Cost of a Pneumatic press- Can I do for >$1000?

[ApeNatural]

My $0.02
Your first pair of skis will probably be a good stoke, but will be destined for the wall of the shop as a trophy.
Your second pair will turn out better.

If you add up the costs to build your first 5 pair of skis including all equipment (big press etc) and materials you could probably buy 7 to 10 pair of last years models from EVO gear.

If you want to build your own skis 'cause its cheaper your mistaken.

If you want to build skis cause it's an awesome hobby. Then go for it.

If your planning on building for the market place ala iggy, be prepared to layout huge cash.

The cheapest way for a few pair is still vacuum.
Old fridge compressor mod = almost free
You only have to build 1/2 a mold. Etc


I don't want to discourage new builders but read all the posts.
If your looking at this as a hobby, and you have some disposable income, then go for it

sam

Yeah, that's pretty much what I expect. I want to go into this to possibly pursue it as a commercial endeavor down the road. I figure at 18 years old and with a couple months before starting college, now is the perfect time to start and see if it is something I want to pursue as a business. If nothing else, I figure it will be a good experience, and a lifelong hobby.

[OAC]

I just bought a "combi machine" (table saw, table router and planer) due to addiction to this hobby!

[chrismp]

I did, and have been reading the board and getting all of the information before posting, but there was no info based on a low budget production. Everything I read just talked about how to and the best ways to do things, not the cost (or in my case the lack of)...

have you looked at the cordura frame presses?! we built our pneumatic press for under 100 EUR including the cordura from Montucky Madman! (got the hose for free from the local fire department)

[ApeNatural]

Yeah, I have looked at those. They look like a great option at this point and I am really thinking about doing one because of the cost (and it looks more portable). I am waiting to hear back from a guy who has one for sale locally for $200 including a cattrack. If I don't hear back from the guy, I am thinking about doing either a cordura or glulam press.

[skidesmond]

My $0.02
Your first pair of skis will probably be a good stoke, but will be destined for the wall of the shop as a trophy.
Your second pair will turn out better.

If you add up the costs to build your first 5 pair of skis including all equipment (big press etc) and materials you could probably buy 7 to 10 pair of last years models from EVO gear.

If you want to build your own skis 'cause its cheaper your mistaken.

If you want to build skis cause it's an awesome hobby. Then go for it.

If your planning on building for the market place ala iggy, be prepared to layout huge cash.

The cheapest way for a few pair is still vacuum.
Old fridge compressor mod = almost free
You only have to build 1/2 a mold. Etc


I don't want to discourage new builders but read all the posts.
If your looking at this as a hobby, and you have some disposable income, then go for it

sam

Excellent advice! I was already doing wood working for a long time so I had the tools. Finally dawned on me to combine wood working and skiing to make skis! Great hobby! As for my first pair of skis they ended up just as Sammer says. I saved one as a "trophy" and the other has been used for multiple experiments. Never skied on them. But I learned a lot from the first pair.