Thread: Building Skis

Hey All,
I've been dreaming for a long time about building my own skis. While I have some non-traditional designs in mind, I'm looking at putting together a ~95-100 mm waist twin that will hopefully be pretty F-in stiff . This forum has had a few discussions on this subject, and so I was hoping to start a discussion on various aspects of the build.
1) I'm going with a laminate wood core. Figure hickory for the spring with a stiffening layer of maple. are there any suggestions on the ply thickness to use, number of plys and most importantly the glue for sticking the laminates together. Are there better options than PVA or PU?
2) tips and tails. Getting the bend into the laminates is pretty easy, but the construction becomes pretty weak when it gets thin. So I was thinking Delrin tips/tails. Any suggestions on how to integrate them with the core? Should they be spliced into the ends of the laminates, or simply glassed on with the topsheet and base.
3) Hopefully I'll be vacuum bagging the base / core / topsheet in the final glass up ste. Any suggestions on epoxy types to give the topsheet a little flex (ie have the core determine the ski's properties). And does anyone have a vacuum bagging setup they're looking to unload?

Thanks for the help.

Originally Posted by Bucky Mullet

I'm looking at putting together a ~95-100 mm waist twin that will hopefully be pretty F-in stiff .

Just buy Pros and save yourself some time.

http://www.skibuilders.com/howto/

Originally Posted by gwat

Just buy Pros and save yourself some time.

Yeah, but it wouldn't be as much fun and that's just the first model.

Originally Posted by flip

http://www.skibuilders.com/howto/

thanks for the site tip.
Any leads on where to get edge material? I've been considering going to our local machine shop and having them make me some. That way I can design it to not blow out. But like I said, for the first one I don't want to get too fancy.

you can get edges from www.snowboardmaterials.com or ask a local ski company really nicely and they may sell you some for cheap.

As far as a vacuum setup goes, they can be had for fairly cheap. Decent pumps sell on egay for $50-$100, and you can get the bagging at a reasonable price as well.

When you laminate, be sure to do so vertically. PVA will work, bu there is better out there. Hickory is OK, but if you really want spring, look into ash.

Epoxy type will depend on the temperature at which it will be curing as well as the topsheet material.

By the time you've got a finished product that is actually reliable and rideable you'll have spent enough money to have purchased a decent pair of skis from any friendly mag.

What is it with people with "mullet" in their tag and wanting to build skis?

Also try grafsnowboards.com for free CAD software for shaping your sticks.

I don't have mullet in my name, but I've got one growing on my head. Does that count?

Originally Posted by wicked_sick

By the time you've got a finished product that is actually reliable and rideable you'll have spent enough money to have purchased a decent pair of skis from any friendly mag.

Actually, you'll probably spend in the neighborhood of enough to buy a new pair of capitals, just to build your first pair, which will almost certainly suck and fall apart. But if this is the kind of thing you do for fun, and you have some dispoable cash, and a shit-ton of free time... go for it.

Originally Posted by wicked_sick

When you laminate, be sure to do so vertically.

Any reason for this? I've got a few boards of maple & hickory that I've resawn to <1/8th of an inch, and was wanting to mix them by horizontal lamination. They are pretty wide (~6 in) and I sould be able to cut the entire core out of them.

Or you could just laminate skis, like this guy.

As for laminating - run the length of the ski with 4-7 lengths lammed. That is all.

That FREAKING ROCKS!! I never thought about that, you could get full on asymetry that way. Hey Splat, were you in the Taos comp last year?

No. I'm too broke and old for that shit.

Originally Posted by splat

Or you could just laminate skis, like this guy.

.

now that's creative, at least it beats using old skis for another lame ski chair.