How to Make a Snowboard - Part 4

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 4
This is part 4 in our series showing how to make a snowboard from start to finish.

In Part 1 we learned about the printing of the base and topsheet graphic and the transfer onto the actual base and topsheet material.

In Part 2 we cut the base in preparation for the next steps - attaching the rails and cutting the core and attaching the sidewalls.

In Part 3 we attached the rails (step 4) and prepped the core with the inserts, tipfill and attached the sidewalls (step 5).

In part 4, we'll cut the fibre glass, prepare the topsheet and see how the board is actually layed up - the guts of the board that goes together to create the magic!

Step 6: Cutting the fibreglass
Here we cut two lengths of triaxial fibreglass for use above and below the core.  Triaxial glass is stiffer than biaxial and gives better edge hold and flex performance.  Two sheets of glass offer a good compromise between absolute indestructibility of say 4 layers (with hugely increased weight and stiffness), and the softness of 2 layers of biax (very soft).  We'll be looking at introducing quadrax very soon in some incarnation to slightly increase the stiffness of some of our boards.  Currently Heresy uses carbon stringers in some boards to add stiffness, but this also adds weight.


Step 7: Prepping the Topsheet
In this step, we take the printed topsheet, and apply a layer of thick masking tape to it as a protector from scratches in the press.  The heat in the press will not affect the topsheet now that through the transfer process it has permanently taken on the print.


Step 8: Layup
Although all the work up until now has been fun, and important, this is where we have to pay really careful attention.

This step must be completed efficiently, accurately and quickly.  The resin used when activated, starts warming up by dint of a chemical reaction, and we must get the board layed up and into the press reasonably quickly.  So, let's see what happens inside the board!

First we can see the mold base.  This is cleaned before every press to ensure freedom from foreign particles and residue from the last press.

First up, we put the base+rails in, applying a layer of resin.

We then apply the vibration dampening foils.  These are applied along the contact edges and under the bindings, to help reduce vibration through the board.


Next, we lay up our first layer of fibreglass, pouring some more resin on, and spreading evenly, ensuring the glass soaks the resin up equally to ensure an even distribution in bonding throughout the board and a uniform flex characteristic.


Next, the core is layed up, with a dash of resin applied.

We apply another layer of fibreglass and resin, again making sure we coat the glass with resin equally.

Lastly, we lay down the topsheet.

The board is now ready for pressing and curing which is part 5 of our series, so stay tuned and check in for the next series.  You can always subscribe to the blog feed to ensure you get the latest info to your RSS reader.

Someone asked in the last part if we would show the core creation.  This is done external to the factory, but involves sections of poplar and beech which are then milled according to the board shape we want.  So, generally speaking, we maintain cores for specific board lengths, but can alter them slightly, i.e. make a 163 wider for power, without affecting the performance or structural integrity.

In the meantime, you can check the boards out at our online store.

Technorati Tags: How to make a snowboard, Heresy Snowboards, Heresy Snowboarding, Snowboard Construction

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 3

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 3
This is part 3 in our series showing how to make a snowboard from start to finish.

In Part 1 we learned about the printing of the base and topsheet graphic and the transfer onto the actual base and topsheet material.

In Part 2 we cut the base in preparation for the next steps - attaching the rails (step 4) and cutting the core and attaching the sidewalls (step 5).

Now we're ready to attach the rails to the base and get the core ready.

Step 4: Attaching the rails
The rails are shaped and formed according to the shape of the board we are making. It is therefore possible to have many different rail shapes in the factory, but sometimes we can re-shape one shape to fit another mold.

Below we can see some rails hanging up in preparation for use.

As our boards are handmade, great attention to detail is paid to ensure the highest quality boards. Attaching the rail is a crucial part of the process, where we need to ensure the rail is as flush as possible to the edge of the base material (Sintered 7500 for 2008). The edges are Rockwell 48 steel. Basically, we attach them flush to the base, using small amounts of an adhesive to hold it in place in preparation for the press.


