how to build your own skis

I am a product designer and obsessed with skiing! So I decided to build my own pair of skis.
I shot this video to help others to make their own ski.

[@lukegriffin1050]

Stopped after first step, now have a dope tech deck ramp

[@Josh-te9ro]

Luke Griffin 😂😂😂😂

[@nict1935]

how nice! now i can build my own skis at home.

[@marinioac]

I made a pretty heavy mold, and also used vacuum.... so the results were great! the hardest part is to make sure all the layers are perfectly align before you close the mold, then pray to stay... that´s why machined metal molds are better... and they also support heat, which is great for a better bond of the materials

[@aldoraines8584]

Sweet! If only I had CNC with a table the size of yours! My table size is 12"x9", so I guess I'll have a really fun time puzzling my template pieces togehter after machining. lol

[@MrUli34957]

nice work ...i have built 6 pair so i know .. nice to have a shop like that too i'm in the mother in law's cellar and her garage and sanding is outside...love it

[@pipipipoupify]

great job! nice vid!! thank you for sharing i'm considering of making my own snowboard:)

[@sallesalice]

I'm so proud of you !!! Congratulations my sweet and talent niece !!! Tia Alice

[@phillange166]

O samba perfeito para se animar em construir esquis! Brilliant workmanship!

[@VDlongboard]

That press was just right, i meant the final pressing! Good job by the way, i forgot that point! Im looking forward of adding a press like that in my longboard shop!

[@livetothemax961]

You can get materials for about $100 and then I'm assuming another $100-$150 for the press, and if you are handy enough to make these you pobably already have sufficient tools. Total about $250, I'd take that over $900 for an identical pair bought from a store, plus if you make them they have more personal value. just my 2 cents

[@rustyshackleford3278]

Mariana, thank you for the great post! I will be building by first pair of skis this month and appreciate the detail shown for reference. 149 thousand viewers also got use out of it! One question: did you use tape on the base to keep epoxy from sticking? Some mask their bases and some just grind away the excess epoxy after pressing, what would you recommend?

[@gavle_skidfabrik]

Very good! You did your homework!

[@rideakhomie]

awesome video and nice work on the skis. where can you get the metal edges?

[@matt7wright]

very impresive, i wish my skis were home made

[@Bazandanlan]

Super cool! :)

[@sarinator]

Great work, I envy you your CNC it is big help. Intereting is that you use of both techniques (preassure and vacum). How you shape your edge ?

[@pipipipoupify]

amazing! congrats!! :)

[@saobx3956]

How did you miss the sidecut during your research? Also the binding plate? I would be hesitant to use those.

[@UnsUpt]

Ski product designer!? trabalho se sonho!! já agora de que marca!? Parabéns e obrigado pela Partilha!!

[@WiscoKickn]

Hey where do you get your cores from? I have looked everywhere online and can't find a place to buy them. Thanks.

[@chrisdavis8243]

What materials did you use?

[@rideakhomie]

@marinioac thanks, i might start building my own skis and boards soon.

[@Murchonn]

omg! madam!!! fantastic

[@TheIiyamma15]

Awesome, how much did it cost you to make them?

[@jjswimmer2014]

hey what did you use for the base material? and what did you use for the edges and where did you get the both of them? Thanks.

[@VDlongboard]

Hey, i put some hard pieces of wood under both clamping areas. It makes a bigger contact patch and less stress on the wood. There it is!

[@GoldenSim27]

Thanks for sharing ! the sidewalls and tips are "uhmw" or "pvc" plastic ? epoxy is good for gluing that ? thanks

[@tom197417]

I'm waaaay to lazy to do all that stuf. But it was interesting to see how you did all that They look nice ;-)

[@kriswarren4626]

great video marinioac..... :-)

[@jameshart2860]

What was the white material you put on the top peace of the press

[@livinontheline]

whats the first song? its got a pretty kickin beat.

