# my DIY swallow tail burton supermodel 172



## pjstyles

Very nice very nice!


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## df_321

Wow, amazing. But what are you going to achieve now having a bit slit in the back of you board:dunno:


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## Ryan_T

Very interesting if it works. Let us know.


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## linvillegorge

Damn. It actually looks like good work. 

No offense, but I only clicked on this thread in the hopes that I was going to get to LMFAO at a completely buttfuck butchered snowboard.


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## ETM

linvillegorge said:


> Damn. It actually looks like good work.
> 
> No offense, but I only clicked on this thread in the hopes that I was going to get to LMFAO at a completely buttfuck butchered snowboard.


Haha yeh in the wrong hands it could definitely end up a disaster.


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## ETM

df_321 said:


> Wow, amazing. But what are you going to achieve now having a bit slit in the back of you board:dunno:


 With the swallow tail the surface area of the tail is much less than that of the nose so I can have my stance centred in relation to the sidecut radius for a well setup board on the groomers but still dominate in the pow. I am going to hokkaido in 19 days so it will definitely get a good workout.


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## Pow?POW!

Absolutely ill.. Beautiful work sir :thumbsup:


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## ETM

Well it worked a treat. The swallow tail allows you to dodge trees like nothing else.
I did not mention the urethane I used before as it was untested but it stood up to temps of around -13c and did not crack or delaminate. This is what I used.

Selleys Urethane Bond - Adhesives | Selleys Australia

It takes 48 hours to cure and is very runny for about the first 4 hours, you need to mask up the top and bottom sheets of your board, let the tape overhang the edge by about 10mm and fill the gap, because it is very runny you can only do small sections at a time as it must be kept level to avoid it all running off the edge. I ended up doing about 3 layers and grinding it back once dried using a flap disc/angle grinder.
It is a bit of stuffing around but it did work flawlessly, there may be better methods, i am just telling how it worked for me.


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## Kwanzaa

That's pretty cool idea.

Does the shape of the cut have any particular effect on the performance of the board? I notice that swallow tails vary greatly in shape and size.


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## dreampow

Just a sweet looking fish tail board:thumbsup::thumbsup:. Let us know how it holds up in Hokkaido.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> Just a sweet looking fish tail board:thumbsup::thumbsup:. Let us know how it holds up in Hokkaido.


http://www.snowboardingforum.com/478114-post9.html


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## ETM

Kwanzaa said:


> That's pretty cool idea.
> 
> Does the shape of the cut have any particular effect on the performance of the board? I notice that swallow tails vary greatly in shape and size.


It definitely would. The only swallow tail I have ever ridden is this one so I cannot compare it with others but the way this board performed just took my breath away. For steeps and tree runs it is just insane, giving you at least double the control you have with a full tail. In deep powder rear leg burn is eliminated totally.


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## timmytard

Nice, I like it. I think I'm going to try that too. 

I made a diy no-board, with a board from before the standard 4 hole disc binding era. 
It has screw inserts all over the place, I just ground the heads off some longer screws. Now it's studded.
Lets just say you wouldn't want to fall face first on this thing.

But where the inserts are, is where bindings should go. But without the bindings, you can't stand in that designated area & ride very well without the nose dive bombing.

If I put a swallow tail on it, that should put me back in the sweet spot.

TT


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## Sick-Pow

I am not sure I could do that with a cap construction board.


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## Sim79

Awsome, I want to do the same to my burton board.


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## ETM

Go for it mate, its not hard at all.


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## Sim79

Where did you get your measurements from?


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## ETM

Just by eye. Find the centre of the board, use a round object mark a circle and then draw what looks right to you from the circle back to the tail. Cut a paper template from that side and flip it for the other side to ensure symmetry. Mark and start chopping.


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## ETM

is yours a channel board?


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## Sim79

Thanks will do, I just need to borrow or buy a jig saw.


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## ETM

Ok mine measures 70mm from the back of the channel to the start of the radius and 175mm wide at its widest point near the tail.
Bunnings have a jigsaw for $30 odd and a the glue for under $10, you will also need some masking tape.


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## Sim79

ETM said:


> is yours a channel board?


I don't know. I bought it around 98 or 99, it's a burton 62 designed by johan olofsson. It also says tip to tail superfly 2 wood core.


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## ETM

Ok so it will be a 3 hole pattern, just keep away from the inserts. Same core as mine, nothing to worry about.


