Ski Builders Forum

I'm in the process of redisigning my press and how I do the lay-up. I have heard of some of the builders using indexing pins in order to keep the lay-up in alignment. I use a "standoff" in my layup which aligns the base and the core. This works fine. However the information I'm looking for is the "pins" used for the cassette. Keeping everything in alignment for the insertion into the press. I'm not sure about the bottom material for the cassette. Plastic or metal. Don't know if this will make a diference in the use or type of indexing pins?
Any help would be great! (Hope this makes sense).
rockaukum

So these pins would be outside of the layup area, along the sides of your mold?


How about 1/4" metal dowel pins?

I would assume so, but not too sure. Also would they need to be affixed to the base mold?
rockaukum

Hey I saw this at pm gear. They basically had a key of small sections of aluminum plate outside the baldder/layup area on the movable cassette/mold Then attached to the press was a wood key that the bottom mold key slid into and it was static and held the mold perfect.
Does this make sense?
Is this what you were looking for?

Sounds like it.
The cassette has a pin (or would it be a series of pins?) on the bottom portion and a hole (?) in the upper portion which will keep the top and bottom together. Would this be the same as using clamps? The cassette would have to be wider than the press, at least the molds, bladder and cat track so the pins would not interfere with the pressing.
I think it would be the same for the cassette to mold portion but I'm not too clear with this. How is there location pins in the mold and it not interfere with the pressing? IE: leaving some kind of mark in the skis?
Thanks for the help.
rockaukum

rock,

What are you trying to locate, in relation to what else?


Is this a 2-piece mold? Or are you trying to locate the mold within the press?

krp8128,
I am going to try to use a cassette in the lay up. Previously durring lay up I would remove the bottom mold and complete the lay up process on it. Now I would like to leave the mold in the press, and do the layup on a cassette of some sort (either HDPE or aluminum), then insert the cassette into the press.
Under the current method, I have the skis located on the mold. What my concern with the cassette method is that the cassette alignment while inserting it into the press. The skis will be aligned on the cassette but is there not room for error while inserting the cassette into the mold? IE: if the cassette was to far to the front would the camber also be forward?
This is why I'm looking for information of the method (locating pins) for locating the cassette into the press.
Otherwise I guess I'll just mark locations with with a sharpe and set the cassette to that.
krp8128, Thanks for the help
rockaukum

rockaukum wrote:krp8128,
I am going to try to use a cassette in the lay up. Previously durring lay up I would remove the bottom mold and complete the lay up process on it. Now I would like to leave the mold in the press, and do the layup on a cassette of some sort (either HDPE or aluminum), then insert the cassette into the press.
Under the current method, I have the skis located on the mold. What my concern with the cassette method is that the cassette alignment while inserting it into the press. The skis will be aligned on the cassette but is there not room for error while inserting the cassette into the mold? IE: if the cassette was to far to the front would the camber also be forward?
This is why I'm looking for information of the method (locating pins) for locating the cassette into the press.
Otherwise I guess I'll just mark locations with with a sharpe and set the cassette to that.
krp8128, Thanks for the help
rockaukum

Place the cassette into the mold, align and clamp it down. Then drill 4 (maybe 6) 1/4"holes around the perimeter, through the cassette and into the mold. Remove teh cassette, and pound 1/4" dowel pins into the mold, leaving just enough stcking out to hold the cassette sheet. You will probably now have to oversize the holes in the cassette, say to .257 or .261 (F or G drill). Everything should now be perfectly aligned.

The cassttes I saw had no way of locking the top to the bottom.
Just keys the bottom in outside the confines of the press.

drill a couple more holes,
use zip-ties to secure cassette top to cassette bottom, BURTON STYLE!!!

but yea that method of drilling then fitting dowels is right on.

you just have to do it in a spot that doesnt interfere with any of the stuff coming down on it.

Could it be that simple? Thanks for all the help on this.
rockaukum

good stuff indeed.