 Poster: A snowHead
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Came across a rather cool site: http://www.skibuilders.com/howto/ ...how to make your own skis.
I thought that this was a really interesting read - bearing in mind the disclaimer 'Building your own skis (and/or snowboard) is a dangerous activity - you can inflict major injury to your own body, and in some cases, you can even die'.
While requiring time, care and competence (that puts it beyond me), it appears that it's not rocket science. Although I don't fancy the fatal bit, it would be cool to build your own skis! The two places I've turned up that offer workshops in this are 333skis.com (in California) and http://www.die-skifabrik.de/ (near Munich).
Anyone in the UK doing this?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The main difficulty is getting the press, I know a couple companies that'd sell the materials.
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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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IIRC there was, some years ago, a wee fabrication unit in Aviemore that made skis - Vielhaber ? - I wonder what happened to his equipment.
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This is interesting... i work in a workshop with all the tools listed (except the press) but i do have access to a large compressor and a CNC router that could create the press jig... Now only if i knew how to go about designing a ski 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the link - that's great. A custom ski, without the hazards and hard work of DIY, definitely appeals. Now if they do a workshop...
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mr brain cheat, Tom Pinches who owns/runs Fork Tree Skis makes his skis to order in the UK in the summer - well I think he still does but he may have moved full time to C1650 were he co-owns the BootLab shop ( http://www.thebootlab.co.uk ) & from were he also promotes & sells his skis. I know him as he has Quiver Killer inserts off me for his skis. He's a good guy & a very talented craftsman as well as being a pro level telemarking freerider/jibber. It'd be worth emailing him to see if he's in the UK.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sun 16-09-12 21:44; edited 1 time in total
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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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Another Tom makes skis in Chamonix under the brand Idris Skis. He uses mostly recycled and renewable materials and the craftsmanship of the skis is fantastic. I haven't skied on any of his recent production skis but the prototypes I tried 3 or 4 seasons ago skied beautifully so I'd expect they have only got better. http://www.idriskis.com
If you are thinking of making your own, plenty of people start off by vac-bagging their skis rather than pressing. It is much less expensive way to start and you can get pretty decent results with fairly inexpensive, mostly quite widely available kit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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me and Parlor looked into this a few years back but never really got past some big talk in the pub. the stumbling block seemed to be that we would have to set the press up in the spare room of his then-girlfriend's flat
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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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I'm intrigued with this as I have a workshop area I could use for this.
The biggest problem I can see is that the designs I bandied about a few years ago have either been done or require far more complex manufacturing processes than those use in this process.
I guess I could start out with 'basic' laminated skis and take it from there. I could take a wander up the road to Lola and see if I can acquire any carbon fibre offcuts 
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would anyone know a good resource for ski design specs and technical drawings?
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You know it makes sense.
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| tomb wrote: |
| would anyone know a good resource for ski design specs and technical drawings? |
The site I saw, www.skibuilders.com, seems to have lots of those resources and an active forum
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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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Emm .... Build your own "Time Machine"
1) Take 1 time machine factory.
2) etc
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bookmarked...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Love it!
Small problem though, your bindings aren't aligned!
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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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Seriously though, €5 if you make another one and take them for a ski...
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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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| Fat Al wrote: |
Another Tom makes skis in Chamonix under the brand Idris Skis. He uses mostly recycled and renewable materials and the craftsmanship of the skis is fantastic. I haven't skied on any of his recent production skis but the prototypes I tried 3 or 4 seasons ago skied beautifully so I'd expect they have only got better. http://www.idriskis.com
If you are thinking of making your own, plenty of people start off by vac-bagging their skis rather than pressing. It is much less expensive way to start and you can get pretty decent results with fairly inexpensive, mostly quite widely available kit. |
I assume that's the same Idris who posts on here?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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clarky999, i must admit, the photo is not mine
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Fat Al wrote: |
Another Tom makes skis in Chamonix under the brand Idris Skis. He uses mostly recycled and renewable materials and the craftsmanship of the skis is fantastic. I haven't skied on any of his recent production skis but the prototypes I tried 3 or 4 seasons ago skied beautifully so I'd expect they have only got better. http://www.idriskis.com
If you are thinking of making your own, plenty of people start off by vac-bagging their skis rather than pressing. It is much less expensive way to start and you can get pretty decent results with fairly inexpensive, mostly quite widely available kit. |
I assume that's the same Idris who posts on here? |
Yes that would be me 
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Idris, I always wondered what your signature was about. Skis look good!
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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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| Quote: |
Small problem though, your bindings aren't aligned!
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Ahhhh - but you haven't seen his boot/foot, have you?
A 'press' is just a hydraulic ram with sufficient pressure. You would have to make custom forms for your planks anyway so all you are really looking for is a hydraulic ram with enough down force and an air-lock. Seperate that out into three or four jacks per ski and I think you could prob. do that quite easily. You could prob get hand pumped versions for that matter since you are not planning to mass produce. I like the idea of vacuum bagging but I suspect a multipoint press is much easier to use.
As to design - WTF!!???! The whole point is to design your own, FFS!! Wimps. Go on - grow a pair and go wild stylee - there's more than enough experience here to work out rocker, camber, edge angle, length, waist. etc.
