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| Home Made Boards (6188 Posts)
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Home Made Boards |
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On 11/20/2003 carlton
wrote in from
(64.173.nnn.nnn)
what is the best material for a home made board?
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On 11/19/2003
john b
wrote in from
(24.171.nnn.nnn)
oh i forgot to mention i'm pressing double kicktail street skateboards not longboards. keep that in mind.
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On 11/19/2003
john b
wrote in from
(24.171.nnn.nnn)
I'm wanting to press some boards. I have much of the equipment needed but I am trying to find the best quote on wood. Who do you guys get your wood from?
And what size do you recommend using?
I have been getting quotes for 1/16" maple plies.
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On 11/19/2003
flex deck for 0$
wrote in from
(68.18.nnn.nnn)
try this.I have just cut my longboard (pintail)from a old rental snowboard that I got for free at my local ski shop.
works great.Count on few jig saw blade to cut the board.
I am thinking on replacing the bottom material with epoxy fabric for greater stiffness. any clue on some other aleternatives ???
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On 11/13/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Yeah concrete is cheap, fairly easy to work with,
and if you screw it up, you can try again. moving them
every time you make a different board would be a drag...
make sure if you make one, that the part of the mold
that sits on the press is PERFECTLY flat, otherwise the pressure
will find the void and snap it. Concrete takes a month before you reach
it's full strength. Use 5000 lb mix...you don't need to wait a month
before trying it. I believe that's a 5000 lbs per square inch
rating...
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On 11/13/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
Brad,
Yes. Wood molds are a drag to make. I've built some that are hybird wood and plastic resin that work well, but you've only got a couple minutes to do it and if anything goes wrong, you're hosed. It's a 2-part molding resin and it's expensive. You mix part A with part B and pour. In 3 minutes it turns white and becomes hard as a rock. Cool stuff but it's $35/gallon.
I have been thinking about using concrete because it so cheap. I may give it a spin this weekend and see how it goes. The weight may be an issue though. I have 3 different molds and it would be miserable to have to move 100s of pounds of concrete every time I make a different board. Of course I could have 3 bays in the press, but then I'd need 6 heat blankets. It's always something. ;)
Steve
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On 11/13/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
Duane,
That could work out well. Where did you see these 12" x 48" blankets with the plug on the end. That would be perfect. All the blankets I've seen are in this price range so this could be a viable alternative.
Thanks,
Steve
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On 11/13/2003 Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Oh I forgot. we have rubber matting between the molds
to distrube the weight better still, and prevent any
little concrete deviations from being pressed into the wood.
what amount of pressure does your press deliver?
making wood molds sounds like a bear,do you carve a solid wood block
or something? not that concrete is a joy....
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On 11/13/2003
Duane
wrote in from
(64.223.nnn.nnn)
Steve, if you get serious about the heat blankets, I may be able to let you have some old heat controllers I have laying around. I believe some switch line voltage, based on feedback from a type J thermocouple. Newer ones only switch a relay, so then you have to buy the relay as well. These can be mounted in a panel box to conceal the wiring and make a neat package. I have also seen some flexible drum heaters, 1/8" red silicone rubber type, that are 12" by 48" with a rheostat controller built right in, with a standard household plug on the end. I though these would be real slick, but they were about $300 each.
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On 11/13/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Steve,
we use a concrete mold. You create a wooden form,
put it in a perfectly square box,and pour your concrete
around it. others use a kind of fibreglass resin, but
thats big bucks. The concrete is heavy to work with (our
male and female parts of the mold weight about 750 lbs)
but once it's in place, it doesn't move. You also put rebar in
for cracking. as long as it can't seperate, the 'crete will last a long
time. and it's cheap. We also use a 3 plated steel pyramid
to distribute the weight of the one ram. It works quite well
but weighs about 450 lbs itself. and then there's lifting the plate,
male mold, and flat plate (total: about 800 lbs)
to get the wood that will be pressed in between the
molds...that took a little thinking,
but the whole system works very well.
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On 11/13/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
Duane,
The heat blankets I've seen look like a thin, flat piece of rubber. Maybe 1/8" thick. I have no idea why they're so expensive, but they are. Some of them can even get up to 450º. Wow!
Yeah. Wood molds work great. What I meant about stainless steel was to use it as a cassette. Do all the layup on a sheet of mold-release waxed steel, put another piece on top, then throw the whole thing into the mold between the blankets. I've been using mylar for this purpose and it provides a great finish, but you can really only use it once. I'm trying to get into something reusable, and over time, cheaper.
Steve
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On 11/13/2003
Duane
wrote in from
(64.223.nnn.nnn)
Steve, let me know what you find on the heaters. They would have to go between the mold and board so would see a lot of stress, possibly even shear stress when the mold is nearly closed. Also they could be lumpy and not take contours well. I have looked into silicone rubber type and a few others. I'm looking for something to enclose in a vacuum bag set-up, or blanket the outside. I don't want to build an oven and don't have the room to store one. I wouldn't worry about using wood molds, MDF molds last a long time, and even more time if cotaed with thinned epoxy, which soaks in and hardens up the surface even more. The small amoutn of give is really a good thing, maybe bettre than metal molds unless the metal is faultless.
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On 11/12/2003 Jason
wrote in from
(66.215.nnn.nnn)
Hey,
Where can i get a board press?
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On 11/12/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
Brad,
The press guy just left here and yes, we're still looking at under 3K. It will be hand-operated with 2 hydraulic jacks daisy-chained together and operated from a single pump. The biggest expense will be the heat blankets which are about $300 each. So roughly 1K for blankets, wiring, and temperature controls. The unknown costs at the moment are the steel beams and the hydraulic jacks. He's tracking down the best prices on that stuff and said he'll have a quote to me in a couple days. Steel is cheap. Jacks tend to be fairly cheap as well.