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## Sim79

Thanks for info I'll post some pics once it's done. Before I found your thread I had been searching on google trying to find info on doing this and I didn't find anything , so thanks again for posting it up.


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## ETM

No worries man, be sure to post some pics.


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## Sim79

ETM this afternoon I was offered this old board for free, so I'll going to hold off from cutting my board up at this stage. I want try this one out first and see how it goes. I might still do the mod at later stage.


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## ETM

Haha thats the board from the aussie forums.
whats it worth


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## Sim79

That's the one, its old school. 

The bindings will be no good I hope that my burton mission bindings will fit on.

Were the bolt patterns simular back then? Can I get new bindings that would fit?


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## ETM

Doubt it man, thats serious prehistoric shit there!


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## Sim79

ETM said:


> Doubt it man, thats serious prehistoric shit there!


Well its useless then.

The swallow tail is back on track. 

I have made a template and from my last binding bolt I have 140mm measuring to the back section that I want to cut out. Is that leaving enough meat?

What did you use to cut the wood back 5mm?

And when you cut through edges of the board with jig saw did you start cutting on the edge or did you have hole in the board and cut towards the edge?


Last night I looked at lot different swallow tail designs and I have to say your is unique and looks the best.


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## ETM

Sim79 said:


> Well its useless then.
> 
> The swallow tail is back on track.
> 
> I have made a template and from my last binding bolt I have 140mm measuring to the back section that I want to cut out. Is that leaving enough meat?.


 That is heaps



Sim79 said:


> What did you use to cut the wood back 5mm?.


 I used a 4" angle grinder with a 1.0mm cutting wheel for most of it and then a dremel for the tightest part of the radius because the bigger grinding disc didnt fit. 





Sim79 said:


> And when you cut through edges of the board with jig saw did you start cutting on the edge or did you have hole in the board and cut towards the edge?.


 I used the grinder to cut through the steel edges and started from outside and cut in with the jig saw.






Sim79 said:


> Last night I looked at lot different swallow tail designs and I have to say your is unique and looks the best.


Thanks. It works incredibly well too.


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## Sim79

I made few templates, I didn't like the first one so no pics of that one.



A. Something simular style to ETM, but after looking closely at rounded ends, I decided againts it, as its going too hard to make it look neat with the edging, plus its not protected as much due too the edging stopping sooner. It would look a lot nicer with rounded ends, but its harder to do and offers less protection.
B.Same template just moved back, this is when I noticed having pointed ends would be less work and it offers more edge protection and strenght.
C.Slight change
D.Slight change, I like this one the most, but have see if there is enough room to get a grinder and dremil in.
E.Slight change, pic not taken square so template looks very off alingment.



A








B








C








D








E


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## ETM

I think A. If you leave a sharp point its asking to be smashed off thats why I rounded mine off. Its really just for when you are standing the board up on hard ground. You will be surprised how strong it actually is when its all finished.
Template looks great BTW.


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## Sim79

ETM said:


> I think A. If you leave a sharp point its asking to be smashed off thats why I rounded mine off. Its really just for when you are standing the board up on hard ground. You will be surprised how strong it actually is when its all finished.
> Template looks great BTW.


When you have spare moment could please post a close up pic of one of the rounded ends no rush.
I just can't see how you can cut the edging with a grinder and the still have nice rounded ends with no edging. When you cut the edging did you fill the cut in or did you make the cut very shallow?


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## ETM

Ok in this pic it shows close up of one of the tips. Yes my edges are rusty and I need to clean them up lol.
The red circle is the end of the steel edge, it actually makes contact with the ground when the board is stood up.
The blue circle is where the "tip fill" ends. This is the same material they use for the sidewalls and is very tough, there is no need to cut back into the tip fill material.


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## Sim79

Thanks ETM, makes more sense now.


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## ETM

No worries mate. That thing copped a beating in japan too, I rode lots of gondolas with metal flooring and you just have to throw the board in as fast as you can. If it was ever going to break it would have been in one of those gondolas.


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## dreampow

So our season is ending, maybe one more little powder dump before I hang up by boots and start cutting up my board. I think I have the general idea from this thread but I wanted to ask a few things.

1) When you cut back the core do you cut at a 45 degree angle from above and below so as to create a space for the urythene filler?

2) How far back do you cut? I am thinking 1cm or so is enough.

3) Did you fill the gap with the exposed core in sections?
I am thinking using masking tape and just letting the filler sit due to gravity which will mean rotating the board and doing the entire cut edge in maybe 3 sections.

4) How much of a gap do you leave between the cut edge and the inserts.