Idris, do you bag or press???
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Idris, ignore the stupid question - I just looked at the your site - very inspiring.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I refuse to let this thread die!
How about it, are there enough Snowheads willing to design a one of a kind Snowheads ski?? Come on!
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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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I've been following this, and also browsing the self-build site and forums linked to further up. But I've got far too many projects on as it is. I can't realistically start another.
maybe once I've finished the Transit camper-van conversion..
..and installed the Emerald ECU into my supercharged MX5...
..and restored the Unimog...
...and built my car-port...
...and sorted out the rear garden so I can actually use it and my son can play without fear of maiming or mutilation...
...and finished the kitchen...
..and redone the bathroom....
...and rebuilt the ZX6R track bike (or broken it and sold it as spares)...
...and finished working on the multitude of websites that I've got on the go....
maybe then I'll have time to put some of my ski ideas into practice 
oh.. and the BSA needs a new rear innertube and tyre
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Give me a shout if you need pointers on how to do stuff, but to be honest almost every question you could want to ask has been answered over at skibuilders.com on their forum.......as have most ski designs, a good many that don't really work
Probably the best advice on designing a ski is to take a design or idea that you know works and modify ONE aspect of it. DO NOT try and re invent the wheel - it's inevitably gets messy quickly
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You know it makes sense.
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messy, how?  , blood on snow and such like?
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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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What keeps coming to my mind is that, as I said, Lola are just up the road from me and I might drop them a line and see if they have any offcuts.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Would love to design (done that a million times sat in lectures already anyway) and build my own skis, not money for it at the moment though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Idris,
Cheers - I hear you. That totally flat ski concept will have to stay on the drawing board. For some reason I want to try a wide-ish pin tail ski with lotsa mid-tail and nose flex and much rebound, not much side cut and a steepish rocker! I shall call it the 'Pull the Other One.' All the graphics will be done freehand on the blanks by three year olds of mixed gender with coloured Sharpies and prominently feature bells of all shapes and sizes. Probably already been done, tho'.
Anyone ever tried a planoform ski for those really slushy days??
feef,
what you do, however, have is a bloody massive shed, correct? I've even found plans for a build-it-yourself vaccuum pump so I am thinking start with that and vacuum bag initially and working up to a air pressure fire hose.
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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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| RattytheSnowRat wrote: |
Idris,
Cheers - I hear you. That totally flat ski concept will have to stay on the drawing board. For some reason I want to try a wide-ish pin tail ski with lotsa mid-tail and nose flex and much rebound, not much side cut and a steepish rocker! I shall call it the 'Pull the Other One.' All the graphics will be done freehand on the blanks by three year olds of mixed gender with coloured Sharpies and prominently feature bells of all shapes and sizes. Probably already been done, tho'.
Anyone ever tried a planoform ski for those really slushy days??
feef,
what you do, however, have is a bloody massive shed, correct? I've even found plans for a build-it-yourself vaccuum pump so I am thinking start with that and vacuum bag initially and working up to a air pressure fire hose. |
I do.. I'm a bit short of space in the 'workshop' area as the aforementioned transit is in there (the rest is used for stock so can't really do dirty smelly stuff in those areas) but once that's moved, it'll be much easier to do stuff, not just because it'll be outside, but a lot of the materials and tools I'm using for the camper conversion will be gone as well.
What are you thinking?
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'd be interested in seeing what interest there is.
The place it uber-secure as well as it was previously rented by a tool-hire place which beefed up all the security.
I also have a compressor up there already as I run air-tools when working on the bikes/van, and it's where I currently service my skis so there's the usual basic ski-tech amenities there too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| feef wrote: |
| there's the usual basic ski-tech amenities there too. |
Cold beer? 
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If there's enough interest, I could probably try and source some of the raw materials in bulk through my company to help keep the costs down.
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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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I just started another thread and deleted it.
Stumbled across the same site as the OP during the week and have since spent all my time not working looking into the practicalities of building my own skis. While the cost per unit wouldn't be much the set up costs for building the press, buying the tools and cranking a few trial models through would be quite sizable.
I've since convinced two friends to go into this with me and we've already decided on turning a shead at my house into our workshop, have looked up the forums on the ski builders site and have decided to incorporate a few extra capabilities into the press than the basic one described in the build a press section on the site, firstly bulking up the housing to allow a greater pressure and incorporating a heat source. By the three of us putting our money together it shouldn't be that expensive, and obviously we can just crank out a few pairs for friends and stuff once we know what we're doing. We've already looked into how to do the graphics nicely printing on fabric and the like and I've researched and designed the frame and priced it up as well as the compressor and basic tools.
Hopefully we'll start on the press next Summer when I return from my season and have our first sets of skis ready for testing in the Autumn before a holiday in 13/14 season. Can't wait
Anyone else seriously trying this?
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Bluehouse skis in Salt Lake City ran a ski building class earlier this year, not sure whether they are going to keep this going.
I believe Peter Evans and Andy Taylor used to build skis before they set up Anything Technical in Lake District. May be they can give some advice on the tools (ski press) and the design criteria.
I just received my new pair of Wagner skis, absolute beauty. May be I should visit their set up in Telluride to see their design and build process
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