First Snowboard In the Press!
My first snowboard is in the press cooking right now! I made a cool timelapse of the layup process where I layer all of the components, the base, edges, fiberglass, core and topsheet. check out the video!
What Goes Into a Snowboard Layup
If you’re new to snowboard construction or wondering what each layer does, here’s a quick breakdown of what I used for this build:
1. Base Material
This board uses a flat sheet of sintered P-Tex for the base. Durable, fast, and wax-absorbent, it’s the same stuff you’ll find on high-end production boards.
2. Edges
Steel edges are glued and clamped around the perimeter of the base material. This board uses tip-wrap edges for better impact resistance and a clean look.
3. VDS Rubber
Strips of VDS rubber are placed on top of the edges all the way around, which gives the steel edges a compatible material to bond to.
3. Fiberglass
The first reinforcement layer is triaxial fiberglass for torsional stiffness and strength. Fiberglass layers are positioned both below and above the core.
4. Core
The core is poplar with maple stringers, CNC-profiled with tip and tail taper and sidewall trenches poured in urethane. It’s designed to flex evenly across the length and give a responsive ride feel.
5. Carbon Stringers
Some builds include uniaxial carbon stringers between the fiberglass layers for added stiffness and pop. This one had strips of uniaxial carbon fiber in an X pattern between the tip/tail and binding mount areas respectively, giving the snowboard a lively pop and responsive carving feel.
6. Top Veneer & Topsheet
For this build I used a dyed wood veneer with a clear nylon protective top for a natural finish.
Into the Press
Once the full sandwich is built, it’s transferred into the vacuum press mold. The mold is heated with a 2 kW silicone blanket. The press cycle for this board:
- 1 hour ramp-up to 180°F
- 2 hours hold
- 30-minute ramp down to 140°F
The vacuum holds about 27–29 inHg the entire time, pulling the layup flat into the camber/rocker profile of the mold.
What Comes Next?
Once the board is cured and out of the press:
- I’ll bandsaw the sidecut, then clean up edges with the spindle sander.
- Drill binding inserts (first time doing these!).
- Send it out for base grinding and tuning.
Hoping this first board rides well and gives me ideas for improving the next snowboard layup.
