Final Essay

 I started out my senior project by. designing my top sheets. The top sheets are designs that you see on the top of a ski. I wanted them to be memorable so I created roughly ten designs that me and my brother would be able to pick from. I found photos that I had taken on vacations of mountains and fields and decided to give them a shot. They did not come out how I wanted, so I decided to take a photos off the internet that reminded me of things that I have experienced. I sent the designs to a company that prints out top sheets and they are currently in the process of printing them. 

Once I had everything set with my top sheets I was finally ready to start designing and building the ski. I started out by learning how to cut bases using the cnc machine. The cnc machine has a replaceable bit and while cutting the bases I used a razor bit. Once the bases are fully cut they need to have edges glued onto them. I have a roll of ski edge that I cut sections out of to perfectly fit the length of my skis. Once the edges are cut I have to bend them to fit the curve of the ski. Once they are perfectly bent I am finally able to clap them to the base and use super glue to ensure that they stay in the perfect position. I had multiple fails while cutting the bases and edges which taught me to always double check my work. 

The final thing that I did last week was learn how to cut the wooden cores using the cnc machine. Before the cores are cut they need to have sidewalls glued onto them. The sidewalls are the side of the ski above the edge. They are extremely important for the overall structure and maintaining the width. Once I had everything glued I was finally able to start cutting the core into the correct shape. The process of cutting the core is significantly more difficult than cutting the base. It also takes up a-lot more time. My father already had everything programmed so all I needed to learn was how to set up the core to be cut and how to make sure the program was set up properly to ensure that everything happened safely.

I continued to carve out ski cores during the second week. I had roughly 7 finished going into the week and I will eventually need to create 12. The process of cutting the cores using the cnc machine is extremely difficult and it was never exactly planned. I have cut four different cores and every single time I have had something go wrong. My most recent complication was that the drill bit was overused and dull. It was not able to cut properly so it jumped around whenever forced to cut something. Using the cnc machine is by far my least favorite part of the project but it is extremely important because it basically creates most of the ski. 

I have had issues with getting the top sheets that I made at the very beginning of my project. The order keeps on getting delayed because the company that I bought them through ran out of materials. They arrive this friday but this means that I am going to be forced to work through the weekend. I was able to create my dads ski because we are using wood veneer to design the top. This allowed me to learn how to layer and mold a ski before I have to do my own. I learned how to cut the fiberglass, combine the core with the nose and tail piece, and layer everything together with epoxy. Once everything is layered I am able to put it in the press. The skis stay in the press for roughly 12 hours to ensure that the epoxy dries properly.

Once the top sheets came I was finally able to start working on my skis. I started by making sure that both of my cores are even and making sure that all of the other materials that I am going to use match up. Once I was curtain that all of the materials were perfect I was finally able to start layering the skis. I am so happy with how the top sheets turned out. I had to wait eight hours before I could start taking my skis out of the press. They came out perfect and everything was lined up perfectly. The beginning of the second week was extremely slow. I had to cut out cores for the entire day and there was a day where I could only work four hours.The hours that i missed during the week were made up Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I worked an extremely large amount of time each day to ensure that all three skis would be complete. 

I spent the first eight days of my project doing extremely difficult background work. I had to learn how to use a machine that I have never used before. Not only is it extremely difficult to use it is not very consistent and often leads to errors. I failed my first three attempts with the machine and it was very discouraging. I felt like I was never going to be able to learn it properly but thankfully after my next try I did it flawlessly. I also had to cut the base and edges was was significantly easier than cutting the cores. It is extremely straightforward and there are much less things that can go wrong. I just need to make sure that the edge is properly glued onto the base. 

The final three days that I spent working on my project were by far the most exciting days. I was finally able to start working on my skis and complete everything that would finally shape them. This was by far my favorite part. I was able to see the skis that I have been dreaming of making for the past year finally take form. I got to cut them out into the perfect form. The instant that all of the sanding was done I was finally able to take a step back and respect the skis that I had just made.