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abjectwoe
May, 2025

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Official Ski Pressing/Shaping/Building/Constructing Thread

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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.
14 years ago
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iggyskier
Posts: 10456 - Karma: 10,253
We've used all sorts with no issues.

We use an epoxy top coat, but urethene would work.
12 years ago
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freeskiier16
Posts: 20 - Karma: 146
Action sports technology is a great site to get all of the supplies needed to make a pair
12 years ago
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joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
how do these guys look
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12 years ago
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joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
sorry for double post
when you make the mold do you have to exaggerate the ski shape a little or do the skis come out with the exact same shape as the mold
eg: if i want my camber to be 10mm tall do i make my mold camber profile 12mm tall?

if yes by how much should i expect the mold and the ski shape to differ
eg: should i make it 1 2 or 3mm etc taller then i want the actual ski to be
12 years ago
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Nate.Dog
Posts: 1672 - Karma: 2,098
For my schools vacuum press, it's roughly 3/4 of what you set the press to, for example if you set it to 10, it'll be 7.5, but that might just be how ours works, I'm sure with a full pneumatic you get less of a shift.

In other news, I just pressed my mom's skis about 5 hours ago, I'll post up pics when they're out! Stoked to start on my 3rd set!
12 years ago
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snowfinder
Posts: 2940 - Karma: 34,910
The site I go to.
http://www.store.skilab.com/
12 years ago
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ThatMNkid
Posts: 157 - Karma: 548
No rocker skis, does it work?
12 years ago
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Can you elaborate some? Are you looking to build a ski without rocker?
12 years ago
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ThatMNkid
Posts: 157 - Karma: 548
Yeah, just tip and tail, nothin' in the middle
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
Do you mean a flat cambered ski? Or by tip and tail, nothin' in the middle do you mean a full cambered ski? Either way both work fine
12 years ago
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snowfinder
Posts: 2940 - Karma: 34,910
Just found a machine shop less than 10 miles from my house, going to make things a whole lot easier. Kind of feels like I'm cheating now but everything is going to be spot on perfection, and that feels great.
12 years ago
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*DUMBCAN*
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 5,628
Rethreads. This is happening this summer. I'm obsessed.
12 years ago
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joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
update for me: i am starting to build a jig today for my mold i printed out my template on the weekend and i am super stoked. i am doing everything in my school wood shop so i have access to all the machines i will need for building the mold. i am going to do a vacuum press cause another school did a ski project and they have a vacuum bag and pump so that will save some money.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
My garage turns into a ski factory today. I have all the supplies here for 10 pairs (less the glass, which will he here Friday)
12 years ago
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joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
hey nighty four which resin did you buy from entropy resins and how much of it
i have never used epoxy like this before so i know very little about it and i could not find the surface area coverage on any of there product pages
12 years ago
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
I've been using the Entropy CLR resin with the CLS (slow) hardener. A 1.5 gallon kit will do about 4-5 skis (I'd estimate for 4 skis when your learning, you use more epoxy than you think you will). It mixes at a 2 parts resing to 1 part hardener mix by volume.

You could also get away with a smaller kit if you'll only be build a few skis.
12 years ago
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4239 - Karma: 10,756
Here's a layup video my dad made (just a string of images but you'll get the idea).

Pre-press:



Post-press:

