Ski Builders Forum

I've visited the website many times. have made my templates, press and am now ready to glue up my core. thinking of a symetrical lamination, vertical grain. what type of core profile would you suggest: linear, or parabolic? how far in from tip and tail should i run my 2mm thickness? Lastly, should i continue my edges all the way around the tips and tails, or should leave them short? thanks for the help! This forum rocks and has been a huge help. all for now...

Are you a skateboard builder?

I am not sure what a parabolic or linear core is so I can't help u there. Regarding the 2mm tip and tail, I run it the effective edge. For me I do 6mm flat from binding to binding and then taper from 6 to 2 where the effective edge stops. You may want to buy your first core so you can look at it and measure it up. Snowboardmaterials.com has profiled cores for cheaper then u can build them. Regarding your edges; for your first board keep everything as simple as possible. Don't try to bend your edges, its a fricken pain in the ass and takes lots of practice.

2 mm should pretty much be only from the end of the effective edge (on a standard camber board) through the tip or tail.

Nobody that I know of does a parabolic core. A linear core is much easier to machine, and I can't see how there would be any benefit to having a parabolic core shape.

Linear or Parabolic core - Linear is easier especially if you're doing wood sidewalls. If you're using plastic sidewalls then you'll want to shape the core first, then apply the plastic sidewalls.

cool, thanks for the tips. not a skate boarder. i couldn't even stay on the thing for a second, but wish i could. what do you guys mean by "effective edge"? do you mean the part of the edge that engages the turn? would you suggest cutting a rabbet in the core to accept the edge so the core and the base lay flat against each other nice and groovy? okay, thanks

TSIRAK wrote:cool, thanks for the tips. not a skate boarder. i couldn't even stay on the thing for a second, but wish i could. what do you guys mean by "effective edge"? do you mean the part of the edge that engages the turn? would you suggest cutting a rabbet in the core to accept the edge so the core and the base lay flat against each other nice and groovy? okay, thanks

Search on "effective edge" and yes, rabbet the core for the best results although you can get away w/o doing it.

+1 on the rabbit. You'll have much less grinding to do on the base.

Are you doing skis or snowboards? That changes the core thickness drastically, if you're doing skis don't do a 6mm center like they suggested!

yeah, so i'm thinking i like a softer ski so 9-11mm thickness under foot and want wood side walls. thinking of doing an ash/maple composite/ with ash side walls. any suggestions on wood species? will profile with planer jig as shown on the website (linear and symetrical lamination, book match, vertical grain.)

what yea think of this:

1. glue up blank core
2. shape (how far in from edge should i leave for side walls?)
3. glue on side walls.
4. profile (linear)

thanks, this is really helpful

9-11 is a HUGE difference.

Time to start reading. All of your questions have been answered many times on this site.

your core workflow sounds right. i usually have sidewalls about 1.5cm wide, but that's only possible if you have some way of fixing your core in your press so it doesn't slip (ie. glueing dowels to the base that keep the core in place) otherwise i'd recommend making your sidewalls 2.5cm (=1 inch) wide. here's a whole thread on the issue: http://www.skibuilders.com/phpBB2/viewt ... dowel+base

Yes, i agree there is much more reading i need to do. i'm a first time ski builder so i'm trying to get a sense of what wood species work the best. i've heard maple and ash are the best for flex and durability. have any suggestions on where to find literature on this topic? my other idea is to mill out core blanks of the same material and profile to different thicknesses and ski test. awesome.

Everything you want to know about wood cores and wood species is in this forum. Maple, ash, bamboo, poplar, fir and mixes of each can be used. But other species can be used too. It all depends on the desired results you're looking for.

If you have the time and resources, mill out a few different types and conduct some tests.