Tree to Board; Shaping a Wooden Surfboard from Maine Cedar

Follow along my journey from tree to board as I shape a chambered twin fin with channels from sustainably harvested Northern White Cedar.
Music By Martin Jarzyna.
Official selection of the Maine Outdoor Film Festival: maineoutdoorfi...
Featured in the Colby College Magazine: www.colby.edu/...
Check out more of my boards here: www.instagram....

[@trygsolberg]

This is top-notch entertainment. Truly amazing film.

[@leonid123ful]

Great board, pretentious talking.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Fair enough, haha. I tried to emphasize the gravity of the natural world over humans and my own voice, but it's always hard to tell a story about my own journey with out sounding like a bit of a dick.

[@Wildsurf75]

Absolutely loved this! I live and surf in Maine too and you really captured how magical this place can be. Something about living where the woods meets the ocean just hits different. I’ve been wanting to get into shaping surfboards for awhile now so if you need an apprentice I’d be happy to learn from you. My grandfather was a master woodworker and I’ve always wondered what he would’ve been able to build if he was a surfer haha

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks man! Appreciate your thoughts. Still dialing in my process, and always happy to meet up and talk boards.

[@scuba5790]

Kinda pretentious narration but good build and very good production. Impressed

[@avgmaker]

What kind of pants are you wearing at 4:32? They look rad with the blue patches

[@torstenbrinkema]

Haha, thank you. Fjallraven. Beast of a pant.

[@surfing4theloveofit]

Absolutely amazing 👏 a work of art, the time, effort and love for the process is awesome man..next time I film surfing it will have a new meaning because of this video, cheers from rick, Perth, Australia 🇦🇺 🤙

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you rick, I’m really stoked to hear this. Would love to make it out to Perth sometime. Headed to NZ in the fall…

[@charlesblakiston3064]

Solid workshop! And so spic and span, almost looks like an educational facility? IMO the decision to obscure parts of the build is misplaced. In an era where sustainable solutions are essential, so is an open source attitude. It's not like the average person has the facilities to carry out a project like this anyway.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Yeah, my workshop back at Colby College. I was spoiled. I understand where you're coming from, and I agree fully. But this is a film, not a how to video. I seek to inspire in people a love for the environment around them. I share all of my progressions and failures with anyone who I come in contact with, and continue to search for the most sustainable craft. I appreciate your perspective, and taking the time to watch!

[@TJ-lv1he]

Incredible video, the effort put in to the board is inspiring!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks mate!

[@jackdowning7157]

Fantastic video. That’s it! Down to the cinematography and the woodworking and the story telling. great work man. Health and peace

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you jack!

[@unclejack123]

what I got from this video - tree huggin' college kid does a film about his shop class project and nature/science/ecology class paper. Then goes out and attempts to destroys(I think you call it ripping)Mother Natures swell ..... Nice looking board though.

[@blackychan8570]

Speaking of college, I think we can all agree you're a D1 hater😂

[@unclejack123]

Nope - D1 Grad - 1966 ..... just a bad film hater .... thanks for asking.@@blackychan8570

[@dangriffiths9282]

Absolutely awesome man, wonderful craftsmenship. I love the message about sustainability at the end. Stay stoked 🤙🏼.

[@torstenbrinkema]

thank you my man

[@chasingwaves11]

Super Rad man ! 🤙🏽🤙🏽 nice workshop !! #onlytakewhatyouneed #belikethenatives #loveyourplanet #onelov 🤙🏽

[@TaylorGraeme]

Cool build man! Loved the video😊 but you could seriously feel the knots and grain while surfing in thick booties... Or is that just your poetry speaking?

[@kennwall9866]

Would love an update on how it's been riding on the bigger waves you were after and a one year review. Love what you do and your message about sustainability, looking forward to what's to come. ✌️

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks Kenn! Hoping to get a video out in the near future of a couple new boards and an update with this one. Appreciate you taking the time to watch this!

[@jonmerson2421]

I thought that last scene was you burning the board, man this dude is hardcore ...

[@torstenbrinkema]

Haha, just the off cuts from the blank. Thanks for watching

[@darksun3525]

😆🤙🏼

[@pineapplefacetree]

Did this dude win the lotto or is he just one rich hedge fun kid....who apart from tony soprano can afford a shed that well equiped ..... go buy a $200 Bunnings shed and shape a board out of that then you can be all morning off the earth properly

[@wernerherbst6858]

Absolutely brilliant documentation of board making 💙

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you!

[@seapickle9490]

Love the work, just wondering do you think that it made much of a difference riding it? The difference between the wood compared to the foam?

[@torstenbrinkema]

I would say weight is the main difference. Because this is a chambered board with relatively heavy wood (compared to balsa and paulownia), it weighs a lot more than your traditional foamy. Once you get it going it flys. Currently working on lighter builds with cedar!

