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December, 2024

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Woodies?

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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
I'm looking to build one to add variety. I'm gonna go with a down rail of some kind, I've got most kinds of lumber available. I tried a 2x4, griding the edge of it, and it caught like a mother because you couldnt get your skis flat on such a small surface. I was thinkin go with the larger side of a a 2x4, but I'm very open to suggestions, I'm not 100% sure how to do this right. Anybody made one that worked really well?
Oct 26 2006 7:27PM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
doesn't that composite wood that they use for decking work well?
Oct 26 2006 9:35PM
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cofreeskier
Posts: 3189 - Karma: 15
like the laminate stuff?
Oct 29 2006 3:33AM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
no, the stuff that is made of a plastic/wood composite, used for decking. it's not just laminated
Oct 29 2006 3:24PM
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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
It works ok from what I hear, but I want a true wood rail. I like to go natural, I've been know to use logs before, so I want something that feels and slides like wood. I can add a coat of poly ot help keep from ripping it apart, but other than that, staright wood.
Oct 30 2006 7:49PM
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GnarBurger
Posts: 3215 - Karma: 43
wodd catches.....basically....dont do it
Nov 3 2006 10:10AM
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jmason
Posts: 1595 - Karma: 136
get hard wood. any type of hard wood should work relatively well, but the harder the better.
Nov 3 2006 12:21PM
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C.J.
Posts: 5460 - Karma: 72
Trex is what that is called.

I used a 20' 2x6 all year last year as my rail. Just slid the wide part. I never really caught my edges. Every once and a while you would mess part of the wooden edge up, but we just filed it down it was fine.

Wood is by far the easiest and cheapest rail option. We did not even have supports for it, just set it on piles of snow.
Nov 5 2006 9:59PM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
use something wide and flat and when it gets cold put water on it to freeze it
Nov 6 2006 8:50AM
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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
Yeah i'm starting to think maybe a 2x6 would be better to keep your skis flatter.
Nov 6 2006 11:43AM
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gangsteeze101
Posts: 419 - Karma: 10
i built a simple wood rail easily you can try freezing a thin layer of ice on the top and it works fine for winter or for winter or summer you can just wax it with skate wax it slides perfect our rail is like 2 inches wide and i can hit it fine its just unstable so it tips sometimes
Nov 7 2006 7:52PM
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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
Wax works fine, but if you get the wood right and maybe do some sealing and poly-ing or something its just as good without. As for ice, you can grind anything when its covered in ice, I can do that wil my first attemp, I'm looking a true wood rail.
Nov 7 2006 8:44PM
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ccdickson
Posts: 33 - Karma: 10
I made mine out of a 4x4, that i put a couple of coats of polyeurothane on. this made it kinda slippery, and i found it slid alright. then i just screwed some upside down T's onto it to stabilize it.
Nov 27 2006 7:08PM
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HeathR
Posts: 4359 - Karma: 1,382
Im not sure a 2x6 would work. Thats a lot of friction. When i first started making rails I made some out of port oford cedar and that slid real well. I have a rainbow that is now 4 years old and still holding up although now i have HDPE on top of it.
Nov 27 2006 8:19PM
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C.J.
Posts: 5460 - Karma: 72
2x6 works fine.
Nov 27 2006 9:19PM
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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
It will be on a slope, probably street style. Anybody know how badly treated lumber sucks, I have a lot it layin around and I will look for something better for the real deal but I like building random jibs.
Nov 28 2006 7:50PM
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HeathR
Posts: 4359 - Karma: 1,382
I dont think pressure treated will be any worse then regular wood. It will last a lot longer too.
Nov 29 2006 7:08PM
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SkiMN
Posts: 4005 - Karma: 38
Well I'm hopefully gonna find something better to do sunday but if I cant I'll grab one of the treated 2x6's I have sitting around and give it a shot, I dont really have snow to hit it with but theres always the option of a step on.
Nov 29 2006 8:25PM
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