Hello everybody!
I've just started my career as a skibuilder here in Stockholm, Sweden, and last night I tried out my new planer and newly constructed, fully adjustable, planer jig. It worked like a charm and I have to start laminating some actual cores to get started for real.
The height of the jig is adjustable at both ends and also lengthwize by half of it beeing slidable and using middle sections of different lengths. Although it's pretty heavy the planer has no probelms feeding it through. I will also be fitting some sort of friction media on top of the jig to avoid having to glue the cores to it - probably some sort of rubber mat. The jig is 31 cm in width to accomodate a pair of pretty wide cores at the same time to minimize differences between them.
I'll be using a vacuum pump for he final stage of the building. Hopefully I'll have a first pair finished a few week after christmas. But before that I have to make the mold (wich will also be adjustable - camber and length)) - more on that later.
As this is my first post here on the forums I would also like to take the oppurtunity to thank everybody who is active on the forums and has inspired me to get started with this. And not the least you guys who run Skibuilders for the exellent website and shipping the materials all the way over to Sweden!
/Johan
Another skibuilder getting started!
Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp
Pictures of the jig
I'll be posting some pics of the jig as soon as I'm allowed to post links :-)
Link to pictures
Here is the link to the pictures - http://picasaweb.google.com/jyveborg/skibuilding
In theory
Thanks - yes the planer method really look promising!
I thought I'd tell you all how the mold will work in theory until I've actually built it.
Since i will be using vacuum it will be somewhat easier than doing a mold for a press becasue of the not so great forces involved.
It will simply consist of tree parts plus tip and tail molds.
1. A bottom part or just a flat surface like a table.
2. The mold part made out of cheap styrofoam (will be cut with hotwire to the shape of the camber).
3. A top part made out of mdf for flatness.
The tip and tail molds will be attached to the flat top part at the desired length of the ski and the ski will be layed up with the top part separe from the "mold" part. After this the whole thing will be inserted into a bag and put under vacuum. The top part will flex to the shape of the styrofoam mold and the camber is created. Should work with reverse camber and rocker skis also. The styrofoam should cope with the pressure since many surfboards are made under vacuum.
It might not be defined as "adjustable" but cutting out a new camber mold of styrofoam will be virtually free as it will only be a couple of cm thick. And it will be a lot faster than doing it out of mdf for every type of camber I'd like to try.
I thought I'd tell you all how the mold will work in theory until I've actually built it.
Since i will be using vacuum it will be somewhat easier than doing a mold for a press becasue of the not so great forces involved.
It will simply consist of tree parts plus tip and tail molds.
1. A bottom part or just a flat surface like a table.
2. The mold part made out of cheap styrofoam (will be cut with hotwire to the shape of the camber).
3. A top part made out of mdf for flatness.
The tip and tail molds will be attached to the flat top part at the desired length of the ski and the ski will be layed up with the top part separe from the "mold" part. After this the whole thing will be inserted into a bag and put under vacuum. The top part will flex to the shape of the styrofoam mold and the camber is created. Should work with reverse camber and rocker skis also. The styrofoam should cope with the pressure since many surfboards are made under vacuum.
It might not be defined as "adjustable" but cutting out a new camber mold of styrofoam will be virtually free as it will only be a couple of cm thick. And it will be a lot faster than doing it out of mdf for every type of camber I'd like to try.