Weird Room '2013/14

[IslandRider]

I thought about leaving the tip spacers attached, but was worried about an even bigger issue if one didn't seat properly. I'm going to try dowels on the next pair specifically so I can work towards less core material/pre beveled cores or sidewalls that need a bit more accuracy in locating parts.

Pulled the second pair out this morning. Cores stayed exactly where I put them with the tabs which is nice. This pair the clear topsheet shifted a bit as the pressure came on and may not completely cover the tip of one ski when cleaned up. Had the same issue with the last pair but it didn't move as much. Problem is caused by how the cattrack sits on the hoses when it inflates/deflates. I tried to get it lined up a bit better this time, but it still has a tendency to slide with pressure, so didn't fix it quite enough.

Overall pretty happy with this pair. Going to try some different approaches to graphics on the next few builds. These are working out OK, but they just don't come out as clean as I would like. I've got some veneers for the next pair, and then going to try some plain fabric graphics with hopefully a more clear topsheet.

Late xmas present for my old man, who's been on the patrol for 40 years or something ridiculous. Twice as much carbon uni as the last pair since they're thinner at the waist and he likes 2x4s. Topsheet looks a bit lumpy where I added a few extra layers of cloth for binding screws. Bases seem flat so fingers crossed. Wasn't expecting the carbon and core to show through the fabric, but it looks pretty cool. Stained the bottom of the cores black before layup. This pair is going to sit for a few days before I do anything else to them.





Also mounted bindings on the last pair to see how big of a problem the core shifting would be. Annoying, but will still be skiable. Didn't do inserts in the second pair, and of course the core didn't move.

[MontuckyMadman]

I dont thik yu want to ski those that far off center. Not on anything steep at least.

[IslandRider]

We'll see, I don't think it will be terrible but I may just be optimistic. Will try it with the short side on the inside edge and if it sucks I'll make a little aluminum offset plate to center the mount.

[twizzstyle]

I'll make a little aluminum offset plate to center the mount.

I was going to suggest something like that. I had to make something similar when I switched from my old Look Pivots to new ones. The toe pieces are the same but the heal pieces are different. I made some adapter plates that bolt to the ski, then the binding bolts to the plate. Easy to make, but only really feasible if it is offset by a little more than the diameter of your bolts. Otherwise you may have to move the bindings forward or aft a little bit to give clearance between the bolts (the ones going into the ski, and the ones going through the binding)

[vinman]

Binding Freedom makes a plate that is used as an adapter for dukes/barons. That would likely have a hole pattern that is different enough to not be an issue.

[IslandRider]

Off the shelf adapter plate won't work I don't think. Mount area of the core is cedar and I doubt it would hold screws very long. Its about a diameter off center so I should be able to go straight sideways with a small plate if I need to. Only real downside is that the barons/dukes are pretty tall as it is.

[IslandRider]

Ground a drag knife out of an old broken blank I had. Way, way, waaaay nicer than what I was doing for the base work. No mess, no noise, no cleanup before putting the edges on. Then got a little carried away after some test pieces that worked well. These turned into a giant pain in the ass, and worked out OK, but not great. Too much detail. Should have started with just a circle and worked up from there, but oh well. Also tried some veneer cause I was at the store and saw some cheap and though why not. Wasn't paper backed, might as well have been made out of glass. Lettering is suspect on both the bases and the topsheet, but they're both flat and should clean up fine. It was all going great till I had to start putting the centers in 'O's and 'R's. Next time I'll start with the right materials and keep it simple. The moms is happy with them so good enough for now. And I learned what not to do next time.

Test piece was a breeze, so jumped in head first. Bad idea.









This is right out of the press more or less. Put the topsheets on dry and was planning on sanding to clean up. Epoxy pushed right though and sealed everything in there, including the tape I stuck on last minute to keep the top sheets in place. Still need a couple coats of clear before they're done.

Also need to find a better way to cut out the flash, a jigsaw is not it. At least an hour per pair, and 3 blades, with every combination of speed/water/wax I could think of to try to keep it cool.

Used dowels for core alignment this pair. Dimpled the bases a bit despite being pretty sure they were shorter than they needed to be. Small enough dimple that they'll still clean up, and much faster than the tabs, plus kept everything exactly where I put it so going to stick with that for sure.


Sidewall cleanup jig works awesome though.

[twizzstyle]

Wow those turned out fantastic!!!! Homemade drag knives are such a killer way to go!

I've only tried cutting veneer with my drag knife once - it was a joke. I've just got some paper-thin bamboo veneer (that has a thin paper backing). As soon as it cut against the grain even a little bit, it just ripped it to shreds.

