How to build an Alaia

Materials for building an Alaia includes 5 or 6 planks of light wood (we used 5 pieces of Douglas Fir 8’ x 4” x 1”), wood glue, 4 large heavy-duty clamps, 4 smaller clamps, a tape measure, sandpaper, an electric planer, a hand planer, a circular saw, a pencil, and a quart of boiled linseed oil. The first step to building the alaia is to glue the sides as the planks so that when laid flat the make a boards. After this your going to want to lay the wood on a flat surface and get clamps to hold together the wood so there is a tight bond. Once this glue has dried you want to make a template to make the board shape. There are many different possibilities however the most traditional shape is a flat end. After you have the template down you want to trace the shape on to the planks. Next you’re going to need a saw to cut the wood cleanly. After this planner is needed to get the board down to size and get the thickness correct. Around an inch a half is ideal. Once you have planned over the board your going to need to sand it down with and electric sander. With the electric sander you need to make surf to get the edges and make everything clean. Also make sure the transitions between the wooden planks are nice and flat. After doing all this you are now ready to either varnish it with marine grade paint or use linseed oil. Linseed oil requires a lot of time to allow for it to dry each time you need to put a coat on it. You’re going to need around 7 coats of linseed oil. However, another way to waterproof the board is to use Marine Grade varnish. With this you’re going to need around 4 coats.