• Forums
  • Gear Talk
  • Official Ski Pressing/Shaping/Building/Constructing Thread

Member of the Month

je_t.aime_canard
January, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Official Ski Pressing/Shaping/Building/Constructing Thread

profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
All of us have thought about building your own shit at one time or another, but how many of you actually have? This thread will be dedicated to those who actually build your own gear from scratch, surely there are some of you on NS. Now I can't contribute to this thread much because I've never built anything and I only have a small amount of time working with fiberglass, but would sure love to see some info from you dudes who actually do, whether you build in your basement, or for a living. So if you can legitimately contribute please do.
Oct 24 2011 8:22PM
824 26
profile picture
joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
how do you attach the edges?
Sep 16 2013 6:28PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Well, with 3/4 wrap edges no bending is really required, so I just rough cut them to length with the angle grinder. Then I use the flapwheel on the grinder to get a precise fit. From there I start at one end, glue under the tab, then clamp. Then I squeeze it with my thumbs towards the center of the base, run my finger along the bottom to make sure it's flush, then repeat 3" or so over. I'm using thin CA from the hobby store.
Sep 16 2013 6:53PM
0 0
profile picture
joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
thanks
Sep 16 2013 7:05PM
1 0
profile picture
joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
where are people buying there vacuum pumps

and login did you buy the 2'by9' bag or the 2'by 6' bag
Sep 17 2013 12:48AM
0 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
i bought a giant vacuum sheet from a mom and pops fiberglass supply in florida. should last me for as many skis as i want to build. hunt craigslist and shit for your vacuum, or get a venturi+air compressor (imo cheaper and easier option).

honestly man, before you ask a question commit to 20 minutes of research. if you still have the question after that then go ahead and ask. i'm not trying to be mean, but if you can't come up with the easy answers yourself then designing and building skis yourself is going to be difficult.
Sep 17 2013 1:08AM
3 0
profile picture
*DUMBCAN*
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 5,628
I sorta wish this could be written beside the reply button...
Sep 17 2013 4:01AM
1 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
just gona hop in here. building my first pair of skis this fall at a school in norway. iv done a fair amount of research on how to build the actual ski. after all this its convinced me to build my own press once i get a permanent home. designed my first ski in snocad and im hooked. pretty similar to the jeffrey with a slightly different rocker and sidecut. cant wait to ski them
Sep 18 2013 8:43AM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
when printing the full size pdf is there a simple way to get all the pages printed out? im having a hard time getting them all lined up. also i assume you want to print at 100% zoom?
Sep 18 2013 9:45AM
0 0
profile picture
max...
Posts: 1379 - Karma: 802
you really want to get them done on a printer that allows you to print the whole template continuously, otherwise you are going to have a bunch of issues with inconsistent sidecut from trying to line them up. zoom only changes how big the template looks on your computer, it doesn't affect the actual size of the template during printing.
Sep 18 2013 12:14PM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
i dont have access to one of those i dont think. i can ask around but i think i have to make due with what i have. the school wants me to build three new molds cuz most of there others are from 2010 or later. i gota build two girls skis and a guys. a 186 jeffreyish ski and a salomon rockette 2 and black diamond current.
Sep 18 2013 12:30PM
0 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2893 - Karma: 34,294
I went to staples and they printed it full length on one piece it costed like 5 bucks.
Sep 18 2013 12:32PM
1 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
i live in the middle of nowhere norway. no staples to speak of haha.

there may be a store that can do that in town but they have used this method for other molds and it worked out fine according to them... i definitely have my doubts about doing it like this though so i will look around town before commiting to this.
Sep 18 2013 12:56PM
1 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
I'll download snowcad tonight and see what Ican figure out. In AutoCAD if I ever have to tile print a ski a draw boxes smaller then the paper size, overlay an array of them long enough to cover the ski, then add some alignment marks between each boxes' border. Then print, cut them out with a paper shear if possible, and line em up with a 2M straightedge.