[@liedjesvanjelle]

Really nice, may I ask how much the weigh of the board is?

[@ericwickeywoodworkersurfbo6135]

Once you go wood, you never go back.

[@jah_b]

What's the song lol.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Both tracks by my cousin Martin Jarzyna! Check out his other work soundcloud.com/martin-jarzyna he's makes amazing stuff

[@ricknmoe100]

I think, breaking the board and burning it at the end was sad. Just joking!! Great film, enjoyed every bit of it. It was very calming for me. Thank you. Be safe. 😎🤙

[@torstenbrinkema]

Haha thank you man, appreciate you taking the time to watch. Cheers.

[@BillTheThrill]

Watching this was like a warm bath for my brain. Your editing is incredible. Truly. The sounds, blurs, fades, j cuts, l cuts, All of it! Chefs Kiss*

[@torstenbrinkema]

Really appreciate it man. Thank you for watching.

[@tims6582]

Dang that's like surfing on the living room floors

[@FeoCustomWorks]

its beautiful!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you!

[@rockyvolcano122]

Amazing.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks man

[@Gruntcakes69]

Great vid beautiful board 👌🏽 how and where did you route the cavities? Is there more in one part of the board for example?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you man! The chambers are everywhere but have some staggered sections I left for strength.

[@karlrestauro4111]

You got great skills

[@joewolfe2209]

painful to watch

[@peterbartmann9006]

Cool...very nice board

[@zptro6316]

what do the cannels do? More speed?

[@WilliamWills]

Wow amazing

[@torstenbrinkema]

thanks man!

[@craignicholson4591]

How much wood is left in the board after the chambering? Seems like a lot of work to get a good surfable board out of wood

[@torstenbrinkema]

With this board, I left more than I should have-- I only left around an 1/8" on my new wooden simmons and it's actually pretty light. I would say it is a lot of work, but these boards will outlive me with little repair. I'm still experimenting with design and weight!

[@wafflebeaver]

Nice twin pin! I’ve been wanting to make a wooden surfboard for years… I might have to do it soon since I can’t stop thinking about it

[@torstenbrinkema]

Yeah man go for it! Thanks for watching.

[@daveinch8781]

Awesome vid & I agree with the last poster you shoud have many many more subscribers with this great content....

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks man, appreciate you watching.

[@Whitburn.Surfboards]

Great video. That studio setup looks absolutely insane!

[@torstenbrinkema]

@@Whitburn.Surfboards thanks dude! Was really lucky to have access to that setup in uni.

[@danseng3747]

absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Next....Bass wood. Then Balsa!!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Right on. Thanks for watching.

[@thehudsonhornet95]

That’s almost too beautiful to ride. I wish I could be a board shaper… oh what a dream that would be

[@torstenbrinkema]

Haha thank you mate.

[@MartinTapperMedia]

Dude respect from a felt creator !

[@joeynelson1609]

amazing build!!! Fantastic. Also, best music I have ever heard on KZbin.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you. The music was mixed for the film by my cousin. You should check out more of his stuff! soundcloud.com/martin-jarzyna

[@ErloBrown1]

Well done man, few people have what it takes to do what you did here. I'm curious though, why did you choose to not show the actual chambered planks? You included the drill press clip, but not the actual chambered sections? Just wondering why?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks so much Erlo. Appreciate it. I chose to be a bit ambiguous about parts of the process to respect the shapers that passed down knowledge to me. Can’t give away all the secrets…

[@ErloBrown1]

@@torstenbrinkema I hear you. Again, great effort.

[@pedropascalDaddy]

how did you glue them together

[@mikeholman9544]

Amazing! So much work put into the love of shaping a gem 💎. I’m a carpenter and shaper and always wanted to make a board like that. I’m very impressed!🤙🏄‍♂️

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you man.

[@nicscharing]

You gotta use that on some waves here in san diego, I bet it's be sick in boardshorts

[@torstenbrinkema]

Will have to make a trip west soon!

[@poeticperception]

Is the resin sustainable ?

[@surferdude8086]

Surfboard fart @ 4:17

[@blazerrr6992]

Sick dude

[@scene15actionshots19]

how do u only have 22 subs tf

[@torstenbrinkema]

We’ll get there one day…

[@bolsilludo3]

Te felicito Excelente trabajo ! Que tipo de madera utilizas ?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Gracias! Cedar

[@harrisonfarthing-chung245]

Loved this. From the UK beautiful

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you man!

[@CleepyJoeOfficial]

Under rated video

[@tomemourino4239]

Trop beau

[@Huseynandsurfvibes]

7:09 Why did you separate the boards from one another? And what did you do after you separated?