[IslandRider]

It was your broken tool drag knife that gave me the idea, so props for that. And agreed, the veneer was a royal pain in the ass. I cut the mountains first and its mostly with the grain and went very well so I got a little too confident. The letters cut fine, but I had held them down with spray glue and only a couple came up in one piece. On the darker wood I glued a sheet of tissue paper to the back side with watered down wood glue and it stayed together much better and came off the table cleaner, but still not something I'm interested in doing again any time soon. I'm hoping backed veneers are better. Tried a couple cuts with vacuum and just taping the veneer down and that didn't work at all, basically exploded as soon as it was going across the grain.

[IslandRider]

Do any of you guys have trouble getting shops to work on your stuff? There aren't a lot of options here in Vic, but I had to haggle with the guy at Sport Chek to get him to even do a base grind to clean up the tiny bit of epoxy that got under the bases on my first set (I know, but the other option is Sport Traders, neither great but Sport Chek's machine is at least brand new). No edge grind, wouldn't touch the bindings, and didn't want to do the bases at all. Had them for a week and when I went to pick them up he basically said they were going to give me my money back, take these things away from here. Kept saying 'liability issue'. I managed to convince him to do just the bases, but ended up only running them through once it looks like. Cleaned up 90% but there's lot of material there and could have been way better. The bases were basically flat so its not like I was asking him to fix a major dded up.

Shipped that set out to my dad back east and the tech he went to told him he "had to set the DIN really low so the bindings release before the ski breaks in half". There's nothing about the skis I've made that suggest they would break in half, and really the ones I sent out there were stiff as hell, way stiffer than my old Seths which is all I had on hand to compare. I probably would have gone somewhere else, but now the old man is all sketched out about it. Wants to mount them on a wall and not risk breaking them, which is ridiculous. The veneer top pair I made for my mom were the most 'normal' looking of the 3, and she had no issues getting a full tune and new bindings mounted. I'm getting the impression that its a "I've never seen anything like this and I don't know what to do" kind of situation. Sport Chek I can understand, I don't trust them to do anything but didn't have much choice. The place my dad went seemed like a half decent ski specific shop when I was there years ago. Don't know what the score is now, but I guess I'm wondering if this is a common issue or if I've just managed to run into some boneheads out of the gate. Frustrating to say the least. I may be forced to build/buy a grinder.

[IslandRider]

On the upside, the old man is taking his out patrolling tomorrow, and now that mine are at least sorta cleaned up I'm going to take them for a rip Saturday, even though the forecast is shitty. This season has been brutal so far on the coast.

Price check on aisle 6


And production so far right before the two on the left got taken away. Going to make my GF a snowboard next, but need to make a set of tooling first.

[MadRussian]

I have my own base sander. For me finishing up skis with base Sander most fun part of the project. However I am friendly with shop manager at one local mountain and he offered me do all work without problem. When I brought my skis to show he suggests stone grind I decline but can do any time. So I don't have a problem but I read here sometimes people does.

[twizzstyle]

They may be more receptive if you can remove all of the epoxy first. It is certainly a liability - if your ski comes apart in their machine, it could be a very expensive disaster. I can certainly understand shops being concerned about homemade skis.

Getting your own grinder - while it can be hard to find an affordable one - is the best option. There are a few of us on here that have managed to get our hands on our own.

[KindredSnow]

I'm up in Comox but your welcome to run them through my machine if you like.

[sammer]

I've got a few buddies that work in ski shops and even they are reluctant to do a proper grind on fresh skis.
When factory built skis come into the shop they have already been thru the robot so are ready to go.

Maybe a stone grind, but not 10 passes on the 80grit belt.
They just don't understand it.

When I first started building, one of my buds was keen to grind them to hang out and drink beer and talk about ski building.
But after a few nights he said enough's enough, and wouldn't do them anymore.

Bought a grindright, probably paid too much but, it's worth it.
No more getting skis back with epoxy still on the base, after paying $25+.
No more having to buy 2 flats of beer and still having to file off more 'cause the ski tech buddy didn't want to "grind thru the base"

Now if I sand down to core it's my problem, I'm not going to say it hasn't happened.
No more liability for the ski tech or his shop.

And that's what it all comes down to is liability.
You want your bases flat and clean, it's not always do-able.
If your tech grinds down to core who is paying for new skis?

Ski techs will do 2-3 passes on a 120 grit belt max, even if your buying them beer and trying to cloud their judgement, still not gonna happen, too far outside their comfort zone.

If you are gonna build more than a few pairs you will either have to have a "REALLY GOOD FRIEND" who works in a ski shop, or buy a grinder and learn to do it yourself.
There is a bit of learning curve, Almost ground thru a pair today. Bases are pretty darn thin and you can see the core thru the ptex.
After grinding right thru a couple pair you'll learn when to stop!

sam