Hi there folks. I am new to this forum and ski building, so I hope you will take good care of me.
I have been hanging around this forum for some days, and I have been inspired to build my own skis. I wont be doing it the first months but i will be planning and researching how I can do it.
Therefore, my first of many questions is how much it will cost me to build the ski press? Do I need much expensive equipment?
I have very little experience in building tings like this but I look at it as a challenge.
It all depends on what kind of press you are looking to make. If you are planning on making a lot of boards then you are probably going to want a pneumatic board press which can be pretty pricey. If not, then another option is a vacuume press. If you want to make boards that will last awhile then it would be a good idea to heat the press. Heat blankets can be expensive. Most people on the forum are using custom heat blankets from a company called MEI and they run about $400 (US$) a piece.
It all depends on how well you do your research and finding good deals. I research the crap out of my resources so I could get all of my metal for my press for cheap, bolts, etc. I have been researching this subject for months and months and still have questions all the time. But you are always learning and the people on this forum are great people and will do their best to help you. Just for your information, I have invested about $2000 on my press but am planning on making a lot of boards and want it to be easy to use so I splurge a lot in order to make it user friendly and quick. I have spent over $3000 overall so far but started from absolute scratch (i just moved to colorado without any of my tools or a place to do it so i am renting a shop and buying all my tools and equipment that i need). I hope all of this helps. good luck