[@SkiingAintCrime]

thank you very much for the detailed answer! :) of course graphics are always personal preference, you can't argue about gusto obviousely^^ hmm... well, seems that waiting until the end of the season for cheap skis comes about to the same price than working on you own, but it would be a cool project to do, i guess :D

[@matt7wright]

you should make a pair of mini twin tip skis for me!

[@deepbluewaterful]

What is the material layer for the graphic made of?cotton paper?and did you used the printing tec? Thx

[@marinioac]

it cost me $500. the mold it self was $250, and they are my design, so they were specially made for my needs. They are great! just what I wanted

[@SkiingAintCrime]

sooooo it will be like 500 for the first and 300-400 for the 2nd good pair?

[@deepbluewaterful]

@marinioac You bought your graphic from them?

[@flavionakad1]

i love the song

[@strack350]

Looks great!! What is the shop normally used for?

[@marinioac]

Eric Bragg well there isn't a specific shop. In this case I took advantage of my school's shop to make it (the department of industrial design of the Metropolitan State University of Denver) But it's possible to make a ski with just a hand router. It takes longer, but it's possible.

[@marinioac]

@sarinator look on the web site skibuilders they show how to make a jig

[@sarinator]

How you bend the edges ?

[@KillaYukon]

what are your materials Kevlar or fiber glass ?

[@liamlindy]

Hi! Best vid for. This on YT thanks!! Would it be possible to press the two skis separately using the same mold to save material costs? Also how necessary was the vacuum bag? Could it be done well without it? Warm regards from Ohio

[@marianasalles95]

Thanks! You can definitely press one at the time. The vacuum bag is not needed, but it´s wayyyyy better because helps the resin spread evenly and keeps the ski more compact.

[@marianasalles95]

Well I did both, but it was too much. You can press with the top molde or press using vacuum bag. Both at the same time is over kill. Choose one or the other

[@TheNoahShow1998]

Where do u buy bases?

[@marinioac]

@sarinator what do you mean?

[@marinioac]

@deepbluewaterful yes

[@XPlatinumxXxDesignsX]

Also interested in doing this.... I have a couple questions for you. First off, do you (or did you) have/find any good sources for more information on this process? Second, I have read a seen how many manufactures make their skis, and usually the final pressing is combined with a heat/cure - is the vacuum meant to replace this, or does it do something else? Lastly, how do they ski? Do you think it is feasible to make a product in this way that can compete with top of the line skis from major manufacturers? Can you compare the skis you made to any others that you have purchased etc? I know I am asking alot of questions, so thank you for taking the time to answer, if you do. :)

[@marinioac]

wak I'm an industrial designer and I learned the ski manufacturing process on my own researching and visiting factories and trying a lot of different skis at retailer conferences. The vacuum bag does a better job than just pressing with force because it helps spread the epoxy more evenly. But it doesn't substitute the heating. The heating helps bond everything. It's not essential but it would have been better. My skis are handmade but the are definitely skiable. I made a mistake on the project that has nothing to do with the fabrication. The point of making yourself is not to make a better finished product than a manufacture (they have more machines and tools) but it is to make the model you want and also have the pleasure to make yourself.

[@brettconover8815]

Nice skis! Would the bag alone not be enough? why a top mold?

[@marianasalles95]

Thanks. For sure. The top was a waste.

[@arnel.4785]

Great Video, very useful for my snowboard project! I've got some questions and it would be great to get an answer. What did you use for the protection of the base, just clear tape? What glue did you use to glue the edges? How did you do the print on the topsheet? Thanks for answering :)

[@marinioac]

Thanks! Yeah, just clear tape. I used Tek bond (super glue), but it can be a quick dry epoxy. Might be even better. The top sheet I ordered from skibuilders.com

[@arnel.4785]

@@marinioac Thank you!

[@thomasrimer1611]

Looks fantastic! I'm working on a similar project. It doesn't look like you used sidewalls. Do you think they are necessary?

[@marinioac]

Hello Thomas, yes I do. They keep the wood dry inside.

[@cwiqa]

mayby im wrong, bicouse i ride on snowboard, but skis should have a inserts? for "bindings"? Awesome movie, really great skills (soory about my lang.)

