Gotta start somewhere

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:40 pm

So, I'm new. Can someone explain how to build skis to me? I have a few tools in my garage and think it will be cheap to make my own wood sticks.

Seriously though, gotta start somewhere. I've been pouring over this forum and site since last November. I figured if I started posting a few things that it'd get my ass in gear as opposed to reading the forum over and over for hours at a time.

No, I'm not making a water press. And No, I know it's not cheap. But I like solving problems. I like power tools. I like building things. And most importantly, I like frozen powder beards and cold beer.

Buying a planer soon and getting a falls type adjustable sled going. Hopefully I can trade beer for CNC for templates/molds. Press is still up in the air, may vacuum a few to get the hang of it and then find some steel. Or some 2x12's. Until those first pair come out all uneven and crappy, I won't be satisfied nor will my habit of layup videos go away.

MontuckyMadman · Post by **MontuckyMadman** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:08 am

you should go to one of the 4 ski makers in reno and check out the shop, see how its done.
Or contact one of the 12 other tahoe peeps on this forum and ask to check out there stuff. best to see it all first hand and bring beer. Make a list of questions not answered by what you see here and bring paper and a pencil and take notes.
Really everything is here you just have to read it all. I made a folder on my desktop and organized and cut and paste pics and write ups so I had a reference tool when I have questions.

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:04 am

That's a great idea about the desktop folder, thanks!! I've been to Moment but I'll have to go back with questions because last time I just stood in awe and nodded 'ya' a lot. Also I helped telehead with the old glory skis layup a little while back. Thinking back to his advice made me get going, thanks KT!

Cheers,
Danny

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:06 am

Also, hopefully everyone sensed my sarcasm. I plan to wear out the search function before I ask something stupid.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:34 pm

TahoePowder wrote:Also, hopefully everyone sensed my sarcasm. I plan to wear out the search function before I ask something stupid.

I read your first sentence in your first post above and started laughing. Welcome aboard. Everything you need to know is here including mistakes which are great to know too. When you reach the point when you're scratch your head then your ass, and knee deep is WTF am I doing..... you're in the right place.

knightsofnii · Post by **knightsofnii** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:42 pm

Last time i mixed epoxy and i knew i was on the clock, my hands were shaking just like the first time i built one. Youll probably fall on your face a couple times but youll also keep finding new ways to stoke yourself out. Good luck

twizzstyle · Post by **twizzstyle** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:13 pm

skidesmond wrote:When you reach the point when you're scratch your head then your ass, and knee deep is WTF am I doing..... you're in the right place.

This is hands-down the best description of ski-building I've ever seen!

Welcome to the forum/hobby, you'll have a blast.

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:54 pm

Around Feb/March. Tried out resawing a scrap ski core glue up with table saw. I don't have a bandsaw yet, so this will have to work for now. Probably am going to have to cut them a little thick and plane off the mismatch saw marks then plane to thickness after that. Thanks for all the encouragement! Picking up the planer tomorrow.

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:33 pm

Latest update. Got a planer. Glued up a core pair. Cut it up with my skibuilding buddy Nic aka Mustacherides. Started in on the planer sled (falls inspired style). Probably an easier way to do it, and I've read other posts that it's a pain in the ass, but something about it works with my engineer mind. Went with a precut length of melamine. I think skidesmond posted that video from FWW and they had melamine on the bottom? Either way, it was only 12$ for the 8' length at 11.75" wide. Cheaper than cutting down mdf and breathing in moon dust. Now for pics

Dewalt 12.5" planer

Because of this crappy sticker, I had to sand off the residue and left over sticker bits. Awesome.

Glued up core, a couple of vertical 'clamps' but not on one end because one 1x2 was pretty curved and couldn't quite get it to clamp right. It's on the end we'll cut most off of.

Me

Nic

Planer sled, a few rows short. Still debating spacers material. I had an idea to use lexan/acrylic. but that shiz is expensive. Might plane down a few blocks to fit.

That's all for now I guess. Hopefully getting some base from bobbyrobie. Next couple of weeks aiming to get mold cut.

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:38 pm

O ya, one more thing. THANKS to all of you and skibuilders for keeping all your trials on here. Earlier I was wondering what epoxy we should start with (no heat) and I thought 'OH, QCM is what I've seen before, I wonder what product number', then I found the string about QCM not making any, and then found that Entropy resins work out good. So Entropy it is!

AND I didn't even have to ask anyone! So much to search though, sometimes it gets tough. Using MM's method of copying to desktop is a solid way of organizing info though.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:31 am

Looks like you're off to a great start. btw QCM is still around in a way, check out this thread http://www.skibuilders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3203

Entropy is good too from what I hear.

I know sawdust is a hazard but I've never seen a warning label on a piece of wood.

Good Luck!

falls · Post by **falls** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:49 am

nice work
With my core profiler now that I have a good quality planer I have been thinking about planing down pieces of wood to specific thicknesses to use as spacers as one piece of wood, rather than the wood piece + the aluminium pieces if you know what I mean. Basically have 25mm thick pieces, then some 24mm, then some 23mm.....all the way down to 15mm or 14mm. I reckon a differnece in thickness from tip to thickest point of greater than 10 or 11mm is not going to happen (ie. 13mm to 2mm is about as big a difference as you are going to see).

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 8:27 am

Falls- I had that idea too but I was thinking to make a new profile it would be more time consuming to cut to length, plane to thickness, then dado out for bolt head/washer? But I guess it's not much more than cutting to length and planing a wood spacer. Hm I'm thinking for first set up we'll plane wood spacers and see how that goes. Does your thin mdf on top do much? After watching the fine woodworking video I was thinking of just putting no slip rubber on the top blocks. Think it would be enough to hold the core down?

TahoePowder · Post by **TahoePowder** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 8:29 am

- skidesmond thanks good option to look at!

falls · Post by **falls** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:25 pm

It's a 10mm MDF sheet covered with skate board tape for non slip
I would say something like this top deck is necessary, I would feel (but can't confirm) that the core would bow between the supports if it wasn't there. Prob depends how many supports you have and how far apart though.
I have been thinking of changing out the MDF for a masonite/hardboard top.

The cutting and drilling of the aluminium spacers took a long time. I think if you had like 3m lengths of wood you could plane it in one piece then cut it into pieces for the planer crib. I used a router to do the dados, but if I do it again I think I would just drill and then use a forstner bit to recess a circular hole for the bolt head (and maybe use allen key headed bolts so the recessed forstner bit hole wasn't having the be too large a diameter.)

Ski Builders Forum

Ski Builders Forum

Gotta start somewhere

Gotta start somewhere