But still worth the cash for a full print.
Sep 18 2013 1:18PM
0 0
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,295
There is a function in snocad to "print fullsize tablet" or something like that. Make it into a pdf, then print it in normal A4 sheets and put them together. Thats how I always did it at least. Worked pretty good for me.
Sep 18 2013 1:22PM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
i made a fullsize pdf but there were no markings to know where to overlap other than by eyesight. but i will try the idea of making markings on the ski in snocad then sending it to pdf.
Sep 18 2013 2:46PM
0 0
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,295
well there arent markings, but if you set your printer not to leave an edge on one side of the paper, it should work.
Sep 18 2013 3:19PM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
ok sweet. thanks guys. the fact all printing instructions and computer commands are in a language that i am just starting to be able to speak makes this whole process that much harder hah.
Sep 18 2013 3:36PM
0 0
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,295
which language?
Sep 18 2013 3:58PM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
norwegian. i am living in norway for the year. and probably from here on out.
Sep 18 2013 5:45PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Got back at it! I am absolutely STOKED that I got the VDS to lay down straight. The design itself, they're just another set of 172 length Platypus with a pure pine core at 2.5-11-2.5. The flex is pretty soft but it's a lot smoother then I was expecting it to be. These will be a superbly fun ski. Pics:

Click for larger image
Click for larger image
Click for larger image
Click for larger image
Click for larger image

About to order the materials for my next 5 pair. I think I'm going to stick with pure clear base, so the mistakes can't hide! I feel like it's really important being this new to the game still to be able to see every imperfection (and perfection) so I can consistently build nice stuff.
Sep 18 2013 9:46PM
4 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2893 - Karma: 34,294
Pure pine nothing under the binding area for some the screws to grip in to?

To test my core profiler I use pine, and I tried to snap a core and it took way more effort than I thought it would.
Sep 18 2013 9:56PM
1 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Scope the first picture. You can actually see where my reinforcement layer is. I mount with inserts anyways. And I was pretty surprised playing with tablesaw cutoffs of pine. I thought it would be a really shitty core material by itself, and I guess I haven't skied it yet, but the cutoffs seem to deflect really far before snapping. And it snaps 'stingily' and not super cleanly. I like that.
Sep 18 2013 10:01PM
0 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2893 - Karma: 34,294
Ok I see the extra layer of glass.
Sep 18 2013 10:06PM
1 0
profile picture
No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,966
how do you clean up the edges from the epoxy? it looks like if you were to use that machine like in some ON3P videos, like a vertical drum sander(?), it would sand away the wood and make it get waterlogged?
Sep 18 2013 10:22PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Pretty sure ON3P uses their machine to clean away the flashing post pressing. I use a drill press and a drum sander to do the same thing. I could do that to clean up the epoxy off the edge; because my sidewalls have a healthy bevel, it won't remove any epoxy from the sidewalls. However, I just run the file over the sidewalls quickly and call it good. I'm not looking for a crazy edge tune though, because park skiing and hoodrat shit.
Sep 18 2013 10:35PM
1 0
profile picture
No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,966
Ahh gotcha, so I am still kind of curious, how do you prevent waterlogging? It seems like it would be pretty easy to get waterlogged, but correct me if I am wrong
Sep 18 2013 10:47PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Well, there is the epoxy coat on the sidewalls. It's super thick and really flexible. I beat the hell out of the first pair I build, and they just had epoxy coated sidewalls. No waterlogging at all.
Sep 18 2013 10:49PM
0 0
profile picture
No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,966
OK I get it .

I really want to find the time/money to do this, but It will probably have to wait quite a few years
Sep 18 2013 10:52PM
0 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2893 - Karma: 34,294
it is worth the wait, just study up in the mean time.
Sep 18 2013 11:01PM
1 0
profile picture
max...
Posts: 1379 - Karma: 802
if it's something you are really interested in don't forget about it. I initially wanted to do this in high school, but never had the time or drive. I found myself with a lot of free time my freshman year of college, and spent a lot of that time researching. I developed the entirety of my ski designs and pressing system before I even touched any materials then fully committed to the project that summer. Now it's a skill I potentially make into a career.

@NinetyFour I'm always impressed with your results. Incredibly clean, especially the meets between your core and tip/tail spacers. After looking at your stuff, sometimes I feel like I'm hiding some of my skis' flaws behind fancy graphics haha, but yours look incredible even without them
Sep 18 2013 11:10PM
1 0
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,295
I got some norwegian buddies, so tell me if you need to know anything in specific ^^ Or you could ask anyone there I guess haha
Sep 19 2013 12:29AM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Click for larger image

Thanks! And I will admit, I love the pure look. It's awesome. Graphics and colours are sick though to, and you've got some layups under your belt so I doubt there is much hiding under there!
Sep 19 2013 12:35AM
0 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2893 - Karma: 34,294
Did you use one solid plank or did you rip and glue ?
Sep 19 2013 9:04AM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
spent the last 3 hours reading through the first 4 pages of this thread and going through skibuilders haha. i just get sucked in. been tweaking my design for the skis. we start our build in the first week of october so im just passing time. reading through all this makes me appreciate how much hard work actually goes into building a ski company from the ground up.
Sep 19 2013 10:20AM
0 0
profile picture
bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
still gona tweak the dimensions a bit. edges are gona add 2mm to each side so at this point it will be 110 underfoot. perfect all mountain ski. iv got a pair of caylors and a pair of praxis bc skis so these should fit in well:) also the graphic will be some photo iv taken before. i will try and get a better shot of the northern lights thats more of a pano so it fits the ski better.