Other than that it seems pretty straight forward and since I am loving my proto so much I am 100% sold on making the Volkl a 100% deep powder monster swallowtail.

I will post up a few shots when I have a design for the swallow tail shape. Probably be similar to yours as it maximises straight edges which are easier to cut cleanly and keeps the tips thick and so strong. 
Of course it won't be identical.

If mine comes out well my buddy may do his too.

Just pure fun making things:thumbsup::thumbsup:.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> 1) When you cut back the core do you cut at a 45 degree angle from above and below so as to create a space for the urythene filler?


I cut mine square, you are removing any wood that absorb water if left exposed.



dreampow said:


> 2) How far back do you cut? I am thinking 1cm or so is enough.


 10mm is heaps, excessive if anything. The deeper you cut the more glue you will need and the longer the curing time. I recommend about 5mm.



dreampow said:


> 3) Did you fill the gap with the exposed core in sections?
> I am thinking using masking tape and just letting the filler sit due to gravity which will mean rotating the board and doing the entire cut edge in maybe 3 sections.


this is exactly what you need to do



dreampow said:


> 4) How much of a gap do you leave between the cut edge and the inserts.


my board was a channel board so its a bit different. I would leave no less than 50mm 




dreampow said:


> Other than that it seems pretty straight forward and since I am loving my proto so much I am 100% sold on making the Volkl a 100% deep powder monster swallowtail.
> 
> I will post up a few shots when I have a design for the swallow tail shape. Probably be similar to yours as it maximises straight edges which are easier to cut cleanly and keeps the tips thick and so strong.
> Of course it won't be identical.
> 
> If mine comes out well my buddy may do his too.
> 
> Just pure fun making things:thumbsup::thumbsup:.


 Get chopping brother!

I actually just got my template back from cnc routing, I have gone from chopping boards to building my own from scratch! Its addictive when you realise you can make something that works so well.


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## dreampow

I think I understand exactly what to do now:thumbsup:.

That template looks pretty sweet:thumbsup::thumbsup:.

Now all we need is these other pesky seasons to go by quickly so we can get back on the snow.

Of course I enjoy the other seasons and have other activities I enjoy. Spend most of the summer swimming or surfing.

There is still 350cm on the mountain in Nagano and today its snowing up there. Sadly today is no good for me but I might sneak in one more trip. 

Keep us posted on the progress of your board. I will do the same.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> Keep us posted on the progress of your board. I will do the same.


Will do mate.
I am just starting to gear up for the aussie "winter"


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## dreampow

Do you snowboard down there in Oz?

bet you don't need those powder boards.


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## ETM

Shit yeah, we have some of the most expensive snowboarding anywhere in the world! AU$109 lift passes.
You can actually get it good from time to time, I plan on doing at least 30 days this season. Currently building a sleeper cab for my ute (or truck whichever you want to call it) so I can save a heap on accom.
I wont be needing the pow board but I do want to get one built so I can test it here before lugging them over to japan.


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## Sick-Pow

have you guys seen the Car Danchi Movies?


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## ETM

nah should we?


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## Sick-Pow

if you like POW, and Japan, and sleeping in your car so you can ride more pow, then yes. Find them.


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## dreampow

I don't like sleeping in my car in -30 temperatures but I do like pow. I plan to spend at least 2 weeks in Hokkaido next year as well as my regular spot in Nagano. The movies look pretty cool.


Hey ETM I have my template, just wondering how far back to go with it.

This is my choice at the moment










Then if I push the template forwards about 5cm it looks like this










I have no idea what to expect in terms of change in performance, but I have had 3 good years on this board and whatever happens its OK with me. 

I have ridden this board as it is with a twin tip and full set back in bottomless powder many times. It does take some effort to keep the nose up, but as long as you have it well waxed and keep your speed up it does very well. 

I am super exited to see what loosing this much tail can do for the float.


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## ETM

I would go full depth, it looks perfect for that board.


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## ETM

Sick-Pow said:


> if you like POW, and Japan, and sleeping in your car so you can ride more pow, then yes. Find them.


I am currently building this sleeper cab for my ute for this local season, it aint -30 maybe -10 at worst.


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## dreampow

Nice truck

is that a Holden maloo?

