Power Kite Forum

Building a carbon deck from scratch

elfasa - 16-1-2013 at 03:30 PM

So ive been thinking and researching recently (not particularly seriously yet) about building a Carbon Fibre deck from scratch.

All the info I've been able to find online has been about surf/ skim boards with the foam core, which obviously isn't what i want.

Has anyone done one before that can shed some light, or can you direct me to somewhere online that has thorough instructions, that a relative novice to these things could follow ?

Cheers,
Tim

crazyherb - 16-1-2013 at 03:43 PM

Tagged...to follow this thread as well...
I've done minimal fiberglass work (patch jobs on surfboard) but would love to lay out my own CF deck...
Looks like most of the big dogs use vacuum bags and monster presses to do it with...

How about a "cheap" way to do up a CF deck??!!

elfasa - 16-1-2013 at 03:48 PM

Yeah, ive done 1-2 minor things with fibre glass, but not carbon fibre.

All the stuff ive seen (with the foam core) essentially are very simple;
Layer the core with carbon fibre sheets, and the epoxy / hardener, stick in a vacuum bag. I guess one without a foam core would be very similar ?

I would love to do something like this, especially on the cheap

I'm still a sucker for all things home made, and like to have a project or two on the go :)

Tim

B-Roc - 16-1-2013 at 05:59 PM

check kitecrowd. There have been a couple threads from others who have done so there. IIRC Plummet has made a few and seemed to know more than a thing or two about it.

elfasa - 17-1-2013 at 03:55 AM

Yeah, thanks B. I put the same post in KC, they have given some info already, still not exactly what im after, but useful, and may be the best i get!

Crazy herb, if you're interested, the other thread is here:

http://forum.kitecrowd.com/kite-landboarding/building-carbon...

Tim

ikemiester - 17-1-2013 at 04:03 PM

I looked into doing this at school here at the AFA. We have Carbon Fibre you can buy for the price payed at large quantities, and even then, with all the mold making, beta trials with Fibreglass and whatnot, it's still cheaper to buy a Pro 95 deck from MBS. Sad but true.

elfasa - 17-1-2013 at 04:54 PM

Really ?? I had a quick look for a pro 95 deck. theyre £220 new in the UK,i reckon i could do my own carbon deck for between £100-120. (im not sure what that is in USD).

For anyone interested in some general CF instructions, check this out:

http://www.diycarbonfibre.co.uk/

Tim

joedy - 17-1-2013 at 05:36 PM

Actually, if you're interested in laminating an existing board with carbon fiber, you could vacuum bag this relatively easy without investing in the effort to make the molds. Production parts are easy and cheap (minus material costs), but mold making is never easy or quick. If you have molds CNC milled, then you're looking at several thousands of dollars (US) for machining costs.

-joedy

elfasa - 18-1-2013 at 10:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by joedy
Actually, if you're interested in laminating an existing board with carbon fiber, you could vacuum bag this relatively easy without investing in the effort to make the molds. Production parts are easy and cheap (minus material costs), but mold making is never easy or quick. If you have molds CNC milled, then you're looking at several thousands of dollars (US) for machining costs.

-joedy


Ahh, see id want to make one from scratch ! That's part of the fun for me. Although i totally get your point!

I have an idea for a mould that will take me no longer than an afternoon and not much more than £10 (15USD)

Tim

indigo_wolf - 18-1-2013 at 12:50 PM

Production moulds tend to be more expensive because they need to stand up to repeated use, are often made of metal, and generally a single mold actually presses multiple decks at a time.

"Shade tree" or "garage builds" generally use molds made of high density foam or wood laminates.

If you don't trust yourself with accurately cutting these materials, you can split the difference by modelling it yourself using a CAD program and have it cut for you on a CNC machine for an additional cost:



I am not sure about the £100-120 estimate. You have to factor in core material, prepref CF, epoxy resin, mould material, vacuum bag, compressor, breather material, and incidentals. If this is your first build, also add in a fudge factor for mistakes-trial/error. Unless you are sourcing materials and equipment from a limited number or sources or predominantly local, there's also going to be shipping costs which can add up quickly.

It's probably still very doable... just don't kid yourself that it's going to be a wicked bargain. In the end, you'll end up with something unique and the satisfaction of having built it yourself which is an intangible that might offset the coast.

