Ski Press (Sorry if this has been done)

Biggie_L1v3S

Biggie_L1v3S

Member
Can anyone give me a link or directions for making a ski press. For my first time, I am prioritizing over cheapness, than quality, and don't really care how long it takes to build. From what my research shows [correct me if I am wrong], the cheapest method is the clamp method. Links, direction, anything will help.
Thanks,metsrule08
 
iggyskier is on NS!! i was looking at his stuff [ON3P], and if we could make a ski have as good as some of those, I would never buy skis again. hes amazing!!!
 
Its alot more expensive and difficult than one might think. We have a press at our school for making snowboards, and even the best ones that we come up with are still pretty shitty.
 
best bet would be talking to scott about this or visiting skibuilders, but the first thing scott will tell you is that it takes A LOT of time and money

also talk with powforbreakfast, i know he makes some skis
 
This one knows what he is talking about.
If you do it well and really understand ski construction and flex patterns you will make good skis.
If you simply throw some wood and p-tex together and epoxy it, you will fail miserably.
I know someone who made a ski press and is still riding a pair of pow skis he made a bit more than a year ago. It works, and it works well when done right.
How do you think tanner gets skis with custom red bull bases? They're hand made in almost the same way as the folks on ski builders are doing it. Prototype skis? Made exactly the same as the ones on skibuilders.
 
I'm working on the same thing right now. You should definitely do your homework. A lot of it. Read everything on the skibuilders.com forum.

I don't think you'll be able to get good results from a clamp press. Consider a vacuum press. It's fairly cheap and doesn't require you to have a bunch of tools to make the press.

I'm currently working on a pneumatic press. I'm trying to keep my project as cheap as possible as well, but without sacrificing any quality. I expect to come in at just under $200 for the press. I expect a pair of skis to cost me about $150 in materials.

But you should seriously read the threads and journals on skibuilders.com till your head hurts if you're serious about making quality skis.
 
What is the best method? Spending $200 for press and $150 for skis is relatively affordable, and I could probably get the cash. Which is best and cheapest? Thank You
 
This has already been said, but all of your questions can be answered by reading the forums on skibuilders. $200 for a press and $150 for skis is probably an unrealistic figure. It can be done, but your press probably won't be constructed well and may end up failing which would be a waste of $200. And you could probably do a ski with wood sidewalls, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, for a little over $150. Also, depending on what you have in your garage, necessary tools including a router, jigsaw, beltsander, compressor, a ton of clamps will cost you at least $500. Not necessary but extremely helpful tools including a planar and tablesaw will cost at least another $400. Not trying to rain on your parade, just stating the facts that $350 will not get you very far in the world of ski building.

Now to answer your question. The most inexpensive dependable method for pressing a ski would probably be a vacuum press. As long as you are not at super high elevation this method should work fine especially for your first press. The pneumatic press is a little better but also more costly. It is possible to luck out and get press materials for free which would help you out a lot, so search for some free metal around your town. There are many threads on this topic on skibuilders so just spend a few hours there and you should be on your way. Hope this was of some help. Best of luck.
 
My press is made mostly of wood (Pine 2x4/6s and MDF). It has 6" discharge hose to pressurize it and will be held together with heavy-duty cloth tubes. This method is quite cost effective, but it's not as sturdy as a press made from steel.

I think for someone looking to press skis on a budget vacuum pressing is probably your top bet. Especially if you don't have a ton of woodworking tools already at your disposal. The forces involved in vacuum pressing are much less than in a pneumatic press, so you don't need to build super strong molds. There's just less bulky, heavy objects to deal with. The most expensive piece is the vacuum pump, which you can salvage out an old refrigerator or buy from ebay. These videos give a great how-to guide for vacuum pressing. http://boardcrafter.com/content/category/4/32/44/

On the other hand vacuum pressing does have some disadvantages. It provides less pressure on the ski. This mainly equates to slightly heavier skis since you're not able to squeeze out as much epoxy. You'll also have to factor in some disposable items for pressing if you go with vacuum. There is special vacuum plastic and sealing tape that you lay down each time you press a ski, and you'll have to buy more for each ski you press.

Pneumatic presses have the advantage that they give you more pressure on the ski and that you don't need to buy any disposable materials for each ski you press. They also tend to end up more expensive than a vacuum press, but if you design everything carefully you can get away with not spending a ton.

Also to note is that if you were to copy what I've done you would likely not be able to finish for under $200. You'd need to factor in $50 maybe in materials that I already had.
 
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