The top-sheet is a quilted maple veneer and, yeah, I was hoping that when I sand and polyurethane the light areas will disappear. Think I should "paint" them with some epoxy beforehand? The air bubbles under the base look like they're between the base and glass. Given that they're not on t...

Thanks Falls. Got the time, just impatient to show them off!.... I'm curious, though, how waiting could be detrimental. Took the skis out of the press this morning and, before trimming etc., would give myself a B+, I think. Made one bonehead mistake....there were a couple splits in the veneer I'm us...

I'm vacuum bagging my first pair -- can hear the pump running in the basement as I type....anyhow, was wondering if I can trim them as soon as I'm done pressing, or whether it's better to wait a day or two to make sure curing is complete and any warping or relaxation less likely. I'm pressing both s...

I'm not the most experienced opinion here, but I think the biggest advantage of MDF is its stability (dimensional and resistance to warping). Even plywood can be susceptible to changes in the humidity. If your plywood stash is marine ply though, you probably don't have to worry about that. MDf is al...

Is anyone familiar with a method of making cores where you start by laying up veneers of your core wood(s) to make a sheet of "plywood" (2'x6'x2", for example)? You then slice core sections off the long edge of the sheet, typically three per ski, and lay them flat so that the grain of...

Honeycomb tip/tails is an interesting idea....and I can definitely attest to the value of light skis for Tuckerman's (not ever having them....). Was able to drive up two weeks ago and ski the Great Gulf area -- very nice.

BTW, you can still buy honeycomb core material from Hexcel ( http://www.hexcel.com/Products/Core+Materials/ ). Looks like they'll profile/shape it for you too...

After Hexcel stopped making skis, I remember a period when a pair was a prize find for back-country skiers. They certainly had lightness going for them, but, in my own experience at least, wood cores just last longer, ski better, than anything else.

There was Hexcel, back in the 70's. I think they were the first ski company to use honeycomb cores. Hexcel also pioneered swallowtail skis.

I'm just getting started too.....after a 25 year hiatus...and figured I'd use a vacuum press to get going -- a little easier and a little more familiar as it's what I used before. Anyhow, between "bagging" the mold or "blanketing" it and using vacuum tape to seal the edges, is on...

Thanks for the feedback. Makes sense to me, but I couldn't find any reference indicating that the camber is either, always centered, or sometimes asymmetric.... When I was making snowboards, I thought it might be better to center the throat/camber/profile on the front foot (rather than in between), ...

As this is my first post, a quick intro...I live in the white mountains area of NH and made some snowboards back in the mid-80's, and have been meaning to try skis since. What finally knocked me loose, though, was stumbling on to this site....a community! Woulda' vastly shortened the learning curve ...