[@loharynda]

vacuum and press? isn't only press enough?

[@jameshart2860]

What did you put on the metal to keep it from sticking to the skis

[@marinioac]

Bees wax. Wax on and off 3 times. And I used clear tape on the bottom of the skis.

[@NoProDad]

Cool! Go deep 🤙

[@marinioac]

@nat27rock about a week and $500 because of the mold, but you can reuse the mold....

[@marinioac]

I would love if you could share with us a better way

[@chrisdavis8243]

for the skis

[@colez4651]

Might be a little late, where did you get the metal edging? Thank you

[@marinioac]

I got at Icelantic Ski factory. They gave it to me. Yeah, a while ago.

[@bikeralos4037]

Muy buen video los felicito. What used for print the top side? Regards

[@marinioac]

snowboardmaterials.com/pages/print_your_graphics.htm

[@marinioac]

@deepbluewaterful look on the web site snowboardmaterials. they print and sell the material for skis and boards

[@livinontheline]

@livinontheline i hadnt finished the video when i asked the question! my bad!

[@explorermike19]

This makes buying skis look cheap!

[@marinioac]

It’s not about how much it cost. It’s about having the ski exactly how you want it to be. And industrial manufactured will always cost less. Everything that’s made large scale cost less than handmade.

[@SkiingAintCrime]

don't get me wrong but the graphics ruined the skis... anyway, great job on the ski itself! how does/did it feel to ride them? how long have you been working on it actually? and how much did it cost you all together?

[@marinioac]

the graphics were a very particular choice... I don´t expect anyone to like it... The skis are great, the hardest part was to design them... it is very hard to decide on what is the best for me. There is almost no good skis for women on the market. So I focused on me, my style and necessities. I made only one ski so far... of course is not perfect, but it turned out to be better than what I expected. It took me 1 week to make them, and cost about $500 with the mold.

[@schpoingle]

i don't know if it's on youtube but there's a documentary called 'happy people' by werner herzog and in it a guy makes some skis the old fashion way. it's so cool. they are like cross country skis because the people are trappers. go watch it!

[@teo_77]

Nice job! Did you get enough pressure to avoid airpockets?

[@dakotamitchell9949]

That’s what the vacuum bag was for.

[@teo_77]

@@dakotamitchell9949 Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply 😉

[@PaulMcLaughlin72glock]

hey what did you use for the base and where could i get it?

[@marinioac]

you can get all the material at: www.snowboardmaterials.com/

[@EduardoSilva-yf9df]

Do you have this ski jig mould plans to share?

[@marinioac]

I would not recommend using my design. The center was a bit off.

[@marinioac]

@jjswimmer2014 try skibuilders and snowboard materials google them

[@willmccabe6519]

Is the vacuum aspect absolutely necessary. I was trying to save myself from buying a vacuum and bags just for this.

[@marinioac]

Will McCabe no, but it’s way better.

[@adrianrauta2970]

can you tell me which song did you used for the soundtrack ?

[@marinioac]

Adrian Rauta check out the credits. All the songs are written there.

[@jurepecnik1262]

Hello! Where do you buy the ski edges? (I an from Europe any advice what is the best site to order them?)

[@marinioac]

I don't know if they ship to Europe, but I got at: www.snowboardmaterials.com/

[@flx6470]

Hi, it has been some time but if you still need them you and happen to be in Germany you can simply order them here: www.skibaumarkt.de/shop/ Maybe he also ships to other european countries... Just write the owner of the shop a message, he is very friendly.

[@Zelia_campos]

Maercelo D2-Deixa♫

[@BlackPrismGuard]

they made EVERYTHING the mold everything and the skis

[@marinioac]

@rideakhomie try skibuilders and snowboard materials google them

[@notingXworks]

no hardware for bindings to bolt into?

[@saobx3956]

Tj Crocker Yesssss. She forgot so much.