12 years ago
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joelski
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 736
I was working in the shop today at Comor they looked super sick when you brought them in I was not the one to mount them cause it was my first day their but you must be super stoked on how they turned out cause they look sick but they are so rocketed they are gonna ski like a ski blade. Keep me updated I am stoked to see how they do ski
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
Today I was in the open access digital fabrication lab to cut the ribs for my vacuum mould and to cut my base material on the CNC Router Milling Machine. After going up last week and only being able to set up the tool paths because there was a problem with the spindle on the router I was glad to get cutting today. I cut one 25mm 8'x4' sheet of MDF with about 50 ribs with clamping rod holes which took about 2 hours to do start to finish inc. bit changing & cleaning. Here's a picture of the sheet half cut.
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(yes that is a gopro, if you want I can post the time lapse of some of the cutting)
- things i learned to do for next time: make sure to cut all the way through the material or its a pain in the arse to cut the last mm & file the ribs
cut the other sheet of ribs which took about half and hour to 3/4 of an hr.
Then cut my base material, It was a properly close call with the tool path and the screw holding down the material, so i had to take out the screws and hold down the material while it was cut so didnt get to take any photos. Will post photos once i've finished the ribs and glues the edges on to the base. should get it done in a couple of days.
things i learned to do for next time:
- make sure to cut all the way through the material or its a pain in the arse to cut the last mm & file the ribs
-get the 320mm wide base material so I can just cut the shape out without any problems with being near the material edge.
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
get the 320mm wide base material so I can just cut out the shape for the pair of bases from the same sheet so i dont have material edge problems.
12 years ago
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4239 - Karma: 10,756
yes please
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
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12 years ago
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
I'm envious right now.
12 years ago
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*DUMBCAN*
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 5,628
Logan that looks seriously good. How are you profiling the cores?
12 years ago
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snowfinder
Posts: 2940 - Karma: 34,910
Well that back fired, got quoted for $7,000 to have four molds cut out of my supplies and two cores profiled. Back to using my hands.
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
what? is that getting somebody to cut the mould and profile the cores for you by hand or to do it with a CNC router? sure,a CNC is a fairly expensive piece of kit to buy but you can buy them online for 15-20 grand so quoting $7000 sounds like theyre just pricing to get rid of you. To get my work done on the CNC Router was £42/hr and the 8x4 mdf was £42.50/sheet and i've spent 4hrs machining and expecting to spend another couple of hours profiling the cores. I'm quite lucky the open access lab is only an hour away from me but i've never heard of a place like it anywhere else.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
router sled, but i'm going to buy a planer for my next run. it's just kind of a bitch to get everything exact with the sled
12 years ago
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Nate.Dog
Posts: 1672 - Karma: 2,098
Planer is definitely the way to go, way more consistent and way less sketchy
12 years ago
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snowfinder
Posts: 2940 - Karma: 34,910
I know he was trying to price me out, but the thing is the shop is labeled as a small job shop. I think the fact I was providing the 3D files for the cnc, and all the supplies it might have set him off. I even told him him in the email for that price I could buy an used cnc and he didnt write back after that.
12 years ago
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snowfinder
Posts: 2940 - Karma: 34,910
I used a sled for my first set never again. Planer is the way to go.
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
as you asked nicely here is the timelapse of some of the cutting. I had it on too high a photo frequency so filled up my card and so didnt get all of the cutting for the sheet but you get the idea
I've spent the last day or so cutting off the extra material and tabs; sanding down the surfaces; putting it all together, (held together with threaded rods) and cleaning up the edges of the base material.
here's a photo that went on instagram aswell, (you will see more in the next week or so as i work at it so check the #diyskis)
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Today I sanded out the last bumps in the mould, cut the threaded rod to length and cut my edges to length for my 3/4 edge wrap
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probably going back to the cnc lab tomorrow to sort out getting in to profile my cores.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
that is a whacky rocker profile man, interested to see how it works.

if you have instagram check out #diyskis, i've been busy

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12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
go on?
It's a profile I came up with drawing on elements of bentchetlers, rocker 2s, pillowfights and last years petitor.
so its a 60:40 rock:cam nose height 75mm tail height 70mm ~800mm effective edge 10mm camber
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
i've never seen anything like it. 75 and 70 are intense tip/tail heights
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
yeah its a little experimental. I didnt feel the 75mm nose was too ridiculous, the 70mm tail is a little big but I was going for a playful feel and they are a 124-134-126-129-119 so large is the order of play.
12 years ago
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max...
Posts: 1379 - Karma: 802
^^awesome stuff from both of you. i'm back home for the weekend helping getting my friend prepped and ready to make a pair before winter is in full swing. no new shape, just the same mold I used for my brother's pair. will post pics if I get around to it.

