Stringless low bend asymmetrical reflex deflex started

[wakolbinger]

Haha. First stab at making skis.

   

   

   

   

[fujimo]

man that is cool!!!
i have always wanted to build some ski's- same technology as bow building- i know its not bow building, per se'. but i think it fits right in, i have always wanted to build a nice pair of fat wooden cross country skis, to hunt with in the winter!!

put up some specs, and how it worked out.
there is a company calkled black ice, that do some nice bindings, simple ones that you just slip your normal winter boots into- maybe not as secure as proper cross country bindings- but certinally good enough, and would be  awesome for my application

[wakolbinger]

Thanks fujimo!

Well, these don't seem well received on here but I just had to put them up. There are so many parallels to bow making and they are designed for getting around in the woods in the winter.

They worked out better than I had hoped. Very functional.

   

   

   

   

[LittleBen]

I was on vacation and missed this. Very awesome!

Nice looking skis. Are they all wood?

Thats some nice figured maple? really like it.

It's nice that the mods give us a little more slack over here on the bench, I assume it's partly because they realize all of us bow building types are basically nuts!!!

[wood carver 2]

I like them! Grab a bow, strap em on and go get some rabbits.      
Dave.

[fujimo]

i think they are absolutely fantastic- great way to apply some of those bow building skills.  hey we discuss arrow building, tabs, arm guards and a ton of associated equipment- and i think in this case they are VERY related to winter bow hunting- and in line with the trad archery thing----huge thanks to the mods!!!

please post some specs or a build along- if the mods are ok with it. i would love to build a pair- for my winter hunting!
awesome figured maple!!!

[carpin'mark]

Those are really nice but you forgot to file the string grooves in!

[wakolbinger]

Thanks guys! I was certainly half expecting the mods to boot the post and wouldn't have blamed them. The making of the lams, the blending the core into the base like powerlams, gluing or steaming curves into the wood with a mold, tillering the skis to flex properly...all so similar to bow building.

They are in fact all wood. Glued up with smooth on. I made them from 4 separate boards bought from Menards believe it or not. Two maple boards (the figured one just happened to be in the stack!) that were 1" x 3.5" x 6 feet, and two aspen boards that were 1" x 3.5" x 4 feet. I ripped the maple boards in half thickness wise and than ran them thru my planner till they were 1/8". The aspen was glued to the core on the mold and then tapered into the core and then the top figured lam was glued over it all with 1/16" cross grain maple plies in between the 1/8" maple at the tips and tails for torsional stiffness. After glue up the skis were tillered to flex and a central channel groove was chiseled into the base with a gouge. Finish is Tru Oil and paraffin wax.

They ended up 6' long and 3.25" wide. Couldn't find much of anything of their construction online , so I just kinda made these up from looking at pictures. Big ideas for some changes and I'm already on to the next pair.

[fujimo]

1.do you have a paper template for your form.
2.are you "tillering" for your weight- if so do you stand on the one ski with all your weight- and make sure the ski flex's.
3.if so are you expecting the ski to be flat at flexion, and concave with all pressure off.
how much 'setback' do the mid sections have at rest
4. what else could you use besides the aspen- old growth sitka spruce maybe- or old growth douglas fir--- maybe???
5. by cross grain you mean at 90 deg to the top figured lam?, and how long were those cross grain pieces- coming back down the limb- so to speak!
6.what did you use for a core-


have always wanted to build my own ski's looked for ages on line- couldnt find any info- besides foam/glass skis.
didnt have the courage to make some trials- just dont know enough about ski-ing or ski design to jump in the deep end

kudos to you man!!!          

[wakolbinger]

1. Nope I just made it up based on the modern pair of cross country skis I already had. The form is mostly made from pink wall insulation foam shaped and duct taped to a 2x4.

2.Yes, the tillering is based on rider weight. the wood removal you can see I did on the top side. You want it to have arc under your foot (this is called camber) that flattens out when you stand on it. Putting it on blocks tip and tail and then standing on so it can bend slightly past flat with your weight on it is what your after. It has 1" of 'set' back (camber) at rest.

3. ^

4.Aspen is just light and strong, knot free spruce would certainly be a good substitute.

5. Yes 90 degrees from the base and top lam. Like in a plywood. The aspen is not centered in the ski since skis are longer in front than in the back, since the cross grain plies begin right after the aspen tapers out, the 1/16" cross grains are about 14" long in the front and like 10" in the back.

6. The core is the aspen.

[fujimo]

thanks Danny
awesome!!!
so the cores finish in a 1/16 step, to match the cross plies.
and the crossplies are just a series of 3.5"x 3.25" x 1/16" lams, glued edge on edge all the way up the ski, front and back?
wayne

[wakolbinger]

Nah, I have piles of 1/16" and 1/32" Canadian rock maple in 12" x 50" sheets in both straight grain and cross grain plies from building skateboards. So far I've just been using the waste scraps I've saved for years. But you could do what you said too.

[fujimo]

thanks mate,
so when you are tillering- are you doing it so that 1/2 your weight is on the one ski- or all your weight on the one ski.
and your tillering was that wood removal on the top just ahead of the binding.
i have done some back country ski-ing, not very much ,but just enough to be dangerous. but this would open up a bunch of hunting opportunities for me

[SportHunter]

Cool project, nice work!

[bjansen]

Great work.

[goobersan]

[Robert Armstrong]

Nice