: Hi Jim,

: Excuse my lack of knowledge. What is a fairing board ?

It is a long sanding block. Usualy it is in the shape of a long, somewhat flexible, board covered on one side with sandpaper.

The length of it lets it slide over a large area, distributing the cutting pattern of the sandpaper is such a way that high spots get whacked down a bit faster, without carving shallow holes all over the place.

You can make a fairing board rather easily from a strip of 1/8th inch masonite, or thin (1/8 or maybe 1/4 inch) plywood. The length and width are up to you, but 18 to 24 inches long seems good. Glue a block of softwood to the top at each end for a handle. You can wrape your sandpaper along the bootom of the fairing board, then bring the ends up to the top and hold them to these ends with thumbtacks or staples. Shop for rolls of sanding strips in 1, 2, or 3 inch widths and make the fairing board the same width. If you can find strips of sandpaper, buy a 3 inch wide sanding belt for a beltsander and cut it open to give you a long strip of sandpaper.

hope this helps

PGJ