4frnt's ski press.

For discussions related to designing and making ski/snowboard-building equipment, such as presses, core profilers, edge benders, etc.

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a.badner
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Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 6:12 pm

4frnt's ski press.

Post by a.badner »

taken right off of newschoolers.

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are all those pipes water heating?
iggyskier
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Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Post by iggyskier »

Yes, their press uses hot water for heating.
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MontuckyMadman
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Post by MontuckyMadman »

hey ig, why does your press design have such a gigantic opening top to bottom?

Seems like your bottom mold is huge. Is that a strength thing for over time or what?

Huh taken from google. color even

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Look at this gallery dood.
http://picasaweb.google.com/RobBoice/4f ... 6646316098

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Richuk
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Location: The Duchy of Grand Fenwick

Post by Richuk »

another hot water press http://lineskis.com/our-story scroll down.
iggyskier
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Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Post by iggyskier »

MontuckyMadman wrote:hey ig, why does your press design have such a gigantic opening top to bottom?

Seems like your bottom mold is huge. Is that a strength thing for over time or what?
Originally we were going to build a press that had a sliding mold track a la burton so that loading the skis was super easy. I didn't have time to set it up last year, but we designed the press with a wide enough opening so that I could implement it in the future.

Honestly, though, I've gotten so fast loading flat cassette into the press there is no reason for us to do it now.

last year our button molds were terrible. I dded hated them. Instead of taking up space in the top, we took up space with the mold and loading and unloading was absolutely terrifying and almost broke toes several times. One time it did result in this...

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which hurt. a lot.

Anyway, this year we just redesigned all the molds so they are much thinner and easier to lift.

Last year with the bottom filling the space
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This year with the top filling the space
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Just fyi, too. When I backed up our site, I didn't back up all of the photos from the website that were no longer in use, so when it got hacked and we had to reset everything, reason they are no longer there is they didn't get backed up to the ftp.

Anyway, funny story about that 4frnt press.

If I recall correctly, it was won as a settlement in a lawsuit between 4frnt and Option in Vancouver. When they went to pick it up and move it down to Vashion Island, where its been for a few years before they moved it to SLC, they were loading it onto a trailer and it tipped over, just as Sterbenz jumped out of the way. Thing seriously almost killed him.

Pretty sure they got into a car accident on the way from WA to SLC with it too.

Definitely a baller press.
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falls
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Location: Wangaratta, Australia

Post by falls »

The whole story about Eric however you spell his last name actually making the 350 pairs of EHP pros for this year is pretty interesting. If you find the blog it's pretty funny because he goes through all the steps and learning experiences we have all been through even though he has 4frnt right behind him! They even bent the edges by hand for 350 pairs!!!
Don't wait up, I'm off to kill Summer....
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a.badner
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Post by a.badner »

falls wrote:The whole story about Eric however you spell his last name actually making the 350 pairs of EHP pros for this year is pretty interesting. If you find the blog it's pretty funny because he goes through all the steps and learning experiences we have all been through even though he has 4frnt right behind him! They even bent the edges by hand for 350 pairs!!!
eric hjorleifson?

INTERESTING!

http://www.4frnt.com/index.php/eric-hjorleifson-main

as of right now, i have no clue how to bends edges. my initial thought was to, glue the edge at each end and then using aligator clamps start pushing it agaisnt the p-tex. atleast that what it looks like in iggies lay-u vid. but then looking through the yardsales, he had PRE-BENT edges for sale. and then i felt really stupid.
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a.badner
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Post by a.badner »

and wow, according to the blog, it looks like they only have one press!
they alot of skis too.
twizzstyle
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Location: Kenmore, Wa USA

Post by twizzstyle »

a.badner wrote:my initial thought was to, glue the edge at each end and then using aligator clamps start pushing it agaisnt the p-tex.
The glue won't hold that, the steel is very very hard to bend, has to be pre-bent for the tips (for the sidecut it doesn't matter). You can bend it by hand with pliers, but it takes a lot of trial and error to make it perfect. You can make an edge bender and get pretty nice results, but it costs money to make a nice bender (if you go all out and get roller dies machined). Or, for your first pair it may be easier to not have full wrap, no bending required.

I had no idea 4FRNT was on Vashon! Crazy. I worked at K2 on the island for a summer a few years back, I loved it out there.
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a.badner
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Post by a.badner »

well, ya
i never really wanted to bend all the way around the tip.
i just wanted the edge to strt/stop where the rise starts.
iggyskier
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Location: Portland, OR

Post by iggyskier »

twizzstyle wrote:
I had no idea 4FRNT was on Vashon! Crazy. I worked at K2 on the island for a summer a few years back, I loved it out there.
Well, sort of. Bob Boice (cadman on here) did prototype work for 4frnt on vashion before the press got moved to slc.
maximegb5
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Post by maximegb5 »

Badner

I went to see a ski maker here in Quebec during the summer (Utopie Snowboard) and he suggested to stop the edges at a minimum of 2 cm after the beginning of the tip, so that it doesn't tear from the simple contact of snow. Also, you'll need to do a little cut in the base so that your edges finishes in the base material to put the smallest quantity of the tip of the edge in the open, where it is more weak to shocks.
skidesmond
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Post by skidesmond »

maximegb5 wrote:Badner

I went to see a ski maker here in Quebec during the summer (Utopie Snowboard) and he suggested to stop the edges at a minimum of 2 cm after the beginning of the tip, so that it doesn't tear from the simple contact of snow. Also, you'll need to do a little cut in the base so that your edges finishes in the base material to put the smallest quantity of the tip of the edge in the open, where it is more weak to shocks.
I think it was shopvac who shows how to make the ski template for 3/4 a wrap edges. I use that technique too.
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