Wood Sidewalls

[gketcham]

Of those who are using wood sidewalls, what are you using? Waterproof wood, or something cheaper and then covering in poly?

I am looking for a good wood to use for sidewalls and not finding many results. I know Ski Logik uses Black Locust, Is there anything that is comparable and easy to find and buy.

Thanks

[vinman]

Ipe is a common decking material. It is very hard and hydrophobic. Tough on blades. A couple guys on here have used it successfully.

[Dr. Delam]

I have found that it is best to find wood from a local supplier. Most dealers you find on the internet won't even bother returning a phone call or email unless you are ordering a huge shipment. Plus, shipping can cost as much as the product you are ordering when buying smaller quantities.

I would check any specialty lumber store or decking dealer if you have one in the area. There are lots of different species that are suitable for sidewalls. Any high end wood that is suitable for decking, such as Ipe, will have a high janka hardness and water resistance. I couldn't find Ipe or Massaranduba locally but I was able to find some Red Balau at a great price. It has a very consistent, tight grain that almost looks like a composite or UHMW.

I have made quite a few skis with bamboo. It is easier to come by especially if you need to order it from somewhere. I used to get it from nwbamboo.com. It is consistent and not too difficult to work with but not quite as hard as the many exotic hardwoods out there. I prefer something a little harder since I have a proclivity for landing on rocks.

Exotic hardwoods will be stiffer and heavier than probably anything else you are making the core out of. That being said, I still prefer wood over plastic for sidewalls. Not only does it simplify the core making process but I find I like the skiing characteristics and strength when landing on rails, rocks, etc. I never bother sealing the wood either. I always just just wipe em down when done skiing which you should be doing anyway to keep your edges from oxidizing. No water damage after hundreds of days skiing.

[Richuk]

Hydrophobic ... water repellent, but epoxy bonds really well? Engineered beech works just fine. Oak is probably better. The edge is subject to more diverse stress and strain than the rest of the ski, so issue is what bonds well and is hard enough to do the job.

Are you guys using local IPE, or do you mean the species taken from Brazil?

[tufty]

Are you guys using local IPE, or do you mean the species taken from Brazil?

Mine came from La Giettaz en Aravis. Mind you, the tree the plank came from probably grew in South America originally.

You need to clean and sand it before bonding, but once that's done, a D3 woodglue will hold it really nicely.

[SHIF]

Ipe for me. Easily found at my local hardwood dealer.
I've used Massaranduba on a bunch of skis a few years ago, but I can't find it anymore.
I've also used Jatoba once just to try it. I picked up a couple other exotic hardwoods for future use as well.
Check out High Mountain Forest Products in Utah and Idaho.

I do nothing to finish these hardwoods, never had a problem with delamination. They tend to darken with age which looks good.

I bevel my sidewalls leaving about 6mm vertical sidewall just above the ski edges. Sometimes I stain the wood ebony black, then when tuning at the shop, the edge sharpening machine exposes the raw wood on the vertical sidewall. This yields a nice two-color look.

This pair has Massaranduba sidewalls.

-S

[FlamingYeti]

We are using strand-woven bamboo; basically just the husks of the bamboo steamed and glued together. It ranks pretty high up there on density and hardness along with hydrophobic properties. It isn't quite as good as ipe, but we got about 10 boards of it from lumber liquidators for about $60. 1 board is enough for one pair of skis, so definitely good pricing.

[skimann20]

We are using strand-woven bamboo; basically just the husks of the bamboo steamed and glued together. It ranks pretty high up there on density and hardness along with hydrophobic properties. It isn't quite as good as ipe, but we got about 10 boards of it from lumber liquidators for about $60. 1 board is enough for one pair of skis, so definitely good pricing.

I put strand fiber bamboo in my house and it is so hard. my 80lb dog can't scratch it. the only scratch I have is where I dropped a crowbar on it. do you you have any photos of our cores with it on?

[FlamingYeti]

Skimann,
I don't have a picture of any cores themselves, but the first pair we made with the strand bamboo had just a fiberglass topsheet, so you can see the core and sidewalls. The material seems incredibly durable. We haven't tested any skis that have the strand bamboo, but its water repelling capabilities seem pretty good. Thus far, posting pictures has never actually worked for me, but I'll give it a shot.

[EricW]

I'd say ipe or teak

[SHIF]

I'd say ipe or teak

Ipe yes, teak not so good.
Check on any Janka wood hardness scale, teak is relatively soft. Probably not very durable as a ski sidewall.

-S

[loganimlach]

so wait... some of you guys are skiing on unfinished wood sidewalls without any issues? i did all bamboo sidewalls for my first run and was thinking that I absolutely NEEDED to seal them, ending in me applying epoxy to each set with a paintbrush, which to be honest ended up looking like shit. I'm sure I could have done a better job, but it would be great if sealing them wasn't a necessity. I just feel like bamboo would suck moisture right in.

[sammer]

I have a few pair of maple sidewalls that are bare wood 3 or 4 yrs now with no visible issues.
One pair with untreated bamboo sidewall look a little suspect after 1 season.
They have a couple water stains that don't look very healthy. I suspect they will be pretty rotten in a few years.

I've said this before and I have no problem repeating it...
Rub a bit of boiled linseed oil on your wood sidewalls.
It will take a couple days to dry but will penetrate and seal better than anything I've tried.
(Unboiled plain linseed oil will take forever to dry)
A liter of boiled linseed oil will last you easily 50-80 pairs.

sam

[SHIF]

Great idea on the boiled linseed oil. I use that as spoke prep when building bicycle wheels. It locks the nipples in place but can still allow for tensioning and wheel truing in the future.

-S

[skidesmond]

I use Ipe sidewall now. I go through a lot of blades but it looks great when finished. I use exterior poly. I might try boiled-linseed oil next time. Some times the poly may run and it's a pita to rub out.