I drive a Mk5 GTI

good idea to sleep in it, fortunately here in Japan its pretty reasonable as you know

as for the tail I will go long with the cut as is your suggestion

I am guessing the more I cut out the more float I will get but there must be a trade off with something

loss of control? or is it simple the lack of ability to go switch, which for this board I can live without

proto will be my go to board for riding switch which I am really into when its not too deep


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## dreampow

Oh and by the way my proposed cut is 30 cm long, into the board and 20cm wide at the back which is the widest point,
bare in mind the board is a semi wide 161.

How does that compare with the cut on your 172 supermodel?


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> Nice truck
> 
> is that a Holden maloo?
> 
> I drive a Mk5 GTI
> 
> good idea to sleep in it, fortunately here in Japan its pretty reasonable as you know
> 
> as for the tail I will go long with the cut as is your suggestion
> 
> I am guessing the more I cut out the more float I will get but there must be a trade off with something
> 
> loss of control? or is it simple the lack of ability to go switch, which for this board I can live without
> 
> proto will be my go to board for riding switch which I am really into when its not too deep


Truck is a ford xr6 turbo.
The only trade off is switch riding ability, you can ride switch when you have to when traversing etc.
Loss of control is exactly the opposite of what you get, the swallow tail adds so much control its not funny, it has to be felt to be believed.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> Oh and by the way my proposed cut is 30 cm long, into the board and 20cm wide at the back which is the widest point,
> bare in mind the board is a semi wide 161.
> 
> How does that compare with the cut on your 172 supermodel?


Mine is 175 wide at the widest point and about 300mm deep from the end of the tail, the board has a tail width of 304mm. More is better as long as you dont lose strength chasing those last few mm. Yours look good in the pic with the full depth template, run with it.

Ps watch this vid, at 0.15 watch me stand on the tail to avoid that tree, if I werent on a swallowtail I was hitting that tree bigtime.


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## dreampow

How much bond did you use?

your Aussie stuff looks just right for the job. Sure I can find the same sort of thing here but as it happens a friend is coming over in a week or so from Oz,so I might get him to bring a tube or two of Selleys.


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## ETM

Less than half a tube was needed for mine.


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## ETM

Next up!
My stepchild powder OG 164.


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## dreampow

Do it man.

Also just wondering when you cut the tail leaving two thin strips like that doesn't it loose quite a bit of stiffness and therefore control?

I was concerned about that so I kept my two tails as thick in width as possible to maintain rigidity.

I am guessing in powder its not an issue but do you feel the lack of stiffness in the tail on hardpack?

I know all my questions will be answered when I get my swallowtail on the snow, but its still mid summer here.


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## ETM

The tail remains surprisingly stiff, obviously you dont want to go trying butters on it or it could snap for sure but for general riding, ollies and carving you really dont notice the difference, get it in powder and it will change your life.
That cut out is exactly the same as my supermodel, I think the angle of the pic makes it look longer than it really is (300 from tail, 170 wide)


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## ETM




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## Sim79

Looks great ETM

Starting mine now


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## Sim79

ETM all the cutting is done, I have to remove the 5mm off wood. You said that you used a grider. Everytime I have used a grinder near wood it burns the wood and smokes badly. How did you avoid this? And how close were you removing the wood from the board base and top? There isn't any room for error especially with a grinder!


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## ETM

Blast from the past LOL

When I got back from Japan I decided I was going to build my own boards from scratch, well Im about a week out from pressing my first one. Its been a long road but Im almost there!

Where it all started, drawing it out on CAD (thanks Dad!)









The CNC cut template









Channel routed in the core for pouring 360 degree urethane sidewalls









urethane sidewalls poured into the channel









Sintered base laying over the profiled core 









You can see the camber profile here. Rocker between the feet and camber outside with a big rocker nose









#1 core with veneer top sheet









some more veneers I made for top sheets









Testing the press with 60psi in it










The next pics will either be a finished board or a massive fail LOL


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## ETM

Sim79 said:


> ETM all the cutting is done, I have to remove the 5mm off wood. You said that you used a grider. Everytime I have used a grinder near wood it burns the wood and smokes badly. How did you avoid this? And close were you removing the wood from the board base and top? There isn't any room for error especially with a grinder!


I did use a grinder with a 1mm cutting disc taking off very small amounts at a time, yeah it will smoke a bit but thats ok. You need to get all the wood out, go till you see the fibreglass layer under the top sheet and the base (wear a dust mask and safety glasses obviously)

If you are worried just use a spar urethane and paint it on the wood like people do with splitboards


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## Sim79

Few crap phone pics, needs a little more shaping, wood removed and seal up.




























Less than 2 months till Japan, can't wait to test this out.


