core questions

[NateW]

GremUSA wrote:

When a board is made of wood is the bend in the tip and tail actually a steaming/heat bending of the wood or is the curve cut from a wood billet?

I'm sure this varies by manufacturer, but it's my understanding that the wood core does not usually extend all the way to the tip and tail. Take a look at the boards on this page, with the translucent finishes, and you'll see what I mean: http://www.donek.com/graphics.htm

I'm told Donek will do a full-length core if you want, for a modest upcharge. I suspect that the wood is thin enough that it bends easily. I've seen a blank Happy Monkey core and the ends were wafer-thin, even though they didn't extend all the way into the tip and tail either. Even if they did extend all the way, there's so little wood there that I suspect it contributes little or nothing. I'm mostly speculating here though so if anyone agrees or disagrees I'm all ears. (I can say with some certainty that the full length core looks great under a translucent topsheet though.)

Interestingly the camber is also a product of the molding process - the cores are cut flat. I vaguely remember reading that one manufacturer does cut their cores with camber, but I don't remember which. Again I appeal to the collective wisdom of BOL for the real facts.

[nils]

there are two different processes.

Core can go up to the tips by few mm in some case, but most manufacturers use plastic ( ABS) or PU ( urethane), or aluminium, to protect from shocks. Alu has advantages ( strenght) but also is often leading to delam because it is too strong and brings vibrations on the fiberglass in case of shocks> delams.

Urethane like we and Virus use, is a great advantage because it is regrindable, and also a great vibration absorption material. This is the reason why our edges don't wrap around the boards, this way you can regrind both nose and tail up to 2 cm almost, getting a new nose and new tail in the process :). Wrapped around edges are efficient for small shocks, but when you hit a stone or a ski etc hard, it pushes the edge inside the board, and is very hard to repair, and rebend out clean.

As for cores, they are usually laminated ( vertically for example) and then the flex pattern is cut using hand or CNC machine so extremities are thinner than center.

then are two different processes: press them in a curvy mold that gives camber and nose scoop and tail lift, OR press flat in a mold with camber only, then repress( reheat at same time) nose and tail in smaller press so they are done after. That later process is a Salomon patent, and it saves lots of stacking room in the factory, but also need three more mantooling, and also a recut after pressing the nose and tail, ( the top sheet gets longer than the base when u repress after first cut). 90% of the makers use first solution

No one i believe is making the nose and tail from a raw material ( unpressed) like you shape a surfboard. its all press done afterwards!

N.

[NateW]

I had the pleasure of visiting the Happy Monkey gara... I mean, the Happy Monkey factory today. Turns out, I was wrong about Happy Monkey snowboards not having full length cores - they do in fact extend all the way to the tip and tail (minus a few mm where the cap meets the edge).

Also, Mike (Mr. Monkey) does use heat to pre-bend the core if a customer asks for a tight profile radius but that isn't usually necessary.

[Scorpio]

Nate,

What are you having Happy Monkey build? Are you testing alpine stock for them or just having them build a freeride deck?

[NateW]

I'm going to be giving him feedback on some alpine prototypes, and then buying an all-mountain carve board.

[nils]

replacing the swallowtail?

http://www.lib-tech.com/news/2005/08/stevenCobbMag/stevenCobbMag.htm

notice the board at bottom right!

N. :)

[skategoat]

Bruce at Coiler cuts the camber rather than bending or pressing it. Time consuming, very manual process. I don't know how he does it.

Regarding the wood core, I was looking at an F2 Speedster just yesterday and the wood definitely goes right to the top. Didn't really look at the tail but I suspect the same there. F2 uses a transparent top sheet to show it off.