Does my press have to be huge to make quality skis/boards?

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

Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp

Post Reply
esscher
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:26 am

Does my press have to be huge to make quality skis/boards?

Post by esscher »

I've been looking at all the different presses that people have made, wonder if I have to have a press that is as beefy as the "kublai" or other massive presses that use heavy duty i-beams.

the press that is used in the video from ski builders does not seem to be nearly as massive as some of the presses I've seen.

what opinions do you people have on this?

esscher
plywood
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:13 am
Location: wilen, switzerland
Contact:

Re: Does my press have to be huge to make quality skis/board

Post by plywood »

no, you don`t have to have such a thing. well, it`s cool if you`ve got one, no doubt about that.
i think the first question you have to ask yourself is "how much money do i plan to spend on this?" (of course in the end it will be 10 times the amount you planned, because you got bitten by the skibuilderbug, but this is a different story ;) ) this very first question goes hand in hand with "how many skis do i want to build"

if you answer this question with "more than 15 pairs or so" then i`d start building such a beast as the kublai :D
plywood freeride industries - go ply, ride wood!
esscher
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:26 am

Post by esscher »

ok, so the idea is that a smaller, wimpier one will break down or begin to bulge or budge after about 15 skis?

esscher
Greg
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 11:41 am
Location: Sweden but home is NW Washington

Post by Greg »

That, and a smaller wimpier press can be a little more difficult to work with, and less reliable. This especially goes for my experience with presses fit for 1 ski. It just plain takes a long time to make a pair of skis, and a lot of effort to get matching pairs.

You might start with a vacuum press though, as that is a cheap, safe, and easy method to get started.
esscher
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:26 am

Post by esscher »

at this point, i decided i can afford to make the press that is detailed in the guides of this website.

Image

Would this press hold up to years of use?

Esscher[/img]
User avatar
littleKam
Site Admin
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:43 pm
Location: SoCal

Post by littleKam »

yeah i've used that press ^ for a while now. I would recommend making it a little larger though (the interior cavity) and use some stronger hardware.
- Kam S Leang (aka Little Kam)
Post Reply