Ski Builders Forum

Hello everyone, I have been lurking around this site a little over a year after I read the article in Make Magazine and thanks to all the great info on the site I have finally finished my first pair of skis. I live in Troy Vermont, right next to Jay Peak.

the skis measure 136-98-120 x 186 long

Construction:

clear top sheet
cotton fabric (red)
22oz triax
Poplar core with ash side walls and plastic tip spacers
22oz triax
VDS
Base

The core is 3mm thick at the tip and tail and 13.5mm at waist. my first attempt was with p-tex side walls but my planer ate them up during profiling so I decided to use ash instead. I used a vacuum press for layup. Flex seems to be good and over all I'm very happy with the results. I should be able to test them out this weekend.

Any recommendations on how to locate my bindings? I'm going to mount Fritschi Diamir Freeride AT bindings.

Big thanks to everyone who contributes to this community, without your input I couldn't have done it.

EDIT: Because I'm a new member due to site rules to fight spam, I cant post the link to the pictures until I have 2 posts and have been a member for a least a day

well then, i`m looking forward seeing some pictures you core seems quite thick to me. how heavy are your skis?

yeah, it does sound kind of thick... how stiff are they?!

Having trouble locating your bindings? Maybe a roomate took them.

Seriously though, I design my ski shape for a specific mounting point. I usually put the boot midsole at 45% of the sidecut measuring from the tail end. I also design the narrowest part of the ski at the boot midsole. I have found that this works great for my skiing style.

I assume that you did not do this when designing your ski but not to worry. Maybe try and compare to a ski such as the Nordica Enforcer. But trying to compare skis is usually comparing apples to oranges since tip and tail lengths vary especially with twin tips so maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.

Finding the sweet spot for mounting isn't an exact science. Some of this comes from trial and error and the ability to demo skis. I have owned over 50 pair of skis in my skiing history and mounted a couple thousand skis over the years(yes, I am old) and there are many times where remounting is the answer.

A general rule of thumb is
farther back= longer radius turns, straightlining the chimney, easier tip float in pow, skiing mach looney

farther forward= shorter quicker turns, tight trees, bumps, stunt ditch riding

Good luck. Mount em up and go skiing and then post some pics!

I usually mount my bindings 5cm back from the true center of the ski. This works for me, but may be too far forward if you were born prior to the 80's. If you go to a ski shop and look at some different skis you will find that some companies are marking the true center of the ski as well as a recommended mounting location. I believe on most skis the difference between the two lines is around 7 cm depending on length and type of ski.

you core seems quite thick to me. how heavy are your skis?

yeah, it does sound kind of thick... how stiff are they?!

They are stiff, but not too bad, they are very similar to my head mojo 90s. I was trying to build an all mountain ski that would work well on and off the groomers so I wanted to make sure they weren't too soft. I guess I will find out this weekend. I have decided to mount the boot center 45% of the length from the tail, this is where my Mojo's are mounted and is actually almost the same spot as the ball on center method others have used.

Finding the sweet spot for mounting isn't an exact science. Some of this comes from trial and error and the ability to demo skis. I have owned over 50 pair of skis in my skiing history and mounted a couple thousand skis over the years(yes, I am old) and there are many times where remounting is the answer.

A general rule of thumb is
farther back= longer radius turns, straightlining the chimney, easier tip float in pow, skiing mach looney

farther forward= shorter quicker turns, tight trees, bumps, stunt ditch riding

I have skied the last two seasons with railflex bindings that allow me to quickly move the binding forward or back 1.5 cm. Its amazing how much of a difference just 1.5cm makes, the skis feel completely different. I would just mount those bindings but I want to do some touring on these new skis.

congats on the first pair!!

I would mount up the railflex bindings to find the proper mount point. Then once you've figured it out mount up the fritschis.
That way you only end up with a couple sets of holes drilled in your skis.

sam

That probably would be the smart thing to do.

I have to resize the pictures so they can be posted here. in the mean time build pics can be found here. Click on page 2 to see the the finished skis.

I like your tie rod camber table - That is Slick!

Skis look great too!

is this white err yellow vds?

those skis look great, another nice setup and very clean / smart job !
Congratulations !

What's the surface of your mold ?

Thanks everyone. Yes, the VDS is yellow, I think they call it natural. The top of the mold is what I think people call puck board. It's hardboard with a smooth white finish on one side.

Someone asked about weight, they are 4.3 pounds each. They don't feel heavy to me but I'm used to heavy ski's.

Yellow VDS is natural its all i could find last time i needed it.
But puckboard is hdpe plastic used as boards at hockey rinks.It's solid white plastic,
I use it on top of my vacuum mold to smooth out the transition between camber and tip/tail section. really awesome stuff, tough as nails,
I'm still trying to find a way to use it as sidewalls, but even with flaming I still can't get it to bond!

sam