Also to the mousseau if you read this, I was thinking of a killer idea if this is something the NS community would be into. Since there are quite a few independent ski building hobbyists on the site, I'd think it would be awesome if we got together and each made a single unique pair to be either raffled off or given away as a contest prize on NS. I don't know what the liability issues with that would be, but I'd personally be willing to make a pair next summer specifically for something like this if I was reimbursed for raw materials costs.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
i will inform him of this right now.

i also would be way down, especially if it was linked to something like high fives or mcconkey foundation or something. could be a cool project, film the entire process from each homebrew builders point of view.
12 years ago
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
I would absolutely be down to. At one point in time I thought that building a builders community collaboration ski would be cool but individual skis for a raffle/donation would be sick. I will admit though that I'm in a tight spot until after Christmas...
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
yesterday was a good day.

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12 years ago
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s-hand
Posts: 1334 - Karma: 1,800
threads
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
I would be down for this, as a uk/euro NS I would only say that I would like my pair to go to a euro as I feel we get left out a little (I'm sure not because of a prejudice, just legal reasons, ect.) when it comes to NS contests/competitions. However, I am going to be away from home and ski building facilities for the next 7 months as I am going to Austria to work for the season and won't be able to get much time off work, so maybe as a summer/next autumn thing then yeah. Of course it will be the mkII version after I have spent some time riding on the mkI, got feedback from friends on how it rides & pushed the limits on it to tweak the design if needs be. Plus as my first build I have simplified it by having full wood core&sidewalls, and no tip spacers so will look to incorporate them.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
my new quiver for now:

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12 years ago
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Jesus that's insane...

Are your binding matts above or below your top sheet of glass?
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
above. i went overboard, next time i'll only use like 4 or 6 oz biax for them instead of full blown 19oz triax. should i have put them below?
12 years ago
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5676 - Karma: 4,299
Are people getting away with oil based stains and epoxy without any bonding issues? Is that what was going on a few posts up?

Logan, those are sick. Wood looks great.
12 years ago
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Belzebub
Posts: 451 - Karma: 812
Come on Logan, show us your skis!
Rocker pics and specs plz.
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
I was wondering if somebody could help. I am having doubts about getting a decent seal when putting the sheet over for pulling the vacuum. What I am worried about is getting the sealant tape to stick properly to the mdf plus i dont want to ruin the surface of the mold with epoxy so I was looking at getting a sticky backed sacrificial sheet to lay over the mdf to line it (and then seal the bag you would normally). my then issue is, will pulling the vacuum not just pull off the lining and i end up not getting the pressure pushing the ski down into the mold. Am I overestimating the pressure i will pull? is there anything I can do to improve the sticking of the sacrificial sheet to the mdf?
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
Also I should say im trying to find an answer on skibuilders but there is a sea of info even with directed searches.
12 years ago
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,103
comin in hot...

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The Torc. 190 cm, 148-118-144, 1 cm camber underfoot. Alder and ash core (bamboo sidewalls) with 4" of 6 oz carbon fiber below the core. Weight per ski: 2400g

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My favorite of the bunch, The Ms. New Booty. 186 cm, 154-128-148, flat underfoot. Paulownia and ash core (bamboo sidewalls) with full width 6 oz carbon fiber above and below the core. Walnut veneer with red oak noses. Weight per ski: 2250g

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The Pappy Pro. 184 cm, 132-98-113, 1.5 cm camber underfoot. Paulownia and ash core (bamboo sidewalls) with 4" of 6 oz carbon fiber below the core and 1.5" above. Walnut veneer with a red oak stripe. Technically speaking the most sound ski I made, and thankfully so because my dad won't ski on bullshit. Weight per ski: 1830g

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The Culo Flat. 180 cm, 118-91-118, flat underfoot. Bamboo core with 1.5" of 6 oz carbon fiber above and below the core, the pair without carbon is really soft. I plan on breaking all three pairs in the streets. Weight per ski: Avg of 2150g

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The Culo Reg. 180 cm, 118-91-118, 0.5 cm camber underfoot. Alder and ash core with 1.5" of 6 oz carbon fiber above and below the core. Weight per ski: 1920g
12 years ago
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
just in case it gets missed from the last page. any ideas or answer appreciated. it's something i naively hadn't considered.
12 years ago
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