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## Sim79

Grinding done, turned out a easier than expected.

I have the first section of urethane drying.


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## ETM

Now the waiting game.


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## dreampow

Good news,

we are having one of the best years ever for snow in Japan,

I am off to Nagano on Monday..

I should get to test out my swallowtail.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> Good news,
> 
> we are having one of the best years ever for snow in Japan,
> 
> .


Fantastic news


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## Sim79

ETM said:


> . I ended up doing about 3 layers and grinding it back once dried using a flap disc/angle grinder.


Please do the above ^^^ 

I didn't and it caused the urethane to bubble a bit.
I just got carried away and made the urethane one thick layer straight away. Which caused it to bubble when I sanded it back it looked crap due to the smooth urethane surface having bubbles in it, I went to dig the urethane out with sharp flat tip and thought it would come out easy. As it come off very easy from the base and the top, but its tough as between the base and the top, so I just left it and ran a thin layer of urethane to seal the small bubbles on the surface.


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## ETM

You cant stop the bubbles forming when the urethane cures, dont stress over them.


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## Sim79

The thin layer of urethane worked a treat, looks a lot better now.

ETM I was going to put my bindings back far as possible again, but had a thought that this might be pointless now. I might have too much weight now on the rear off board and loose too much float. 
Having the bindings central might balance the board out better?

Have you played around with binding postions since doing the chop?
Do you still run your bindings back as far as possible?


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## ETM

Sim79 said:


> The thin layer of urethane worked a treat, looks a lot better now.
> 
> ETM I was going to put my bindings back far as possible again, but had a thought that this might be pointless now. I might have too much weight now on the rear off board and loose too much float.
> Having the bindings central might balance the board out better?
> 
> Have you played around with binding postions since doing the chop?
> Do you still run your bindings back as far as possible?


yeah I played around with it a lot, thats one thing I like about the channel with normal disc bindings because you can get crazy with setback. Im sure this is very personal but I ended up at 100mm setback in relation to the sidecut radius. 
When you try it out you will find that the closer you get your back foot to the cut out the more control you get in the powder. I can still ride it on hard pack easily with 100mm set back.


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## Sim79

Yes speed powder and hard pack won't have any issues.

The only time I thought set back might cause an issue is when your going through flat sections off powder, where you need to maintain speed and float, so you skim across the top and you don't sink down.

We were finding flat untouched powder runs that were 100s off meters long and wide at Niseko sometimes after 1 o'clock in the afternoon!


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## dreampow

Hey ETM,

thanks for the help with the swallowtail,

she had her first outing and was waist deep at times.

Excellent float and turns on a dime.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

This year is amazing, I have never seen thins much snow at this time of the year. Fluffy white powder and hardly anyone else around.

Will write up a report on my swallowtail later.


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## ETM

dreampow said:


> and turns on a dime.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


Thats the bit that really shocked me, how nimble the board becomes. I found my confidence in the trees at speed went through the roof.


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## Sim79

ETM one of my friends has a Force board, model is Glide, he thinks it's at 2004 or 2005.

Do you know if his would be safe to do a swallow tail to? Not sure how the core is made.


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## ETM

If its wood core then I cant see why not.


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## Sim79

ETM said:


> If its wood core then I cant see why not.


That's the thing I not sure how find out it is.

He might have to e-mail Force to find out.

Just had thought if it didn't have wood core, it might be easier as it wouldn't need sealing up.


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## ETM

A foam core would probably snap. Drill a small hole through the top sheet and see if wood comes out or not, if not just fill the hole with urethane and forget it.


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## Sim79

This my friends board, he did this today, with less than 2 week till Japan


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## ETM

Nice job!
I Leave on sunday night, cant fkn wait!


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## Sim79

Just got back from 7 snowboarding days in Japan , my swallow tail and my mates worked a treat, it made the powder days a lot easier. It took six 9 hours days before my rear leg started getting sore, normally I get sore on the 1st or 2nd day.

Glad I did this mod and I will do this mod again if I upgrade my board.


Good to board with you ETM and thanks for lending out your powder boards.


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## ig88

Sim79 said:


> Just got back from 7 snowboarding days in Japan , my swallow tail and my mates worked a treat, it made the powder days a lot easier. It took six 9 hours days before my rear leg started getting sore, normally I get sore on the 1st or 2nd day.
> 
> Glad I did this mod and I will do this mod again if I upgrade my board.
> 
> 
> Good to board with you ETM and thanks for lending out your powder boards.


