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Since I was starting from scratch, I had to create a block to cut my cores out of. This consisted of gluing planks together so that they created a beam. I did so by using high strength wood glue and a clamping system created by my mentor.
Once clamped, the beam looked like so. I had to leave it for at least 24 hours to dry, though I had more time so left it for much longer than that allowing everything to harden.
IMG_0.MOVYou can click here and a box with an arrow will show up to take you to a time lapse of me gluing my planks into a beam, which was a nerve racking process because of the small time window I had to work.
To cut my cores out, I turned the block on its side and ran it along a table saw perpendicular to how i glued the planks. This ensures stable flex all over the ski.
First, I ran the cores through the planer to get them smooth and even all across the surface.
After they were smooth, they were placed on a board that was created by the VTC ski club that when run through the planer, gives the ski its thicker center of the core and thinner ends to provide flex throughout the ski.
One of the most tedious parts of the project was setting up my ptex in the water jet, it took a long time and lots of prep to be able to make the right cut.
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After I was able to get my ptex cut, it was time for edges to be glued on. Since the curve of the sides of my skis was not too sharp I was able to secure them with clamps while the glue dried and the edges would stay in place until pressing.
This picture was taken right before we started putting the pieces together. I felt it was important to mention the use of shear tape during the pressing process. Using shear tape allows small amounts of movement in the tabs holding the edges on so that when the skis flex they do not break the epoxy, as it can be a brittle substance if not bonded to a softer material.
Once the core and ptex were all ready it was time to press. When you press, you use epoxy and fiberglass under high amounts of pressure to seal the skis together. Applied with pressure, and heat, the epoxy will cure and also supply the curvature for the ski.
To apply pressure, my mentor is seen here using an air pump to apply up to 50 psi into the press, which is dispersed all over the ski via the basically reinforced balloon as seen in the picture up and to the left.
After pressing, I cut the skis out of there epoxy and mold. The tip filler is off by a slight amount due to a little shift during pressing, but I am extremely pleased with the way my skis came out.
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