Tail boards

What thickness tail board should I be using for cork bodies? Is pine ok for this? If not, what should I use? Thanks in advance-Scott

I use pine for tailboards Scott. 3/8" is what I used recently because I had a bunch around from leftover shelving. I cut a square slot in my cork block and insert the board, then I cut the pattern out. If the board is too thick for the pattern, I'll just run it through the planer to thin it down to the right thickness. It really depends on the pattern, because you don't want to alter the distance from the upper rump to the lower rump. Ideally you want the final tail thickness to be about 1/4" or just slightly thicker.

just make sure you have a good tight grain---Cedar may be better, and some light hardwoods will also do just fine--If you remember to try NOT to bag your dekes, you will find they ted to receive LESS abuse than if they are put in a sled, or stacked in a boat. Personally, i found the bags way too cumbersome for good transport.

Do you guys buy the wood at the thickness you want? Or do you plane it down yourselves?

i have devised a scheme for using scrap pieces of head material-As long as there is a square end, i do the tail layout on the wood, set up a jig on the saw with a piece of wood and a c clamp, then cut a group of tails--I do have some precut stuff, also, which tens to be a mite thicker than the stuff i can control. All you need do is adjust the slots you cut into the cork for the thickness of the tailboard--I think Ed Lewandowski left a link somewhere on here on cutting stuff and it may even have cutting in the tailboard.