I have not gone through the full 9 pages of this interesting thread. But this last post might tell me something I never knew before. I have never experienced deep powder in my short snowboarding pursuit.

Does a swallow tail effectively eliminate the need to exert rear foot pressure in order to maintain good float in deep powder?


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## Sim79

ig88 said:


> Does a swallow tail effectively eliminate the need to exert rear foot pressure in order to maintain good float in deep powder?


It doesn't eliminate it , it just reduces the pressure needed a lot. If its not deep powder ( 20-30cm ) you need no rear pressure, if its 40cm+ you need a little rear pressure.

The powder boards ETM made require zero rear pressure, you can have all you weight on the front leg in powder and it still pops the nose up.


ETM on his board, I was there on this great day  1 of 3 big days in 1 week!!
rusutsu snowboarding 5/2/2013 - YouTube


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## ig88

Thanks for the youtube link. Great video. Was that you in the vid?


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## Tartosuc

Hi all,
i started working on my old rossignol 166 board to make it swallowtail. this thread got me started.


here's where i'm at so far. 
working on sanding, finishing the inside edge at the moment, a re-paint is in the plans. Iù,m not on a rush, i want it to be nicely done, if I only test it next season so be it.

few questions for those who already tested their board.:
1- do you guy' feel the tails are a lot softer/flexier than before?
2- would they benefit from some reinforcement? either added laminate or a stiffener bar between the tips?

thanks


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## Sim79

Tartosuc said:


> 1- do you guy' feel the tails are a lot softer/flexier than before?
> 2- would they benefit from some reinforcement? either added laminate or a stiffener bar between the tips?
> 
> thanks


Mine and my mates didn't feel any softer, we both followed each other to watch the rear end to see if it was flexing more and we both couldn't see any difference. I also have go-pro footage of just the board working and you can't see any extra flex.


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## linvillegorge

Damn, y'all are inspiring me. Once I beat the shit out of my Charlie Slasher, it might get the swallow tail treatment.


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## Tartosuc

Sim79 said:


> Mine and my mates didn't feel any softer, we both followed each other to watch the rear end to see if it was flexing more and we both couldn't see any difference. I also have go-pro footage of just the board working and you can't see any extra flex.


Sounds good. I would like to see your videos.

But honnestly, by "hand feel", i pushed before and after the cut and i feel it is considerably softer...of course its hand feel, not very scientific but not completely unrreliable.

I've seen a company called coda snow board add a cable between the tips to help "spread the load" wich sound logic from the description on the website.

Coda Variable Flex

That said i have two ideas, one inspired from coda boards...add a stiffener bar made of fiberglass . The bar would be easily removable and would help the board behaving more "normally"

The second idea would be to laminate a pieces of thin plywoodon the end of the board. That would required a lot more work, glue, fiberglass etc.

See pics of my ideas below


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## linvillegorge

Holy shit, those Coda boards are ridiculous. They'd have to have something to hold those two "skis" together. I think that amount of swallow tail is a bit overkill.


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## Tartosuc

The second idea, imagine all sanded down nicely and with fiberglass over it


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## walove

option one would help torsionaly in a turn, not to much in the longitudinal (tip to tail) direction. 

i would be concerned with the stress concentrations where the wood stops. 

If i were to do any reinforcing i would add carbon tape from the rear binding out to the swallow tips on the tail ( reverse V pattern )

I personally wouldnt be that worried about the tail flex. A normal tail of a board rolls up yours is now flat. Many boards have rocker in the tail and perform fine. My pow boards of choice is a lib snowmullet and k2 gyrator which both have rockered tails.

try it first, modify later. This board will ride different than others thats the point, adapt your riding style to fit the board.


----------



## Tartosuc

walove said:


> option one would help torsionaly in a turn, not to much in the longitudinal (tip to tail) direction.
> 
> i would be concerned with the stress concentrations where the wood stops.
> 
> If i were to do any reinforcing i would add carbon tape from the rear binding out to the swallow tips on the tail ( reverse V pattern )
> 
> I personally wouldnt be that worried about the tail flex. A normal tail of a board rolls up yours is now flat. Many boards have rocker in the tail and perform fine. My pow boards of choice is a lib snowmullet and k2 gyrator which both have rockered tails.
> 
> I know i' overthinking this, but thats a fun part of it for me. Lol
> 
> try it first, modify later. This board will ride different than others thats the point, adapt your riding style to fit the board.



