Ski Builders Forum

Asalamalekoom skibuilders! first time poster, longtime lurker.... are paper backed veneers suitable for ski building or is non backed recomended? also:how are those using veneers protecting them from epoxy during lay-up and pressing? (i use a vaccum press)
any / all input welcome.

dont use paper backed, also your not protecting it from epoxy because how else are you gonna laminate it onto your deck/skis.

now if you were wanting to stain the wood in this case you would typically have to do it before hand.

Paper backed veneers are often extremely thin. They have to have the paper to hold them together otherwise the grain would just fall apart. I got some wood topsheets my skis from https://www.theveneerstore.com. The price was pretty good and the quality is outstanding. Shipping is steep but if you get enough for several pairs or snowboards than it isn't bad. Edensaw lumber is another good distributor, especially if you live in the north west.

On the same topic. What thickness are most people using? I am going to cut some veneers this weekend and was just looking for a starting thickness to try. Any noticeable difference in ski stiffness/flex depending on the thickness of the veneer? Sorry for the slight thread hijack and thanks for any help.

typical thickness is 1/42" or there abouts, as for adding stiffness, being that thin, you cant notice a difference because really no extra strength is added with the veneer (ok sure mabey a tiny tiny bit, but not noticeable)