mikel45 Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I have a lookout request for a skwal board in the "wanted" classifieds. If this doesn't pan out, seriously contemplating a DIY board building project. DIY'ers resources: http://www.grafsnowboards.com/ http://tinyurl.com/y9am6lg http://www.skibuilders.com/ Any DIY board builders within the community? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 If you search a bit you may find a few pics of the building process - quite a few hobbyists (and 3 or 4 guys who really know what they are doing) here... You'll find a skwal - just takes some time. Might want to ask Ace - He was selling a bunch of boards recently and I know he had a couple of skwals at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emorris Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I will probably put the press together after the snow is gone. I was thinking about the issue of metal boards. Discussing metal with a friend, we came to the issue of adhesion and delamination. He said what about using perforated material that would let the epoxy bond through the aluminum. Then I recalled seeing exactly that on Coda's website for their metal option. https://www.codaboards.com/images/solo/solo_metal_option.jpg Does anyone have a Coda board with metal? Does it make for a damper board? I was also thinking of other metals. Aluminum happens to be light, but why not something like brass? It should bond well. Isn't the idea to have a material with a different harmonic frequency? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortcutToMoncton Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Bruce gave me a little tour of his shop this past fall and talked me through some of the process. He believes his surprisingly low-tech approach - he really doesn't use anything more than fairly common "garage tools" that any handyman might have - is what allows him to build such cost-effective boards (i.e. he has minimal overhead). So from an equipment perspective it's certainly doable (although you'd have to rig up a press). However I think he could certainly attest that trial-and-error is a very large part of how his skills got to where they are today. There's a lot to know, especially when it comes to adjusting flex for types of boards in combination with different weight ranges, not to mention the issue of board shape that seems to be all-important these days. It doesn't seem to me like you should expect to just "build a board" and have it turn out to be anything as good as what you'd get from established board-builders. I don't see any reason why you couldn't eventually get there, but it seems to me you'd end up having to building quite a few boards before you ended up with quality. So unless it's the process itself you want to explore, why not just buy one and save yourself time and money? greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortcutToMoncton Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I was also thinking of other metals. Aluminum happens to be light, but why not something like brass? It should bond well. Isn't the idea to have a material with a different harmonic frequency? There's a reason "metal boards" took so long to come about. It's not just aluminum. That doesn't work. Bruce said he (and probably other builders) tried putting aluminum in some boards ages ago; the problem is that it doesn't retain its shape. It's like a pop can in that regard; you bend it, and it stays bent. That's the whole point of Titanal. It's an aluminum alloy that is designed to retain its shape while still having good bonding capacity. And even then, apparently it depends on the particular thickness you use. So again... sounds like lots of trial and error to me. greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Untill you can ride a board like bruce can you might as well pick up a used glass board and enjoy the ride! No am't of metal whether aluminum or brass is going to make you that much better.On the other hand $800 worth of gold in Bruces hand will buy you bragging rites to a board that can whip your ass if your up to the ride.:lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loc Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Untill you can ride a board like bruce can you might as well pick up a used glass board and enjoy the ride! No am't of metal whether aluminum or brass is going to make you that much better.On the other hand $800 worth of gold in Bruces hand will buy you bragging rites to a board that can whip your ass if your up to the ride.:lol::lol: Here we go again haha. I can say that my riding has changed a lot since getting my Coiler VSR in December. I have photos from the end of last season and photos on the VSR that sure look different. Of course a rider needs to have some kind of foundation but count me as a believer in metal now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubz Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I am 90% done on a board I started 4 years ago. I too am looking to have it be metal but with all the time put towards what i have completed, too scared to put into my press not knowing the proper sequence and adhesion methods to avoid board failure. Eric I have a rib cage press already built if you are interested in buying one. Still working out the bugs for a pnematic bladder system that wont leak. Some day I hope to complete it, just to know I did it. but it wont be on any podiums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boarderboy Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I think/hope I'm 2-3 weeks away from vacuum bagging my first board, a 130'ish cm all-mountain shape for my son. You should know I've been saying this for a couple of years, and I swore I'd never post it again until I had a "product" so I could show pictures. I've been learning the vacuum