Below we can see an almost-complete base, ready for layup.


Step 5: Prepping the Core
In this step we take our milled core, which is made specifically for a board length and shape, and is a full wood core. We attach our sidewalls (more timber, MUCH better memory and flex characteristics than ABS sidewalls, and significantly lighter) and extend the tips, recycling some offcut base material.

In the step below, the sidewalls are being glued on.

Here, the tip fill is attached.

And here we can see Tim and Sean have had some Dr Pepper and gone sugar crazy by personalising this board. This board ending going up to someone in Western Australia. This is how personalised we get with the boards. We really care about the little things.


In Part 4, we will be checking out the fibreglass prep and the layup process, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can check the boards out at our online store, where they will be on sale very shortly (we're about to announce a special sale).

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 2

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 2
This is part 2 in our series showing how to make a snowboard from start to finish.

So, we have printed and created our base and topsheet, and cured them, in Part 1, and now we are ready to cut our bases in order to lay them up with rails.

Step 3: Cutting Base
Here you can see the cured base is layed up on the shape of the board. This shape matches the mold template outline.

The base + jig/guide are placed in a cutting bay, and secured in place. We use a router to cut the shape.
Before commencing cutting this, we would do well to remember to have a sip of Dr Pepper.



Here we can see we have nearly finished.

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 1

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 1

We've promised we'd put up a tour of our factory showing how our boards are made for some time, so, here it is; enjoy! We'll bring this to you over about 8 parts. We include the whole process include how to prepare the snowboard print, prepare the core, shape the snowboard, press, and finally finish the board including shaping the sidewalls and grinding the base.

In these photos you will see yours truly in red, and my man Sean in white. He's super-radical and I took him to Rock the Bells 2007 where we saw Rage Against the Machine, Wu Tang, Public Enemy, Mos Def and Cypress Hill amongst others. He was shocked.

So, here we go, Part 1: Print of, & Base/Topsheet creation.

Step 1: Base and Topsheet Print
In this step, we are printing the transfer for the base and topsheet graphic. This is printed on a large form factor printer in CMYK. Although the colours don't look rich upon exit from printer, this is not a cause for concern; the colours take a deep hue on transfer. To get to this point, we have designed the artwork in Adobe Illustrator (or Photoshop, or even something like Corel), to produce a file for the printer.



The finished topsheet print and base print.

That was easy eh? We now move on to the fun parts. At this point, I like to have a sip on my delicious Doctor Pepper beverage and sigh in excitement. "Why?" you ask? Because making snowboards is ace.

Step 2: Prepping, Printing and Curing the base and topsheet
After sipping from my crazy-ounced Dr Pepper, we begin prepping the topsheets and bases. Let's shorten base and topsheet to B&T which sounds suspiciously delicious (perhaps Bacon and Tomatoe, sandwich, but is really beetroot and tomatoe as I don't dig on pig so much).

Here we go laying out a length of the ISO topsheet.

Cutting, cutting.

Here, we have printed the base. Our boards use a combination of sublimation-only and sub+diecut. We have not shown the diecut process here, but basically we print the base in the same manner, but using a die, cut the shape out and replace it with an equivalent shape from a different colour - go and check out our boards to see the effect.

Here, we can see the base, laid flat, and the metal plate is a thick aluminium plate to help the base cool uniformly and in a flat manner. This helps prevent uneven cooling and thus a change in the integrity of the material.

Below we can see a printed topsheet; the sheet now has excellent saturation.

After the topsheet or base has cooled for the requisite time, we transfer it into this hi-tech holder!

So there you go, so far, we have:
-printed the base and topsheet, and
-transferred them to the topsheet and base material (ISO 7500)

Next? Next we show how the bases are cut in preparation for layup on the mold and rail attachment.

Next >> Part 2 - Cutting the Base