It is time for me to start building skis! I have been reading this forum for a couple of years now, wanting so badly to be able to do what you guys are doing, BUILD MY ON SKIS. No garage or shop space to do it makes wanting to build skis / snowboards very frustrating. Now I have enough shop space so it is about to finally happen. I will post pictures and updates and would really like any help I can get.
Congrats! You're about to embark on the journey of your life!
Congrats!!! Welcome to the insanity, you're part of an elite group of crazy idiots now.
So about a year ago I was looking into building a press. I had been searching this site and talking a about how to build it, costs, logistics, with my buddy Tony, who has built presses and worked for a couple of major American snowboard companies, and my partner in this hobby. Then one day I got a call from my friend Rob who was at a yard sale, and he told me this guy having the yard sale was trying to get rid of a snowboard press. I go over to the guys house and see the press there under one of those easy up tents with all of the stuff he had been using to build snowboards with in the tent, in a rainforest I will add. but the press although a bit short seemed very usable so I bought it for a very reasonable price and moved it to my small, unlevel, unheated, floorless, one car garage. Tony and I started getting tools and materials and supplies together to start building skis and snowboards. And trying to figure out how to lengthen the press so that we can build boards as long as we want. But busy schedules, too much skiing/snowboarding to much working, and whatnot, we did not get anything pressed. But this winter is going to be a different story. We have a great shop space to do what ever we want, thanks to this super awesome, sweet lady Marilyn who seems as excited to seeing us make skis and snowboards as we are to start building them. I was planning on moving the press into the new shop the other day and a gnarly storm came through the valley and ripped the roof off, but yesterday with the help of some friends Thom, Karl, Josh and my girlfriend Jeannine we were able to get the press into the shop. Here are a few pictures of us moving the press. Now it is on to the next step...[/img]
Well, I tried to post pictures but I am an idiot with a computer and couldn't seem to do it.
[/img]
you need to upload your images somewhere. photobucket is very popular. then you copy the image URL from photobucket and paste it here between the first [IMG] and the [/IMG].
pm me if you need further help.
I'm looking forward to seeing this story develop!
[img]
Karl pulling the press out of my little old garage [/img]
[img]
[/img]
[img]
[/img]
[img]
[/img]
[img]
After getting the press in the new garage we deserved a beer. Thanks goes to Karl, Thom, Josh, and Jeannine for helping out![/img]
Wow, that's a really nice press! Not the kind of thing you'd expect to find at a yard sale!
Wow, nice find. Good thing you had the HD equipment to move it. Nice to have friends like that. Looks like you got a good start on the BTSR (beer to ski ratio)
I just noticed the pneumatic cylinder to raise the top up... needless to say, I am JEALOUS.
Me too! Clamshells rock!
Alright, it has been almost a year since I got the press moved into the garage I am now in and I just got my first skis into the press. I have been working constantly to get the money to try and take on this hobby the right way. Turns out it takes far more time and money than I first thought but I am finally here.
I haven't posted anything because I can usually find the answers to the questions I have some where on this forum. Everyone on here has been a big help! I want to give a BIG THANKS to everyone. I intend to start contributing a bit now that I have a slight idea what I am doing. I will post some pictures soon, if I can figure out how again.
But now it is time to go fishing, and try not to think about skis.
