Ski Builders Forum

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

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

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

esscher

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.

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



Would this press hold up to years of use?

Esscher[/img]

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.