make 3/4-inch cuts into the foam from above, then saw them off horizontally, like a rib roast. Hone the board into shape with a ­drywall rasp and a hand plane. It should look like a curved spear ...

They work in sheds or garages, surrounded by foam-shaping tools and resins and epoxies, adding their own distinctive touches or designs. None of them are getting rich off surfboard-building ...

Modelling foam like this shapes well and is dense ... The basic shape is then roughed out using a wood rasp, which is a rough, shaping file. Take care not to file away too much material here.