[@RedBeard20842]

Andy Olarra these are skis not snowboards on skis the bimdimgs are screwed dirextly into the skis

[@xXxaxelxXx]

uh! what a great work !! i wish i can see a video with thoes in action! thanks for sharing.

[@brennanursu9761]

Hello! May I ask how you attach the tip and tail spacers to the woodcore? I cannot find out how to do this anywhere properly

[@marinioac]

Hi Brennan, this attachment is not so critical because everything is going to get sandwiched in the press. I used epoxy, but it's definitely not super strong. It's just so stays together for the press.

[@brennanursu9761]

Ok! So you epoxied the spacers just slightly ontop of the wood core then?

[@JoeBrown2811]

Hi. I have another question regarding the tip/tail filler. If you look at the video at around 7:00 when you are gluing the filler it looks as if the core is quite a lot thicker than the filler itself. Did you use 2 layers of filler or is there a notch in the thickness of the ski at this point?

[@marinioac]

Actually i epoxied edge to edge. The fiber glass, the top and the bottom layer with all the epoxy holds everything together pretty well

[@marinioac]

there was a notch on my. But this makes no difference on the stranght or performance. It was a CAD mistake. If I make another one, I will fix that. But it's not a problem.

[@marinioac]

have you tried clamping skis edges yet? Have you seen how professionals do it? so, there are a few problems when you try to use wood in this situation.... the precision, the super glue, the small contact space with the base etc... sure my techniques are not the best. But I least I tried and I hope to help others improve by looking on what I did poorly.

[@Russiaconnect]

Я ставлю "лайк" за девушку! Молодец

[@ChrisG1392]

If you haven't watched at 2x you're missing out

[@thomasdavis5273]

Could i possibly have the templates for the molds for school?

[@marinioac]

I can send them to you, but they need adjustments. Also, the fun part is to design the template to how you want.

[@thomasdavis5273]

Could you possibly send the Template to me, I'm doing it for a school project and i need evidence of research and having some templates i could change would be great.

[@marinioac]

@TheNoahShow1998 try skibuilders and snowboard materials google them

[@Ramy_Ramz]

can someone please tell the name of the songs, and is that Bob Marley singing in two of the songs and can u give the name of the songs please?

[@maxymoo2764]

You really should wait until the end to ask questions.

[@marinioac]

Caution - bob marley stand a chance - damian marley

[@marinioac]

satisfaction - The Itals

[@Andrewskiingjohnson]

the last bit of music: Get Fly - Atmosphere

[@MrNoahFerris]

Xavier!

[@marinioac]

try skibuilders and snowboard materials google them

[@Raffhah]

galera curtiu escutar marcelo d2

[@MegaLPU]

This girl have balls))

[@jacekmakojnik]

You just need an open mind, two hands, some wood, a clipper, a scissors, and a pair of zircon encrusted tweezers. Thank you very much ;-)

[@TheGerakas]

Do you sell?

[@marinioac]

TheGerakas no 😕

[@waterfuntimes]

What's going on from 3:55 to 4:00?

[@marinioac]

I cut the tip of the edge of, so I didn't have to make the turn with it. It's hard to bend the edges and it doesn't change the performance.

[@colinedb]

Great work! What are they like to ride? I need a workshop...

[@jeankflz]

thx its helped me just kidding

[@marinioac]

not necessarily

[@kseawinner89]

Can you custom design and build one for me? I will pay you with your asking price.

[@marinioac]

Hey, I don't make skis for living. I'm sorry... I'm living in Brazil now. Thanks for the interest.

[@powerline101]

I can build you a pair!

[@dhruvi3190]

@@marinioac youv got a killer brazilian track there

[@ApenasMaisUmAke]

desabafa-marcelo d2 =3

[@natyhirsh]

great work , very nice brasilian music you showed lot of skills on this video thanks

[@Machi594]

a musica sauhasuhsauh

[@marinioac]

actually the best is press and heat. vaccum and press prevents bubble, better resin coverage, and lighter because the extra resin squeezes off..

[@marinioac]

infelizmente de nenhuma.. só a minha mesma