 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone here made (or used) a pair of home made skis - there seem to be a few US based websites which offer guidance and materials. I'm not looking to make a pair to compete with branded skis but figure it might be something fun to do...thoughts? guidance?
http://www.skibuilders.com
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sounds like this could be of interest: http://spurart.at/en I had a look around their workshop as they're just down the road from me; looks a great set-up!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What do you wanna know? I've gone through the whole process from first scratch built planks to winning awards at ISPO 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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How difficult the procsess is on a scale of 1-10? any advice that you can offer which you have liked to have had on your first attempt, advice on templates (normally ski more on piste but like to have some width so they handle ok in powder), advice on where I can source materials in the UK, average cost of home made pair compared to store bought "equivalent"
It'll probably be a couple months before I can get started as I'm trying to get some help from a friend who has a workshop and most of the tools I'd need and he's currently in the middle of a number of projects he'd like to finish first. Right now looking into whether this is a fools errand or something worth doing - I'm relatively new to skiing (2 years/ 3 trips / many more to follow) but I caught the bug hard - I don't own skis yet but think making them sounds a lot more fun than buying off the rack.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Idle wonderings: I wonder what sort of performance you would get if you carved a set from a couple of single lengths of wood rather than laminating them, would they snap? Is the laminating essential to help them absorb bumps I guess in much the same way as a leaf spring does............??
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
average cost of home made pair compared to store bought "equivalent"
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About £2K compared to £100 I should imagine, for your first pair. More, if you cost your time into the equation. 
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Except.... I was skiing today on a pair of skis (Rossignol Attraxion V) bought from a snowhead for £100 5 years ago. You'd be unlikely to make a pair half as good on your first attempt.
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Each individual step isn't that complicated, but putting it all together and building the kit to make them (especially the press) is the expensive and time-consuming part. It's still on my to-do list.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Megamum wrote: |
| Idle wonderings: I wonder what sort of performance you would get if you carved a set from a couple of single lengths of wood rather than laminating them, would they snap? Is the laminating essential to help them absorb bumps I guess in much the same way as a leaf spring does............?? |
No need to make your own
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awachsmann, i've looked into it... it all depends on your background I suppose.
I've actually got most of the materials ready to construct a press... just waiting till I move to my new house which has a large garage I can use as a small workshop 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cost - Can be done for 100 quid......all my early proto types cost this or less.
1. you don't need a press just a very simple vacuum setup, gut this up and running and get yourself familiar with vacuum bagging a pair of skis on a board (board needs to be a bit longer + wider than your skis - half a door works fine (whole door is too wide).
2. Keep the core simple, just a pine plank will do first (and probably fifth) time out.
3. Keep the layup simple - Base + edge, triaxial fiberglass, core, triaxial fiberglass.
4. keep the design simple, copy something you already know that works, you can go a bit wider or a bit longer but don't go all specialized and clevr first go out, just make some skis.
5. Plenty of resin - I can make a pair of 180 fat powder skis (6 in wide) with 500 grams of resin, but I've made a few pairs. Get at least 1kg Resin + hardener for the first pair.
6. Practice your layup, dry run everything more than once, all the way to pulling a vacuum.
7. Have an extra pair of hands (with gloves on) ready to help when things go Pete Tong.
8. Core profiling isn't hard it just takes some setting up - either rails + bridge and router, or thickness planer + jig - practice on scrap first + have extra planks to hand.
9. No sidewalls or any of that sort of thing first time around.
Think that's about it .
for more details and lots of pictures of people who spent many $K applying rocket science instead of building something that slides head over to the skibuilders forum
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Very tidy setup Geoffers, I wish mine had looked that nice
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Cost - Can be done for 100 quid......all my early proto types cost this or less.
1. you don't need a press just a very simple vacuum setup, gut this up and running and get yourself familiar with vacuum bagging a pair of skis on a board (board needs to be a bit longer + wider than your skis - half a door works fine (whole door is too wide).
2. Keep the core simple, just a pine plank will do first (and probably fifth) time out.
3. Keep the layup simple - Base + edge, triaxial fiberglass, core, triaxial fiberglass.
4. keep the design simple, copy something you already know that works, you can go a bit wider or a bit longer but don't go all specialized and clevr first go out, just make some skis.
5. Plenty of resin - I can make a pair of 180 fat powder skis (6 in wide) with 500 grams of resin, but I've made a few pairs. Get at least 1kg Resin + hardener for the first pair.
6. Practice your layup, dry run everything more than once, all the way to pulling a vacuum.
7. Have an extra pair of hands (with gloves on) ready to help when things go Pete Tong.
8. Core profiling isn't hard it just takes some setting up - either rails + bridge and router, or thickness planer + jig - practice on scrap first + have extra planks to hand.
9. No sidewalls or any of that sort of thing first time around.
Think that's about it .
for more details and lots of pictures of people who spent many $K applying rocket science instead of building something that slides head over to the skibuilders forum
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Seems simple enough........sort of....
What's all the fuss about a big impressive press if a simple vacuum does the same job at a fraction of the cost and labour?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| awachsmann wrote: |
What's all the fuss about a big impressive press if a simple vacuum does the same job at a fraction of the cost and labour? |
The difference is pressure.
A vacuum bag can never exert more than 1 atmosphere of pressure on the ski, which is about 15psi at sea level.
A press can exert 50psi, or more depending on construction.
Why is more pressure better?
One of the most important factors when using composites is the ratio of fibre and material to resin, ideally you want about a 60% volume fraction of fibre to epoxy.
You CAN get close to this ratio with vacuum bagging, but it requires much more care and work in impregnating and laying up to ensure you get the best possible ratios.
Get it wrong, and you get porosity and voids, where there's dry spots in the fibres where the resin hasn't reached. To be fair, you can get this with a press too, but a press allows more reliability and consistency in reaching that 60% for maximum strength.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Press vs Vacuum
Repeat ability, Accuracy, flatness, precision - none of which count when you are just trying to make something to slide on and throw around a few ideas...all are possible to fix in a vacuum setup but much easier in a press.
Vacuum is way easier to adjust for size, camber, rocker etc.
My press which runs at 45psi (tested to 80) and 25C (tested to 50) only cost about 500€ in parts, but more than a week in labour.
My initial Vac setup cost 10€ and some scavenging 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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