Mike Grobelny

New layout

2011-07-22T19:23:00.003+12:00

I've been convinced to try out tumblr and so far so good, I've been throwing some photos at it to see what it looks like and I really like this little theme I found so i might keep it going, have a look if you get a mo!

2011-07-19T18:12:00.001+12:00

Playing with patterns today... finally modelled up some fish scales, it'll be interesting to see how these turn out.... it's pretty much the back ground of my blog

Milled Cedar

2011-07-15T17:22:00.002+12:00

Milled cedar is now off the table, am going to try some different constraction methods with this and see if I can show off a bit of the internal structure along with the cedar grain. Bit heavier than Paulownia tho.

Glueing up for simmons

2011-07-05T14:18:00.002+12:00

Using up some of the shorter lengths left over from my other boards. Really like the markings which record the timbers history.

Vented leash plug

2011-07-01T16:11:00.001+12:00

Test run for the venting system, where all the chambers will link and allow air to get to the vent.

Glueing and milling!

2011-06-30T15:17:00.001+12:00

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Building begins today it's gonna be a busy couple of weeks

2011-06-27T11:00:00.001+12:00

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

new goods

2011-06-20T21:16:00.004+12:00

Thanks to surfing green, I now have a stack of new pro-boxes, treehugger wax and vented leash plugs. Will keep ya posted on how they work out, and after flicking through the probox website I think it'll be a very positive report.

cedar

2011-05-20T23:55:00.001+12:00

Playing around with some cedar today, machines amazingly.

nose job

2011-05-19T23:06:00.003+12:00

I've been thinking about the repair process for wooden boards recently and even though in previous cases it has been fairly simple, I managed to tear the nose off a board two weeks ago. So thought it would be interesting to try a different method, instead of cutting sanding and gluing I used my original file to machine a new nose, a better stronger one.

bombs away

2011-05-19T23:01:00.004+12:00

Added some sand to the varnish for grip and it's good to go, using some older wheels I've had for a while and they still carve and slide how I like em to.

Profile cut

2011-05-12T16:55:00.001+12:00

The deck form has held really well to the mold which gives me a couple of concaves running the length of the deck. This will hold the deck in a stronger arching curve and should also mold to my feet better, we'll see. A mate has a sector 9 which is a similar shape which will be a good comparison.

Lay-up

2011-05-10T22:20:00.004+12:00

Cut a mold for a new longboard today, so I'm vacuuming my own plywood to make the deck. 3 sheets of 3ply with a layer of glass between each, then covering top and bottom with scrap bamboo veneer I had lying around. It'll be bombing hills before you know it.

Windy Raglan

2011-04-28T19:20:00.004+12:00

Extended easter weekend means even more waves.

7'6"

2011-04-28T18:31:00.008+12:00

Replacing an old Tom Smithers mini-mal I have had lying around, this is comp sand - Paulownia Rails w/ Bamboo deck, Rimu underneath and cedar details. The deck is 1.8mm thick so should be able to get away with a thin glass job. Had a go at book matching my bottom veneer when I vacuumed it on, came out ok!

turning

2011-04-17T14:22:00.017+12:00

I found some old kauri as we were cleaning out the flat before it was put on the back of a truck and shifted to a new piece of ground. I drove past to see what was being built in its place... the two houses replacing it will be finished in a matter of weeks, knock em up knock em down style.
This bowl may just out-last them. Really like the strong geometry and knotted bora eaten kauri.

new blog, old work

2011-04-04T13:06:00.000+12:00

I began keeping a blog last year to record my thoughts and work as I completed my honours year at AUT university. It was helpful for reflection and to collect all my thoughts and photos into one place.
As this project seems to have no end in sight, I needed to create a blog where others could browse through and hopefully be inspired by or comment on my work, so this blog will mainly feature photos and brief desciptions of where I'm up to and what is happening along the way, without so much rambling.

So here's some images below of work during the past year to kick things off.

plane fun

2011-04-03T15:04:00.006+12:00

a couple of shots from the hand plane I made for summer, hard to photograph but alot of fun to use

alaia

2011-04-03T14:41:00.004+12:00

The alaia I made to explore an ancient form of surfing, a very humbling experience trying to surf it. It will be getting alot more use on smaller days.

comp sand

2011-04-03T14:06:00.006+12:00

I made this comp sand board after the Alaia, my first attempt to build without fiberglass, I still used epoxy to seal it and it surfed well, but I was pretty determined to build without resin and fiberglass. Bio-foam was the core which made it a little more 'green'.

honeycomb

2011-04-03T13:19:00.006+12:00

Here are some pics taken to wrap up last years project before entering the board in a design competition in the states, and posting this one over there. I still have a couple of them here which I'm surfing alot and always refining. Which leads me into this year as I continue the project.

Where!?

2011-04-02T22:06:00.001+13:00

Firstly, this looks amazing. Should be an intersting flick when it comes out, that's for sure.