bagging process with skateboards, and think I'm now ready to "bag" a horizontally laminated deck in which much of the camber is pre-routed into the core. Most of my fascination is with the process, using wood that I've felled, milled, and kiln-dried myself. (Yellow poplar for my first try.) That said, I hope to eventually laminate and gradually perfect an all-mtn carver for myself that will compare favorably with state of the art boards, circa Y2K or so. Carbon/glass laminate, rubber dampening, sintered base, and probably P-Tex sidewalls. By no stretch of the imagination do I expect to save any money doing this!! As this process unfolds, I'll start an off-topic thread documenting for feedback and good laughs. Good luck with your own efforts. Personally, from what I've read, I'd stay away from trying to press a metal board until you REALLY know what you're doing and until you have plenty of $$ to sink into it. cheers BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emorris Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 As far as cost effectiveness, buying ready made is certainly the better route. Making beer is more expensive than buying, but it was fun and interesting. That's out of my system now and I just buy beer. I am sure that the learning curve is steep, but for me it is as much the process as much as the result. I was going to involve my kids too. They like boarding and I want them to enjoy building things too. Kids these days spend entirely too much time in front of the TV, video games and not enough time jumping bikes off home built 2x12 and cinder block ramps. But that's another issue. I am just intrigued by building a board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUD Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I am in the process as well. I actually took a couple of steps back. I was ready to go with my press built and everything. I was thinking about what I would do differently if I could build the press again when a guy offered to buy mine. SO, a year later, no boards and now no press. Oh well, in due time.:o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I am 90% done on a board I started 4 years ago. You still haven't pressed that!!! Get on it man! It'll either work or it won't. Just do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Have you guys seen this: http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/building_Coiler.cfm Quite a good read for anyone interested what goes on inside a modern snowboard. The details are more in deciding how you want the stiffness to change along the length and relative to the length than the actual construction. LOTS of trial and error needed to get to that point! Would be a pretty fun process if you have the time and desire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emorris Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Chubz, I happen to have some really hefty 4" x 6" x 8 foot long aluminum extruded beams that should make a really nice press. And I would not want to prevent you from finishing your board. Do you have any extra fire hose you might want to sell? Corey, I will read that thread tonight. Thanks! Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubz Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Get with Jesse, he can find you some pretty cool stuff from one of his suppliers of his supplying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted February 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 I highly recommend a visit to the boardcrafter website, here you'll find multiple (13 in total) FREE online how to guide videos to building a board. There is also an impressive snowboard design software featured. Material suppliers: http://www.snowboardmaterials.com/ http://fiberglasssupply.com/ Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 There's a couple in my area... http://www.happymonkeysnowboards.com/ http://www.northforksnowboards.com/ Well, there were a couple in my area. I just saw on the Happy Monkey site that they guy behind that operation is no longer going to be building boards. That's a bummer. On the other hand, it looks like he's documented his process pretty extensively, which should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Happy Monkey: CNC template service I see that Mike at Happy Monkey is providing affordable CNC template service to DIY board building community. Anyways, check the service out for yourself. Sidenote: Not associated with so this isn't a crass plug, I just happened to haphazardly notice this factoid while digging deeper into website. Personally, I think it's exciting news for any DIY'ers. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnasmo Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 I have a lookout request for a skwal board in the "wanted" classifieds. If this doesn't pan out, seriously contemplating a DIY board building project. If you want a Skwal, but are only considering DIY because you can't find one to buy, note that Donek has done a few Skwal knock-offs in the past. He's got at least 3 listed in the hardboot specs here. $680 will get you one without investing in a garage full of tools and failed prototypes. I ride with the Perlstein of the "Perlstein Skwal" and he got that by sending Sean a real Skwal to be copied. Other than Donek, the only other "new" Skwals I've seen have come from Virus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufty Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 Other than Donek, the only other "new" Skwals I've seen have come from Virus. Or Mpride, or RAD, or Oxess, or Lacroix, or Lagriffe, to pull a few other manufacturers out of my hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Any pics of your projects so far ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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