Click for larger image
Sep 19 2013 12:50PM
0 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
i have spent hundreds of hours reading skibuilders threads man, suck in as much information as you can
Sep 19 2013 1:32PM
0 0
profile picture
ThatMNkid
Posts: 157 - Karma: 548
What are skis like with no rocker?
Sep 21 2013 10:39PM
0 0
profile picture
No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,966
what program is this?
Sep 21 2013 10:48PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
I believe that would be snocad.
Sep 21 2013 10:52PM
0 0
profile picture
No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,966
Aww sweet! I thought so and I tried to get it over the summer, but the vibe I was getting was that it was killed/no longer kept up or something.
Sep 21 2013 10:58PM
0 0
profile picture
razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
Things are starting to move for me now. Got my materials from skibaumarkt this week and went to the open access CNC lab to speak to them about cutting out my mdf mould ribs, profiling my core and cutting my base material and it seems like it's all good to happen. Need to work out the logistics of securing the cores to the machining table without screwing through an area I want to use but should be fine. Cutting the base material should be fine and shouldn't take long (10/15 mins max) , the cores could be up to 2 hours of machining and the mdf ribs possibly 3 considering the number of cuts. Trying to work out the logistics of doing wood stain veneer pattern as my top sheet with regard to choice of stain type, whether to stain before layup or after and the effect the epoxy is going to have on the staining. Going to need to spend some time testing and alot of reading of the ski builders forums. I'm excited to get into the CNC lab and will try to remember to photograph what I'm doing as I've got on the #diyskis Instagram trend now.
Sep 23 2013 5:37PM
0 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
from my understanding you don't want to stain them at all. the oils in the stain will plug up the pores on the wood and it wont accept epoxy. but if you do an epoxy top coat on the bare veneer during layup, then sand it back down to wood you could stain it if you found a urethene coating that seals stained surface.
Sep 23 2013 5:46PM
0 0
profile picture
razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
I've done a little reading and it depends on the solution the stain is in. From post on forums from people who own boats and want weather proof wood stained panelling, etc. it seems that it depends on the epoxy but more importantly properly allowing the stain solution to dry the fastest of these is the alcohol based stains which supposedly gives good bonds with epoxies as long as you've not over logged the veneer as it can lead to blotchy results. Next is water based which works similarly to alcohol based stains but there are uncertainties with regard to uv fading. Oil based stains can work but really require them to be properly dried which can take a long time. Source: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?3996-Epoxy-over-oil-based-stains Todd Bradshaw's post. I still think I want to do some tests on bonding with different stain mediums.
Sep 23 2013 6:42PM
0 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Honestly, I might have to play around with some of the veneer rolls from Home Depot... They're only like $7 for a 99"x8" roll so why not. That will only happen when I get around to building some pow ships though.
Sep 23 2013 6:56PM
0 0
profile picture
iggyskier
Posts: 10451 - Karma: 10,029
Staining veneers before pressing is fine. We do it all the time. Sanding, staining, and resealing post pressing would be awful.

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image
Sep 23 2013 7:44PM
4 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
lesson learned! those are beautiful man. what kind of stain are you using?

when I was looking at staining my surfboard (prior to glass) the resources I found said the only surfire way to get a dry finished product that would accept epoxy was mixing RIT dye with rubbing alcohol.. which I did and it worked.

are you just using an epoxy top coat or using a urethene product?
Sep 23 2013 8:16PM
0 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
completely understand if you choose not to divulge that information... ha
Sep 23 2013 8:19PM
1 0
profile picture
NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Pretty sure him and Victoria are the only ones who know that secret.
Sep 23 2013 8:26PM
0 0
profile picture
loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,054
i missed that post because i got a giant boner for scott's skis. excellent information!
Sep 23 2013 8:29PM
2 0
profile picture
razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
You should probably ban yourself for a while for posting such pornographic images. Right after you answer our questions on staining, of course.
Sep 23 2013 8:30PM
3 0
All times are Eastern (-5)