How to Build custom DIY Skis / Snowboard Guide

In this beginners guide on How to build  DIY ski and snowboard or kiteboard, we will cover following,

  • what is involved in making a DIY skis or a snowboard and what is it made from?
  • what forums and resources are available
  • what tools and equipment are needed to build custom DIY skis or a snowboard
  • physics and theory involved in composite construction of a DIY skis and snowboards
  • pressing methods
  • common mistakes and finally
  • a step by step guide to making DIY skis and snowboard.

If you wish to skip this part, you can jump to our Step-by-step Guide on how to make a diy skis/snowboard.

Introduction for beginners to DIY ski and snowboard building

Have you decided that you finally wish to build you very own diy skis or a snowboard! Well I can tell you that there is nothing intimidating about building custom skis or a snowboard. There is a lot of fun and learning in front of you!

Also, it does not matter if you have any experience with any of the diy ski and snowboard materials or processes from before . Its easy to pick up all things by following youtube videos or following forums. So be ready to learn and dont be scared to jump into it!

Building your own skis or snowboard is one of the best ways to learn how composite sports equipment works while creating a ride fully customized to your preferred flex, shape, stiffness, and riding style.
Modern DIY ski construction uses the same basic principles as professional ski manufacturing:

  • ski wood core construction
  • ski / snowboard fiberglass or carbon fiber reinforcement
  • epoxy resin lamination
  • skit / snowboard steel edges and vds rubber lamination
  • ski and snowboard topsheet and base plastics
  • vacuum bagging or press molding

Whether you are building skis, a snowboard, splitboard, kiteboard, or wakeboard, the sandwich compositeconstruction method remains very similar and that you can find all the needed materials here on Junksupply.

You can also be confident that using the materials available here and this guideline you will be able to make a ride that is as good in quality as the best rides available in the stores, and further more it will be you that decides how it will, look, feel and behave.

Here is an exploded view of a ski, you will see from top down:

You can find all these materials in our web shop here!

You can do it this way or you might choose to make it your way, much less complex, it is up to you!

ski layup exploded view

The general idea is to build something that can last for many years and take a lot of abuse without braking. This is why most people use composites in combination with wood or another core type. The idea is to make a ski / snowboard core that will define the size and shape of the product, and then wrap it into composite materials. This way when cured, the stiff and tough composite materials along with the core give you a final product that is durable and delivers the properties that you need. To get the full benefit of the composites, you need a sandwich construction, your ski / snowboard core is wrapped on both top and bottom with composites!

For example a ski wood core can be made of Paulownia wood or a foam core which is very lite, and gives you a light weight skis. But the core this light is not stiff at all, so when you bend it it will brake. However when you wrap it in composite material such as carbon, the overall stiffness of the ride will increase so you will end up with a product that can take your weight and be durable while performing well.

In general for skis, poplar, birch or bamboo or any local wood can be used. They are hard woods that give the durability you need in this kind of sport and also take well the screws for the bindings.

For kiteboards best results are obtained with Paulownia wood.

We do offer ready made package/kits for diy skis or snowboards or kiteboards. See here.

I would advise you to read carefully our Quick quide for DIY ski and Snowboard construction here!

DIY Ski and Snowboard building Forums

there are plenty of good forums out there where you can get help to build your own diy skis or a snowboard. Few of them you should visit are,

  1. www.skibuilders.com  is a great, probably the best, and very friendly forum where you will get quality response and help fast. People there have loads of experience of building anything, but mostly work with pneumatic presses and composite fabric. Dont mind the name, you can get help on kiteboards or skateboards or anything else, the methods are all the same in essence.
  2. www.kiteforum.com, is a forum for kiteboard builders and you can get help on anything, although most people there use vacuum bagging.
  3. http://www.boardbuilders.co/, is an amazing blogg by a kiteboarder Matt from Australia. He is very talented and innovative guy who takes you thru boardbuilding with a vacuum bagging technique. Further more he started a forum there, so you will find plenty of help there.
  4. Snowboard builders group on Facebook.

and dont forget to Youtube! Go out there and read and learn as much as you can!

Supplies and materials needed to Build DIY Skis & Snowboards

In general you need to know the materials you will need and the precautions you need to take when making your own DIY skis or a snowboard, or even kiteboard or a wakeboard.