[@torstenbrinkema]

@@Huseynandsurfvibes separated them to hollow out the cores- for weight and buoyancy. Thanks for watching

[@Huseynandsurfvibes]

@@torstenbrinkema thanks for answering 😁

[@ajpitkethly]

Sick job! Lovely looking board, I hope you have managed to get it out in some good swell over the last year

[@torstenbrinkema]

Yeah man it’s fun in the bigger stuff! Takes some power to get it moving.

[@Arenito09]

Great job! i didnt understand why did you separete the parts?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you! I separated them to chamber out the board to make it lighter.

[@georgem.7488]

That's dope great work man and the board works pretty well

[@torstenbrinkema]

Appreciate it!

[@mattbergh9274]

Amazing craft! Would love to get up that way to surf some good swell. Hope you’ve caught some great ones on this beauty!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks Matt!

[@mattbergh9274]

@@torstenbrinkema if I were to head up north what’s a solid break I should check out? Would love to explore wooded coast and capture it on photo/film. Would you be interested in having an extra hand film you/collaborate on a film?

[@erikchengtsaichen63]

我從來沒想到我來到現在 我太累了吧 想睡覺但是要上...

[@skateparkpvorg]

what does that weigh? very nice work

[@torstenbrinkema]

Bout 15lbs! Definitely a tank haha

[@jamman6]

Dude don't give up, make more videos.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks man. More films on the way.

[@billjoat]

Nice video...truly inspiring!!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Cheers man thank you!

[@KyN166]

Big Z vibes

[@rollypollyguy3976]

When I was young, I witnessed a local surfer get knocked out by a wooden board in Hawaii. Dude was limp and lumped.

[@ErnestoBorges]

thank you so much for the inspiration

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you for watching Ernesto!

[@bruceadams2822]

Excellent on many levels. Thank you!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks Bruce!

[@hierarchitexture3664]

looks a lot like the nw, love the content.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you.

[@Jamesss-nj9cu]

Nice

[@daneooo]

Everything about this was amazing man great job

[@torstenbrinkema]

thank you!

[@pollywiebke1424]

Amazing and well done!

[@pvukosa]

This was amazing to watch. Very well done!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Appreciate you Phil!

[@pangrac1]

That must be HEAVY.

[@torstenbrinkema]

It's an absolute tank haha. Currently working on making some lighter versions...

[@leesidelee]

Awesome job! Is that Koa wood?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you! I used Cedar

[@MakBoyJOEQZ]

Beautiful video and board

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks man!

[@kalynbaur]

so cool dude! I'm up here in Maine too and this makes me want to shape one as well!

[@nica_suares]

beautiful piece of art.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you Nica!

[@MsGscoot]

This is awesome!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thank you!

[@VegardKlaus]

Great video!

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks!

[@dominicabernethy950]

Very nice, but a shame you felt you had to use fiberglass

[@mjtch]

this is a masterpiece

[@torstenbrinkema]

Appreciate the watch mate.

[@stauffap]

I was so disappointed when you put epoxy and fiberglass on that thing. I made a hollow wood board myself and i think we tend to underestimate how stable wood is. I don't think the fiberglass was needed and i find it pointless to make a wooden board, when you plan on putting fiberglass on it anyway, because all the sustainability benefits are pretty much gone. Now it's just a piece of garbage that has so many materials in it that there's no way to properly dispose of it. I mean, how are you going to seperate glass from wood?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks for your comment. I agree with you to an extent that it is a bit hypocritical to praise sustainability and use materials like resin and fiberglass. However, the markets for these materials will never cease to exist, and I think it is important promote epoxies that are more sustainable (Entropy Resins). Because I glassed it, the board's life will extend far beyond my own life-- arguably more sustainable than an oiled wooden board that dings and soaks in water.

[@stauffap]

@@torstenbrinkema Sorry, i was a bit harsh. The problem i have isn't even the epoxy. It's the fiberglass. It's almost impossible to make a board without using some type of synthetic glue and epoxy or varnish. So right now i think we should at least be striving for an easy desposal of the board. Without the fibreglass you can just burn the board and just have non-problematic ashes. Fiberglass doesn't burn though, which is why i try to avoid that stuff. I would go for kevlar and carbon fibre before i'd go to fiberglass, since at least carbon and kevlar can be burned cleanly. But i see your point. It might be better to use a small amount of non-sustainable materials, when it extends the life of the product. I don't think that fibreglass is the best way to do that though. Of course i already find it good that people like you are showing people that it's possible to make a board with wood. Then maybe someone else builds on your process and makes it more sustainable. And then again someone makes it even more sustainable, until we have completely renewable surfboards...hopefully.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Absolutely agree. Have you ever used flax fibre cloth? As far as I know, it's the most "sustainable" fiberglass alternative out there. I've seen Josh Martin using it on foam blanks, and I'm curious how it would go on wood. I hope that the industry makes a shift in the coming years from mass produced boards that are made to break to locally shaped boards with more sustainable materials. I have no doubt that alternatives to fiberglass and poly blanks will pop up in next decade-- and you can count on me to seek them out. Since this first board, I've made a couple more cedar boards from wood that was neglected or from trees that were tossed aside for their irregularities. The problem I've found when making chambered boards with knots and rotten wood is their tendency to absorb water through those irregular sections. After saturating the knots, cloth provides a perfect blanket for the epoxy to create a full seal. The last thing I want is for the board to take in water and rot from the inside. I'm making a new film and board now from Minnesota cedar to surf on Lake Superior, and will explore some new sealing methods. Cheers!

