Ski Builders Forum

Hello,
I'm starting to build a pair of freestyle skis. They will be of a simple construction: 104-80-104, 18 metres for 160cm. Symetrical design, since it is easier to build

transparent topsheet (skibuilders)
cotton printed fabric/wood veneer
22oz triaxial
Wood core
22oz triaxial
Rubber Foil (VDS) (skibuilders)
4001 black p-tex

But what thickness should my core be? Do I really need to pay 30$ for the sidewalls or can my skis live without them? And what are the best combinations of woods for this kind of skis? I also wonder if the wood veneer needs a special treatment, or if it will be easy to bond...

Maxime

You can use wood sidewalls. I do. As for core thickness, that all depends on the wood you are using and if you want a firm or soft ski. My skis are 2-3 mm in the tip and tail and about 11-12mm under foot. They are firm. Typically the sidewall should be a hard wood (ash, maple, bamboo, etc.) so it can withstand getting banged around. For the core I've been using mostly solid ash. I've used a mix of maple/poplar in another pair.

Veneer will bond w/o any special treatments.

With those waist dims and using poplar a 12mm core will be rather soft.
Either, thicker core if you use a medium wood like poplar or aspen or stiffer wood, or an extra layer of glass perhaps.

Varying the tip thickness will really tell the tale.

After you profile the core hand flex it for a few days. Feel it out. It would seem the core really dictates the stiffness of the ski maybe more than half.
You may have trouble with such a side cut to bleed the core to the sidewalls, because you will run into your core laminate and run the risk of sections peeling off after 30 days or so.

If this is a park ski I would suggest a harder sidewall of harder wood.

Ok, thanks.

I will do a poplar 12mm core with hard maple sidewalls. And I will see after profiling the core if I put one or two layers of Fiber glass.

I will post updates when the work will be starting