I've been using wood molds with great success. I'd love to get machined aluminum but it's just too expensive. I'll be able to use my wood molds with this setup.
I'll let you know how it goes, but things are definitely looking good at the moment.
Steve
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On 11/12/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(64.136.nnn.nnn)
wow! 2 - 3k? that's fantastic! Ours is hand operated, and was more than that. hand operation is actually not a bad thing. the machine is less complicated. there's no need for a 220 hook up, and, it really is quite easy to operate....you can feel the pressure increase as you pump...gives you that feel for the power thing. sounds like you found a killer machine. If it's all the guy says it is, Go for it! do you know what you are making your mold of?
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On 11/12/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
Brad,
I wouldn't say 6 minutes makes for a TOTAL cure, but it's cured enough to pop it out of the press. It should still sit on the shelf for a couple days before you start cutting it to allow a full and total cure. The guy I'm talking to is coming by today to assess my process, space, and electrical supply so I'll know more after that.
His rates are very reasonable (as quoted in a ballpark figure). It sounds like it will be well under 3K. Probably more like 2K. This is the only reason I'm pursuing it. Everything else I've seen online, even at auction, is WELL above that. At least double and usually quadruple. The plan is to keep it as simple as possible. Manual operation ("Go" and "Stop" buttons). Limited parts. We'll see how it goes.
I'll talk to him about resins. This guy is a seasoned snowboard press builder so he knows what he's talking about (or so I hope!).
Steve
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On 11/12/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Steve,
6 minutes? for TOTAL cure? We have to wait 5 days.
and our boards are in the press for an hour.
our glue is different than what you are using,it
is mixed with a catalyst,and not an epoxy..
it is the industry standard.....but
6 minutes sounds akin to the guys who microwave
(yes, microwave) their boards. They break. I DON'T
claim to be an authority here, because I don't have a
heated press, but be careful anyway...get more info
on that first. I could be out in left field.
We got our press from Dake (www.dake-div-jsjcorp.com)
(good people by the way)...it had to be
custom made because of the width, and
then we had to outfit it to distribute the pressure.
I don't know if they make heated presses,
but if they do, you will pay for it.
Dake is top rated.
most presses are 36" and under in width at the uprights...
ours is 50 ton and 48" wide....
you may have better luck than we did,
we could not find one that wide that wasn't
some huge monstrosity.
Did anyone tell you about the wood? it has to have a certain
water content. Again, the glue your using may change the rules
but know that wood with a high water content is more likely to warp
after pressing. get all the knowledge you can
before you invest...
This is a heated platen press big enough
to press longboards? I wish I had your bucks!
Good luck with your venture.
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On 11/11/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
I'm also need to avoid prepreg fabric that needs to be keep in a freezer. Space is limited. So is electricity.
Thanks,
Steve
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On 11/11/2003
Steve
wrote in from
(207.202.nnn.nnn)
I'm looking into a heated/pneumatic press to build boards. The person I spoke with said with the press heated to 175ºF, curing time per board can be as low as 6 minutes. Of course, this is based on a heat-curing, thermoset epoxy. Does anyone have any suggestions on brands or more information I could get my hands on?
I'm currently using a 4:1 epoxy manufactured by SystemThree. This stuff is excellent, so I'm looking to have something equivalent in a thermoset.
Thanks in advance!
Steve
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On 11/8/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Nick,
the easiest wood to get started with is Baltic Birch,
if you're not doing the vacuum bagging/Roarocket thing.
You'll probably have to order from a local lumber store, the
big box (Home Depot) stores don't carry the kind of quality
you need. you want as few "football" patches as possible. The
"Perfect" wood is called B/BB Baltic, but is extremely difficult to find.
it is easier to get the patches on one side only.
what you want to do is draw out your board on paper first,
or use a graphics program that can print that size. If you're
only making one, this is fine. To make sure it's symmetrical,
you fold the paper over down the center and check how the
2 sides line up...they should line up evenly.
You then trace this on your wood. use a jig saw
or band saw to cut it out. A router is always nice for doing the
edges, if you're familiar with them. But they can be dangerous.
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On 11/8/2003
Doug K
wrote in from
(66.31.nnn.nnn)
Nick,
Now your talking. There is a ton of info in this forum.
you may want to try searching (use the search page) for past info.
Use Baltic Birch or Maple.
I have a home made board site
Link: http://www.geocities.com/dpkumph/index.htm
Good luck with your board
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On 11/7/2003
Nick S
wrote in from
(142.177.nnn.nnn)
I'm 14 and I've been skating street on a shortboard for a year and a half now and I want to get into longboarding. I don want to shell out on a board so im thinking of making a homemade one. Can anyone reccomend what type of wood i should use?
(what ply, maple, beech?)
Thanks
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On 11/6/2003
Brad
wrote in from
(66.217.nnn.nnn)
Yeah, it's the altitude...North Adams is 651 feet above sea
level...If I go up Mount Greylock, I'm really in trouble!!
....could be too much Polyurethane...
and remember:
skate or die at Rye Rye Rye!!!Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!...
let's see that awesome glass
finish of your decks again...and brave the wooden bowl
with that gnarly Fantail carver....
arggh!!!
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On 11/6/2003
Doug
wrote in from
(64.222.nnn.nnn)
Brad,
I forgot that the air is a little thin over there in the Berkshires... my bad ;-)
Doug
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On 11/6/2003
brad
wrote in from
(64.136.nnn.nnn)
what are you talking about Doug? i ride my countertop all the time!
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