Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

kumachan wrote:Thanks for that link, Wooderson, I was not familiar with that ski maker. Those are some nice looking skis! One set looked as if they were made from curled birch! Maybe a veneer? I couldn’t really tell from the pics and Google translate only goes so far. Very nice! You might see me in that North House class one year!

t-$, all my Asnes woodies have the center groove on their bases. Enjoy your time learning a new craft! I wish I had the space, or access to a shop, here to do that!

Dude, they are super nice aren't they!? I'm thinking a veneer. I think? Tough. Gorgeous.

Woodserson wrote:

kumachan wrote:Thanks for that link, Wooderson, I was not familiar with that ski maker. Those are some nice looking skis! One set looked as if they were made from curled birch! Maybe a veneer? I couldn’t really tell from the pics and Google translate only goes so far. Very nice! You might see me in that North House class one year!

t-$, all my Asnes woodies have the center groove on their bases. Enjoy your time learning a new craft! I wish I had the space, or access to a shop, here to do that!

Dude, they are super nice aren't they!? I'm thinking a veneer. I think? Tough. Gorgeous.

I think those are made from visakoivu, which doesn't seem to have an English name. It is a mutation of birch, which looks like this:

Ya'll might be interested in this video about traditional wooden ski-making in Telemark, Norway:

One interesting part: they don't carve a groove into the bottom of the ski. As the skis are used and the bases become worn, you're left with many smaller grooves and ridges that do the same thing as a larger groove would.

That's a good one Kai, very comprehensive. Thanks for posting!

Verskis wrote:

Woodserson wrote:I think those are made from visakoivu, which doesn't seem to have an English name. It is a mutation of birch, which looks like this:

It's Curly Birch: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/visakoivu

http://www.mustila.fi/en/plants/betula/pendula/carelica

And, yes, they are beautiful skis!

Thanks, Kai, that's a great video! Here's a shorter one:

I like the ones in Woodersons link that are 97mm wide. I think they would fun skiing around the woods.

The carving step in the videos looks easier than carving a canoe paddle of which I have done many and the steam bending doesn't look complicated either. I sure it wouldn't be too difficult a project to make a usable pair, probably not up to traditional Norwegian standards though. I think the hardest part would be finding the right piece of wood.

hey guys,

yeah al, you are totally right. you could be the best woodworker in the world and if the wood is not good or correct, the product is not good, generally speaking. i have not worked with this supplier before, but going to the shop and spending time looking through their stock and talking with the cutter made me feel a lot better about the wood. they had pretty nice pieces there.

those vids are great, e'rybody. there are so many on youtube!! holy crap. oh well, hope you all are getting snow and not rain...

one johnny shared in the vids thread:

t-$ wrote:hey guys,

yeah al, you are totally right. you could be the best woodworker in the world and if the wood is not good or correct, the product is not good, generally speaking. i have not worked with this supplier before, but going to the shop and spending time looking through their stock and talking with the cutter made me feel a lot better about the wood. they had pretty nice pieces there.

Remember, kiln-dried wood won't take the steam for the permanent bend. Or it will, but it won't be anything as easy or nice like air-dried wood. (assuming you're not building laminates on a form but steam-bending for shape)

that's a great tip woods, thanks for bringing that up. the stock i am getting is only air-dried, been sitting at their shop for awhile. they did have some kiln dried stuff, but it was more expensive and several knots in the boards.

i am planning on steaming for shape. gonna hve to build me another steam tube like i used to use for bow building. this is shaping up to be a fun, interesting little project! can't wait to be my boards (and some fresh snow would be nice)!