Ski Builders Forum

Hello- first post.
The quarantine has led to begin two stalled ski-making projects, including building a pair from scratch with my son.

The more pressing matter right now is an old pair of Dynastar Legend Pros that I have. I was able to remove the factory top sheet, keeping the resto of the ski intact. The fiberglass layer still covers the wood core.

I have a lovely slab of Swedish Beam that I have planed and plan to use as a top sheet.
But I have questions.
1) Is the existing fiberglass enough? Can I rough it up and just wet the glass and wood top sheet before pressing?
2) pros / cons of leaving wood alone as the top sheet? Should I laminate the wood with a proper top sheet?
3) Best method to plus core bores for previous bindings?

Thanks to everyone for posting- this site has been a savior during our lock-down.
Izzy
Eldorado Springs, CO

I have never done a veneer topsheet but I don't think that you would have any problem with bonding to the old ski. I know I have read some info about veneer finishing so the info should be buried in here somewhere or perhaps someone else can chime in.

I'm concerned with how many holes are in the skis already. Are you planning on reusing existing holes? I always plug old holes with a glue gun. It's quick and easy. But if you are laying down epoxy for the topsheet, I would think that it would fill the old holes just fine. Knowing where those old holes are when remounting is another story.

Thanks for the feedback.
The long term mounting / use of the skis is still in question, so yeah, I don't know about plugging the holes. I have a piece of paper that is cut to the profile of the skis that helps me to see where the binding holes are located so that I could potentially avoid them.
I will start digging for old info!

You can put the veneer on using epoxy. A vacuum press might work better in this case. Epoxy will fill in where the binding holes were. You could also cut wood plugs to fill the holes, or mix sawdust and epoxy to fill the holes. If you’re trying to preserve the holes for remounting, not sure house to do that.

Pics when you’re done.

Just as a catch-up, I have had some questions regarding whether I should treat the top of the wood topsheet. To answer those questions, I delaminated the tail end of an old Volkl Mantra, sanded the glass, and fit a piece of the same wood I plan to use on my skis. I split that into 3 sections. On one, I put a clear top sheet over the wood. On the second, I wetted some fiberglass and laminated with that. I left the third section with no treatment, expecting to add oil / etc afterwards. I did a ghetto press with wood clamps, a heating pad and heat gun, and will reevaluate the results tomorrow.

My ghetto press taught me a few things...
1) You need to scrape out the air bubble prior to pressing.
2) Walgreens Heating Pads are sub-par.

A good experiment.

I found a friend with a vacuum press- next pair will be done there.
Until then, continued thanks for your feedback. A worthy diversion from the zombie apocalypse.