Firstly the you need to get the materials to build your diy ski / snowboard press. Read more here.

There after you need following supplies…

1. Epoxy for diy skis and snowboard

is a 2 component product that consists of a Resin and a Hardner. These when mix will start a reaction that will make long polymer chains form. The end product is called a cure and is a basically plastic. Some people call Epoxy a glue. In general you can find resins of different types such as Polyester, Vinyl, Epoxy however you should for your application only consider Epoxy as this has best mechanical properties, and when put under pressure and stress it delivers. Epoxy resin bonds the composite layers together and creates the final structural composite matrix.
For best results:

  • mix epoxy by weight
  • work above room temperature
  • avoid moisture contamination
  • allow full cure time
  • Proper epoxy handling is critical for ski durability and bonding quality.

2. Composite Fabric for Skis and Snowboard DIY building

Composite reinforcement fabrics provide stiffness and strength. It can be glass, carbon, kevlar or even basalt, hemp or other alternatives. Single (Uni directional) or multi axial (directions). It is in essence fibers/threads weaved together to make up a fabric. By them self they offer no function but when mixed with epoxy they give the amazing properties. These materials are characterized by their mechanical properties such as how easy they break when pulled on or how much they stretch etc.

Composite material for DIY skis and snowboard are the combination of fabric (glass, carbon etc) and epoxy. This is called a matrix. Typically the ideal ration of a cured matrix is around 40-50% (fabric to resin). You can imagine a composite as two very different materials working together to make something great.

3. Wood core and the sandwich for DIY skis and snowboard building

The wood core defines much of the ski’s flex, weight, durability, and responsiveness. Popular ski core woods include:

Or any mix of these!

Lightweight woods reduce weight, while denser woods improve durability and stiffness.

Related Products:

4. DIY skis and snowboard topsheet and base material

There is a lot of choice here. Topsheets can be clear or opaque. Further they are made of different plastics,

  • Tpu/ABS topsheet from thermoplastic for skis/snowbord/kiteboard etc.
  • PA/Nylon/polyamide topsheet for skis/snowbord/kiteboard etc.
  • PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) topsheet for skis/snowbord/kiteboard etc.
  • ptex/HDPE/UHMW-PE topsheet for skis/snowbord/kiteboard etc.

These are used on skis/snowboards/splitboards or kiteboards/wakeboards in order to finish the top or base. This gives extra protection to the top, and a possibility to put graphics onto the skis / snowboard etc.

As for the ski / snowboard base, it ensures a good gliding abilities.It is split into

There is a lot of choice, and there are separate guide for this topic. Read here.

Related products:

5. Skis and snowboard VDS, edges and sidewalls

  • VDS rubber is essential in order to separate the metal from the other materials with different thermal expansion coefficient, that expand differently due to the change in temperature.
  • Edges are steel metal edges that fit onto the specific base. The base thickness needs to fit to the edges. The edges will cut into the snow and also protect your skis.
  • As for the ski and snowboard sidewalls and tip / tail filler materials, these are usually ABS or UHMW materials and need to be sanded and flamed prior use. Read here.

NOTE on the Epoxy Resin for diy ski and snowboard building: If any crystals are present in the Resin, please make a warm water bath and place the Resin container in the warm water and stir til crystals are gone. This is normal for some Resins.

Further more if you are vacuum bagging your diy skis or a snowboard, you might need vacuum bagging supplies.

Check out our webshop. Here you will find ready made ski and snowboard diy kits and packages.

Tools involved in building diy skis / snowboard

Firstly you will need to build an own ski/snowboard press. Read more about making a diy ski and snowboard press here…

Secondly you will need equipment for working with epoxy, fabric, wood and plastic. Please read more here…How to make skis and a snowboard PDF ‘how to’ guide

most essential tools you will need are:

  • router
  • jigsaw
  • drill
  • clamps
  • sander
  • digital scale
  • epoxy spreaders
  • protective gear

Physics and engineering involved in building own diy skis or snowboard

There is a lot of physics and math involved into designing diy skis / snowboard / kiteboards. We have collected all the must know terms here, and further we have developed a ski / snowboard stiffness and flex simulator.

