LOGOS!

Artist Ric Allison of  Maker, with whom Terry Martin and I collaborated on the 2 art boards in this post, designed and produced new logos for me...........done in exotic woods inlay.

ART BOARDS COLLABORATION

L-R, Terry Martin, Ric Allison, John Cherry. 9-0 chambered balsa Simmons, 9-6 Balsa longboard with exotic wood marquetry. Ready to be glassed.


Art boards : 30-35 lb. weight range. TOTALLY RIDEABLE!


Finz.




Wooden Jellies.



FRANCESCO DI TOMMASO



Francesco "Grasshopper" Di Tommaso from Bari Italy, Surfing buddy, brother from another mother, riding his favorite california board, a 9-2, 2+1, Cherry surfboards performance longboard at Egor's. August '09.


NEW BALSA


I FINALLY scored a load of superb balsa this summer from Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin America, located in Carlsbad. The sticks with the gold-painted ends are feather light, the likes of which I thought I would never see again. The rest is just..........more superb, light wood.



ALAIA

I shaped my 1st alaia. It is out of Parota (central Mexico). The wood is beautiful, very light and has very nice rigid-flex properties.


SIMM-21's

Frank Cherry's 7-0




Keith Campbell's (Georgia) 6-6

1962 HOBIE REPRODUCTION


Francesco and I shaped a reproduction of my 1962 Hobie shop model for Francesco.

10'10" SWALLOWTAIL QUAD

This one was for Bobby "Diamond" Donnelly. The "anit-sweeper" machine.



HAND PLANE BLANKS

Why not??


KOA "D" TEMPLATE

For my good friend and fellow fin craftsman, Danny Partch, Big Island, HI.

All Koa, dark heart wood and gray sapwood. Purpleheart pinlines. Danny will foil and glass this one.


8.75 X 8.75 BOX FIN

For Kevin Ho, Oahu, HI. 8.75 Tyler Surfboards "Zeke" template (with permission).
Peruvian Walnut, African Mahogany, California Redwood, Maple pinlines.
Laid up my hand, hand fit to the standard center box.

MIN-SIMMS SIMMONS D/F KEELS

UWL Surfboards in France is making a lot of these boards. This is the 4th batch of exotic wood keels for my friend, Renaud Cardinal of UWL.

CHERRY-PAVEL TEMPLATE, D/F KEELS
For my surf finatic, good friend, Holly Yang. Flame maple over cedar over Peruvian walnut.
These are going on one of Steve Masts's short-board creations.
That's all for now. i'm back down to the shop!
Aloha,
JC