Torsional flex is what concerns me a little, let face it even if i plan to go on a powder day...sometimes, theres not as much snow as expected at the moutain so I would like the board to be rideable in a broad range of conditions.


----------



## ig88

Tartosuc said:


> Hi all,
> i started working on my old rossignol 166 board to make it swallowtail. this thread got me started.
> 
> 
> here's where i'm at so far.
> working on sanding, finishing the inside edge at the moment, a re-paint is in the plans. Iù,m not on a rush, i want it to be nicely done, if I only test it next season so be it.
> 
> few questions for those who already tested their board.:
> 1- do you guy' feel the tails are a lot softer/flexier than before?
> 2- would they benefit from some reinforcement? either added laminate or a stiffener bar between the tips?
> 
> thanks


I am impressed with the tools you've got. Why don't you just try out the swallow tail alone and see how things go? Maybe it's good enough already. If you make modifications and try them out little by little, you will have more useful data to reflect upon later. We are all to some extent doing experiments, don't we? Or maybe you seldom hit the powder slopes and you are compelled to try out all your ideas in one go.


----------



## ETM

Dont bother with any kind of stiffening, you just dont need it.

Was great riding with you guys in rusutsu simmo. 50cm and 30cm days in a row are usually fun LOL.


----------



## Sim79

Tartosuc said:


> Sounds good. I would like to see your videos.
> 
> But honnestly, by "hand feel", i pushed before and after the cut and i feel it is considerably softer...of course its hand feel, not very scientific but not completely unrreliable.


Yes mine also felt softer with my hand, but when riding it didn't.


I'll post up the footage once I get it from my friend who I borrowed the go-pro from.



Tartosuc said:


> Torsional flex is what concerns me a little, let face it even if i plan to go on a powder day...sometimes, theres not as much snow as expected at the moutain so I would like the board to be rideable in a broad range of conditions.


I love my board in powder or groomed runs it perfect for me. I got to ride to two great powder boards and they great fun on deep powder days, but I didn't like the extra lenght and weight on non powder days or tight tree runs.

My setup is perfect now for my riding.


----------



## Tartosuc

thanks all for your infos,
I think i will try it like that first.

@ig88, yes i have lots of tools, i'm 43 yers old(16 in my head) passionate about mountain biking, outdoors sports in general and also a homeowner...all this requires me to be well equiped with tools. plus i just love to modify/improve things. my basement is part shop, part storage for all my outdoor toys.


----------



## ig88

Tartosuc said:


> thanks all for your infos,
> I think i will try it like that first.
> 
> @ig88, yes i have lots of tools, i'm 43 yers old(16 in my head) passionate about mountain biking, outdoors sports in general and also a homeowner...all this requires me to be well equiped with tools. plus i just love to modify/improve things. my basement is part shop, part storage for all my outdoor toys.


You also born in 69?


----------



## Tartosuc

ig88 said:


> You also born in 69?


january 1970


----------



## ig88

Tartosuc said:


> january 1970


Oh that's still the year of the rooster (Feb 4, 1969 till Feb 4, 1970). Maybe there are some similarities between us haha. Anyway let's go back on topic.

I wonder if any swallow tail, for example the Burton Fish will perform equally well as you guys' diy swallow tail in powder.


----------



## dreampow

I did this on a Volkl zenit and it really floats well. 

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/48133-diy-swalowtail-my-volkl.html

I have to say it did loose some stiffness though, probably because it had carbon stringers tip to tail in the exact spot where you cut out for the swallowtail.

It works fine in powder, but has lost some groomer performance without a doubt. You only notice it when on hard not so smooth surfaces.

Probably depends on the structure of board and where the stiffness comes from. For many boards this will not be an issue.

Also a proper powder board will have a smoothly rockered nose and taper, these features will make it better than a DIY swallowtail IMO. Still its a great fun way to breathe life into an old stick and get a pretty good powder deck.


----------



## ig88

dreampow said:


> I did this on a Volkl zenit and it really floats well.
> 
> http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/48133-diy-swalowtail-my-volkl.html
> 
> I have to say it did loose some stiffness though, probably because it had carbon stringers tip to tail in the exact spot where you cut out for the swallowtail.
> 
> It works fine in powder, but has lost some groomer performance without a doubt. You only notice it when on hard not so smooth surfaces.
> 
> Probably depends on the structure of board and where the stiffness comes from. For many boards this will not be an issue.
> 
> Also a proper powder board will have a smoothly rockered nose and taper, these features will make it better than a DIY swallowtail IMO. Still its a great fun way to breathe life into an old stick and get a pretty good powder deck.