Safety when building own diy skis or a snowboard or kite/wakeboard

Work in a well ventilated room and use Nitrile gloves. Then you are well off! Also rub your hands in some hand lotion, just in case you get Epoxy on you. It wont go to your skin.

The worst kind of contact is via the skin, so avoid getting epoxy on your skin. Also dont rinse it of your skin with solvants!!!! A solvant (acetone or alcohol) will remuve the skins natural oily protective layer and allow the epoxy to get into your system!

Just use plenty of soap and hot water. you will be fine.

Pressing methods when building own diy skis  snowboard

What method you choose to build your ride depends on your involvement level and pocket size. In general you need a way to make a mold that will define the shape of your ride, then you need a way to press your materials onto this mold until the composites and epoxy cures. You might also choose to use heat, this way you will get better results. There are many methods, but here are 2 popular choices,

1. Vacuum bagging technique for diy skis / snowboard

well basically it is what you think it is. You put all your layup in a vacuum bag, against your mold, and you turn on the vacuum device until the cure is done. This way you suck all the air out, putting 1atm pressure on your setup. Removing the air bubbles (weak points) and making the resin go deep into the materials. If you can put the layup into a box that you can heat up a bit, you will get good results. This is a cheap way to build your ride. You will need to research it, but in general you will need to build a table/mold that defines the shape of your ride and that you can suck against. Then you will need some specific materials like release film, vacuum bag, peel ply, breather and bleeder, vacuum pump etc, on order to make it work. I think the cost of this will not be over 500euros, and some of it is reusable. Go here to learn much more, http://www.boardbuilders.co/.

NOTE: A note on a vacuum pump. I often get the question about what it should be. I have really had good success with a cheap 100euro vacuum pump. It is slow, but in general they all get to achieve the same vacuum, which in ideal case is close to 1atm. So there is no need to get an expensive one unless your application requires it. I got one in my local hardware shop, 3.4m3/h, 130hp. If it runs with oil, remember to change the oil every few presses.

2. Pneumatic press for building diy skis / snowboard

is the more expensive method, that is suited if you are going to produce more then few products, perhaps sell to friends and build own brand. This method gives more consistent results and might give higher quality as it allows to press at much higher pressure and temperature. Most of the big players use this method. IF you wish to do so, dont worry, you can build all of it your self, it can be low level or high level version, but here is a good guide on how and what if you wish to build something everlasting and have some $$$ to spend, Happy monkey skipress. This will probably cost you around 3-4.000 euros. A good video that gives you an impression of what I am talking about and what is involved can be viewed here. If you decide to build this baby also take the advantage of skubuilders.com, then you will make it for sure.

The most important thing when building your own ride is to be well organized and have patience. Make sure you have all the tools, machines at hand and that all the materials are sorted and cut into the right dimensions, and also it helps if they are laying in the right order so once you start working with the epoxy and the layup, your work will flow with no stops and you can work effectively.

Read more on the Step By Step guide here!

Common Mistakes When Building DIY Skis or DIY Snowbord

  • too much epoxy or too little epoxy
  • air bubbles
  • poor core alignment
  • weak edge bonding
  • not having time enough to do the layup within potlife time
  • temperature ramp-up issues
  • issues with pressure

I would advise you to read carefully our Quick quide for DIY ski and Snowboard construction here!

FAQ 

Can you build skis at home?

Yes, just make sure you do it in the garage or a shed, separate from the living area where you eat/sleep!

 

What epoxy should I use for skis?

Use the epoxy verified for the application for building diy skis/snowboard. The Epoxy we have in the webshop is a good one!

Do I need vacuum bagging?

Vacuum bagging is a good start for a beginner or someone who plans to make 1-2 skis or snowboard pr year. Its cheap and easy.

 

How much does it cost to build skis?

There is an investment required for the first build. After that most of the items can be reused or recycled. It can be as low as 200-300 euro first time.

What wood is best for ski cores?

It all depends on the ski discipline. In general there is a light wood core, medium weight and heavy. Each fits for a certain discipline. In general what is also important is that it is renewable wood (good for the environment) and if possible no finger joints, but not strict.

Continue reading here our step by step guide!

Step by step guide for building DIY Skis/Snowboard