If you are serious about this, I would spend some time in the "Shed" area of the SurfingDirt forum as well as the Silverfish Longboarding forum. Although the latter focuses mainly on street decks and longboards, the construction techniques are the same.

Another good source is the Roarockit site. They are a Canadian company that teaches classes on how to build skateboard decks, sells kits and supplies a line of vaccum bags. Their site is also chockfull of tutorials. Again, aimed at street decks, but the info is easily transferable to off-road and kite decks.

ATB,
Sam

elfasa - 19-1-2013 at 04:26 PM

Great, thanks for that info, Sam, I'll definitely check out those sites!

The more i hear about it, the less financially viable it sounds. But the more I want to do it :)
Someone on KC suggested using a core (the middle 50% of layers) of fibre glass. This apparently cuts costs, paying the price of increased weight. What do you think ? Although it would make sense financially, I would want the board to be a genuinely good one, and i dont know if down the line i would regret that move.. ?

We had a friend round recently that owns a boat yard close to me, he knows someone whos a real pro with carbon fibre, has massive workshops, and has constructed amongst other things, a world class race catamaran, completely by hand from carbon fibre. Hes an eccentric apparently, but is happy to help people out. So i may have to get in touch with him ! :)

Tim

silvereaglekiter - 19-1-2013 at 04:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by elfasa
We had a friend round recently that owns a boat yard close to me, he knows someone whos a real pro with carbon fibre, has massive workshops, and has constructed amongst other things, a world class race catamaran, completely by hand from carbon fibre. Hes an eccentric apparently, but is happy to help people out. So i may have to get in touch with him ! :)


Friends are nice to have :thumbup:

indigo_wolf - 19-1-2013 at 07:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by elfasa
The more i hear about it, the less financially viable it sounds. But the more I want to do it :)
Someone on KC suggested using a core (the middle 50% of layers) of fibre glass. This apparently cuts costs, paying the price of increased weight. What do you think ? Although it would make sense financially, I would want the board to be a genuinely good one, and i dont know if down the line i would regret that move.. ?

Tim


Unless you are weight compulisive because you have your eyes set on a team rider slot with a focus on freestyle, the weight difference is not going to be monumental. Also there's nothing that says that this will be the only and only board you ever build with a "till death do us part" clause in the ownership contract.

There are plenty of good boards out there that aren't 100% CF. To the best of my knowledge CKB were one of the few all CF boards, but they were a tad crazy.... they even built some of their trucks from carbon fiber.

ATB,
Sam

Cleeg05 - 21-1-2013 at 02:53 PM

I have personally built my own press out of concrete with no problem. My mold is based on an old atom 90 deck and I pressed 11 sheets of maple with type III wood glue and its alot smoother deck for me than the Atom. I weight about 190 pounds and the board has plaenty of flex. Just an idea other than the carbon fiber if its to expensive. The cost of one deck pressed is about 80 bucks once you build the mold and that maybe 5 sack of concrete.

elfasa - 21-1-2013 at 05:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
Unless you are weight compulisive because you have your eyes set on a team rider slot with a focus on freestyle, the weight difference is not going to be monumental. Also there's nothing that says that this will be the only and only board you ever build with a "till death do us part" clause in the ownership contract.

There are plenty of good boards out there that aren't 100% CF. To the best of my knowledge CKB were one of the few all CF boards, but they were a tad crazy.... they even built some of their trucks from carbon fiber.

ATB,
Sam


You make, as always, a very good point. Thanks Sam ! I'll try and factor in using some fibre glass too, see how that effects things.


Cleeg05- you made a mould from concrete ? How did you manage that ? Ive got a few ideas on how you could have done it, but none work out..

Tim

Cleeg05 - 22-1-2013 at 10:12 AM

Its pretty easy make you a mold box about two foot high and as wide as you board. Wrap your old deck in plastic to keep the water from the cement from soaking into it. Get a sack of play sand and wet it in a bucket to the point where it is moldable. Lay enough sand in the bottom to fill in around the board and under the board so its level then smooth the sand around the edges of the board so its level across the mold and follows the curvature of the board. After you have it level mix you concrete in a bucket and slowloy add it to the mold over the board and sand repeat for both sides of the board and it makes an upper and a lower mold then you make a block out of two by fours with a bar over the top to push against with two bottle jacks and thats it.