If you love talking skis as much as we do, you follow ski companies’ every development, own a coffee table just for a spot to pile the annual Best Of mags, and gorge yourself at resort demo days. But the ability to rattle off a few tech terms, materials, and construction types doesn’t necessarily equate to a commanding knowledge of how skis are actually made. I do know the difference between torsion box construction and a baby unicorn, but for a more in-depth understanding of ski building, I spent some time at the Salt Lake garage workshop operated by Dwyer Haney, HardwoodSkis.com blogger / sandwich-eater extraordinaire.
How Many Beers Does it Take to Make a Ski? All of Them.
In this poster-bedecked suburban garage, I’m greeted by the Ghostbusters theme song, the smell of warm epoxy resin, and cold beer. A hefty homemade ski press dominates the room, and a few workshop tables bear scattered ski entrails—P-Tex, metal edging, braided fiberglass threads, strips of wood, and topsheet fabric.
A few ski prototypes lean against the garage walls as Haney mixes heated epoxy and resin like a Carhartt-clad alchemist. As I eye the ski press that Haney designed and welded himself, I suspect that my expert proficiency with duct tape wouldn’t get me far in the world of ski-building.
Haney says that he finds materials like poplar and wood glue at the local hardware store, and he orders some of the specialty items like metal edges and braided fiberglass online. And with several pairs of skis under his belt—none of which have yet snapped under the extreme abuse and rigorous testing dished out by Haney & Co.—it seems that Haney’s engineering skills are solid.
Haney lovingly lays out the P-Tex cutouts and metal edging that will soon form his skis’ bases, and judging by their hefty width, these aren’t exactly going to be East Coast race planks. He smoothes a thin strip of dampening rubber around the bases, then warm epoxy resin and hardener, and then a layer of fiberglass fabric.
Now Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” takes its turn on the playlist, and things really get down to the nitty-gritty. Haney deftly lays down a core of wood strips glued together to avoid any knots or discontinuities in the grain, then more epoxy, then braided fiberglass, epoxy, and a fantastic paisley fabric topsheet. The layers come together like a well-made platter of huevos rancheros, with a topsheet reminiscent of glistening cheese. Paper cutouts from the scrapbooking store form Hardwood’s name and tree logo.
Now it’s time to set the skis in their mold within the ski press. A silicone heated blanket is draped over the skis inside the mold. It will keep the skis warmed to 170˚F so the epoxy can properly cure and bind the ski’s components together. Haney attaches an air compressor to the inflatable bags nestled between the skis and the press’ frame.
“Stand back, everybody!” he hollers, and all human and canine observers retreat to the sidewalk to watch the air compressor blast into action. The air bags inside the ski press puff like industrial-sized blowfish and smoosh the skis firmly into their mold. The skis need to sit in the press for three hours, enough time to run for fish tacos and beverage reinforcements.
When the skis are finally released from the press, they’re stuck together with bits of fiberglass and topsheet gooping out of the edges. Haney cuts them apart and smoothes the edges with a jigsaw and a router, and later he’ll give them a proper base grind and tune-up so they’ll be ready to slay the snowy Wasatch this winter.
The Schuss Booms from Dwyer Haney on Vimeo.
Haney estimates it takes about $200-300 in materials to make a pair of skis, an obvious savings compared to the retail cost of mass-produced skis. He has been inundated by friends’ requests for his custom-built skis, but since he’s focusing on his engineering degree at the moment, only a few privileged individuals have experienced Hardwood’s handcrafted goodness. He may eventually pursue a full-fledged career in ski design, in which case many would benefit from his Hardwood experience.
Kids, Should You Try This at Home?
Taking the DIY approach to skis requires a certain investment. How handy are you, and can you be trusted with objects sharper than a spork? An impressive online community of skiers-turned-amateur-engineers have compared and tested a wide variety of ski materials, shapes, and building techniques. And they share this information much more readily than they’ll share their secret pow stashes.
www.SkiBuilders.com offers a wealth of how-to information with forums, step-by-step photos, design guides, and meticulous charts. You’ll be able to check out measured comparisons of wood elasticity and topsheet printing instructions. And you’ll find procedures with disclaimers like, “This project requires the use and knowledge of high voltages, currents, and heat.” While roasting a turkey in an oven technically requires similar proficiency, this seems far more intriguing.
Assuming you can conquer voltage phobias, you’ll need to build a ski press by welding or bolting steel tubing into an elongated box shape. The next step is to make a mold of wood ribs, which creates the shape you press the ski into and gives the ski its camber and curve. You’ll also need to acquire a fire hose and an air compressor to apply pressure to the skis within the ski press. (Yes, any project involving a fire hose is tremendously fun and should involve safety goggles.)
Then you’ll have to add items like base material, edging, core materials, fiberglass, and topsheet material to your grocery list. You can find specialized ski materials in online shops like SkiBuilders.com’s, or poke around on eBay and see what you can find. You’ll also want a tool lineup that includes a router, drill, sander, jig saw, table saw, clamps, planer, and blowtorch.
Once you’re set up with equipment and materials, you get to the fun part—crafting, pressing, finishing, curing, tuning, and finally mounting a fresh pair of custom-made skis.
Inform Thyself
Do some thorough research, consult with seasoned veterans, and eat a nutritious breakfast before you make your first foray into ski building. Powder turns are more rewarding on skis you crafted yourself, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in experimenting with different designs.
Hungry for a few links to start your research?
Ski Construction: A Trip to the Deli
-Beth Lopez
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Tags: DIY, factory tours, skiing, video
[...] felt the need for a sequel to The Birth of a Ski, which ran in last month’s newsletter and told the story of Hardwood Skis, a one-man [...]
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