Ski Builders Forum

Better late than never.
We have started to work this spring (2015).
The first thing was to decide weather it is possible to start manufacturing snowboards in Ukraine or not.
On the one hand there were lack of materials and unfavorable economic situation.
But on the other hand it was sweet to thing that we will be the first in our country))
So, we decide to work hard...

Having defined the type and design of our press we performed some calculations to obtain the results of stress and displacements. And in the result we chose cross-sections of future I-beams.


After a while we were able to purchase the necessary material for a low price. These were not new I-beams but they were straight and it was enough.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

Those beams look like a fine start to a good press. Do you have 4 lengths? The photo shows only 3.

Thanks for the support.
Yes, we have 4 I-beam sections.
So, let me continue.

The next step was to work with metal. Metal cutting and stripping took some time. Good angle grinder in this case, is the best friend.



Work is not the most difficult and does not require great precision.

If in the previous step metal could be cut right and left, the bolt holes required special accuracy.
We faced some difficulties on the stage of drilling holes since we have tried a few methods.
The first one was a bit crazy and material consumptive.
We used a hand drill. We drilled holes gradually from small to large. But drills often broke and dulled.
And even once the drill got stuck and we couldn't remove it for a long time.

The glory of the universe, I remembered a friend who works with the metal products. They had a special drill with an electromagnet.
Working with this device was a pleasure.

After some tries to make an ideal holes arrangement we finally installed all beams into place.


bolts of strength class 8.8 or higher are welcome
We have calculated that bolts of diameter 16 mm and grade of strength 8.8 will be enough for one side of the beam, but we took diameter 20. Looks more safe))

Heavy work was almost done.

A little cut sides of the ends of I-beams to reduce weight of construction and warn cut on the sharp edges of metal and then apply some yellow paint to prevent corrosion.

Afterwards, installation once more.

Before start working with moldings we had to create the model of the first snowboard. The scientific work of Ka Wai Lee "Full customisation, quick performance estimation and optimisation of parametric snowboard design" helped us a lot in this.
So, we fell into work with wood.
The first step was to create bottom and top molding.
We would like to make the adjustible molding in such a manner.

So, here are some pictures from the process of molding creation.


Here we use some instruments to make a surface smooth.

Our first test molding was made of pine. But all next ones will be made of MDF since it is easier to work on it.

Creative use of tools Very cool, like the floor sander idea and also the weights

One of the difficult stages was associated with the construction of an air bladder. It was difficult to find right fire hose. First we decided to purchase it somewhere in Europe or in USA but the freight was too expensive. So we decided to buy one in Ukraine. We were not sure in the quality and strength but it was the cheapest option. For comparison, the price of 20 miters of hose add up to 70 dollars)) Hose is made of kapron fiber and rubber from inside. It is not elastic.
So, we followed all the steps form the @skibuilders@ manual guide and some posts to construct the air bladder.

First time we used the method that requires silicone to insulate air valve and space inside the hose on the ends where L-sections are located. But something interesting will happen later...

For the first time we decided to inflate the hose up to 25-30 psi and leave over night.
The hose passed the test, and later we pumped it up to 50 psi.

Awesome guys, realy enjoying your log. Love the way you are fighting the problems of getting the materials in your country and the unique solutions you are finding for your problems.
Looking forward to seeing the first results... Keep it up.

After collecting all the items in a bunch, we began testing the press. The first test passed without a hitch.
At 50 psi the deflection in the middle between upper and lower I-beams was about 12 mm.
I didn't imagine that I-beam with such cross-section can be elastic under 50 psi. Compressed air makes marvel))


The cat-trackers are made of aluminium square profile with wall thickness add up to 1.5 mm. It seems that it is too thin profile, but I have calculated that each tube will perceive 200-300 kilograms. Strength analysis showed that there will be very small axial deformations.
Testing showed that the theory was true.
The construction of cat-trackers was taken from posts of members of @skibuilders@ forum. (metal rod, springs and clamps for springs).
Also we have welded 6 wheels to the bottom I-beams, just in case.
We were very happy with our work))

Holy cow, Talk about moving fast!