[@stauffap]

@@torstenbrinkema No, i have no experience with flax fibre, but i'm aware of it and i'd love to work with it and test it, but i didn't find an opportunity to work with it yet. "The problem I've found when making chambered boards with knots and rotten wood is their tendency to absorb water through those irregular sections." Yeah, that's problem. That's why i avoid knots. It's hard enough to make a wooden surfboard already, so i don't want defects like knots. I'm also working with hand tools only and working with knots is a nightmare! I also want my board to be a light and strong as possible, which is also why i avoid knots. They are basically material defects/weak spots. I also not a fan of chambered boards. I was at first, but as i started thinking about it more i realised that they are quite unpredictable and you're not using the strength of the wood optimally, since you have much less freedom to chose the direction of the grain. Of course if optimal weight isn't a concern then chambered boards are just fine. What do you think about bladders? I was thinking about what would happen if my board broke and it would pretty much have no more flotation if that happend. So i was thinking a lot about bladders. One bladder could break and you'd still have flotation from the other bladders. But that's probably only an issue for windsurfers, since Surfers usually stay close to the beach. A windsurfer needs flotation at all times for safety reasons. "After saturating the knots, cloth provides a perfect blanket for the epoxy to create a full seal. The last thing I want is for the board to take in water and rot from the inside." Yeah, that would bad, but could probably be counteracted by adding vents to the board. Most of the time the board in out of the water anyway. To seal a board i've also thought about maye putting the board in some kind of shrink wrap or plastic wrapper, instead of epoxy. That's also kind of intruguing to me. Then you could just change the outer layer of plastic if it had a defect. So at least the materials would be seperable. And it's not difficult to completely seal the board. Do you think that could be done? Maybe not even shrink wrap. Maybe some kind of clear sticky tape would work as well to wrap around the board. There might even be versions made of some kind of bioplastic.

[@mistercarlberg]

Well done.

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks chad!

[@skipmccullough]

Legend

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks for watching mate

[@santiagofoxh]

Big Z would not approve

[@bardmadsen6956]

I would like to give it a try, very cool looking. We had some nasty weather not long ago and I have been eyeing up blown down cedar and I recently sanded down a waterbed I made 42 years ago that I sold to a friend back in '87, long story about long distances and time, anyhow, it is mine once again. It is made out of 3"X7"s and cantilevered from a tick-yak-toe pedestal, the main feature is that there is 7" to sit on instead of most with some narrow board that is very uncomfortable. You skipped how much you cut out for weight, what was the difference before and after? I see 6.5' boards around 13lbs, what does yours weigh finished? Happen to know or good guesstimate of its volume? I have never surfed and use to live 35 miles from the coast back in high school, never could afford a board and the rentals were always gone. It sucks because I skateboarded a lot to the point of almost attempting to jump a sports car and know how to ride a unicycle, but haven't a clue of what it is like except body surfing. Almost drown just before the food coloring dropped in the fish bowl (2019), totally forgot about reading the riptides from being away from salt water for so long. If it wasn't for a surfer I'd be a goner, strange thing was, the kid acted like it was a waist of time like I was faking it or something. What I'm driving at is, would it be all that detrimental to make one out of one solid tree?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Thanks for watching! The board is around 15 lbs, and was a lot more before I chambered. I finished a wooden simmons not too long ago, which clocked in around 5lbs. It's worth it to get really close to the exterior to save weight-- something I learned from this first wooden board. Currently getting ready to slab a fallen cedar of my own and shape a few more. Worth it if you're willing to put in the hours (months). Cheers

[@danelathrop8175]

How much did it weigh when it was finished

[@tommycesarano8034]

Beautiful!🤙

[@bigbird2451]

Brilliant!

[@sloaiza81]

Great vid!!!

[@lisadiraison7086]

Hi, it's Amazing ! what's the wood please ?

[@torstenbrinkema]

Cedar!