Nice pictures of diy swallow tail in your thread. You've got great craftsmanship I must say. The edges look very smooth. You guys must have a helluva lots of older boards to experiment and sacrifice. Apparently all you guys' diy swallow tails also reportedly perform very well too. Good work. But for people like me with almost absolutely no diy wood work experience, buying a swallow tail seems to be the only feasible option.


----------



## Board Gadget

ETM said:


> Blast from the past LOL
> 
> When I got back from Japan I decided I was going to build my own boards from scratch, well Im about a week out from pressing my first one. Its been a long road but Im almost there!
> 
> Where it all started, drawing it out on CAD (thanks Dad!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The CNC cut template
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Channel routed in the core for pouring 360 degree urethane sidewalls
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> urethane sidewalls poured into the channel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sintered base laying over the profiled core
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see the camber profile here. Rocker between the feet and camber outside with a big rocker nose
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> #1 core with veneer top sheet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> some more veneers I made for top sheets
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Testing the press with 60psi in it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The next pics will either be a finished board or a massive fail LOL


Great thread!! How did this board turn out?


----------



## ETM

turned out sick.
asahidake today



























vids on youtube username ETM360


----------



## Tartosuc

Here's where i am at with mine...

Sanded and repainted
Scealed the cutout
Now need more clearcoat


----------



## dreampow

Nice work, this thread is turning our to be the epic swallowtail thread.


----------



## Board Gadget

ETM said:


> turned out sick.
> asahidake today
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> vids on youtube username ETM360


Awesome!! Very cool. :thumbsup:


----------



## ETM

Good work guys. Keep the pics of chop jobs coming!


----------



## ETM

Tartosuc said:


> Here's where i am at with mine...sorry for the crappy pic...plus the stupid i pad always flip my images in forums....
> 
> Sanded and repainted
> Scealed the cutout
> Now need a good clearcoat


Flat is the new gloss brother! 
If you clear it knock it back with green scotchbrite for a satin finish, it looks nice and is easy to maintain compared to gloss


----------



## Tartosuc

ETM said:


> Flat is the new gloss brother!
> If you clear it knock it back with green scotchbrite for a satin finish, it looks nice and is easy to maintain compared to gloss


Actually its not really flat..crappy pics is not showing properly...
I have a black base coats, then I've brushed some orange glitters on top wich give's it a rough look that still reflect under the sun. Then i've added the hand painted lettering
Now this morning. I ran into a problem, i've brushed some clear on it but the glitters reacted with the clear...i'll have to wait and see how it looks tonite...weird beacaus i've used the same glitter and clear on another priject last year...


----------



## ETM

Does your sister know you got into her make up bag?


----------



## Tartosuc

ETM said:


> Does your sister know you got into her make up bag?


lol
its not makeup, its art stuff my wife has. its a liquid with glitters into it


----------



## Sim79

Japan footage at the 1 min mark you can see the tail clearly
GOPR0659 - YouTube


----------



## wernersl

In the interest of keeping this going; Just received my new to me NS Premier T5 168 in the mail. I dont even think I will ride it before giving it the swallow chop. I would love to take it for a spin before that but I am not waiting till next season for that. Within the next week or so I will be adding pics of the mod.


----------



## wernersl

Sim79 said:


> Japan footage at the 1 min mark you can see the tail clearly
> GOPR0659 - YouTube


Love how that nose just flies up in the deep! Damn this is going to be a long 6 months...


----------



## ETM

post the pics up for sure


----------



## wernersl

Ok...Starting the drawing and measuring now. First, a couple shots of the canvas (I didnt bother to light these any better than the ambient crap inside my house, so take reflections and color representation with a grain of salt). As you can see she is in need of some love. Im thinking a good stripping of the topsheet and a bothersome plain matte black finish will accurately describe this bitch's temperament! All in all $65 shipped to the door I aint complainin.



Kind of what Im envisioning here. You can see the carbon stringers under the topsheet here. Avoiding those as Im sure a cut into them would really affect the ride.



another of the carbon section...




Now here is what I have drawn up. yup, its a file folder. I was originally going to freehand it on the board, hence the lines of tape going everywhere. Then I realized if i just found center line, the natural fold of the folder could follow center and I could freehand that, making mistakes easily correctable. 

My question for you ETM, or anyone else for that matter, In the first pic I am leaving about 4 inches from the last binding insert for the cut. The second shot below shows 5 inches. What would you recommend? Im kind of fond of the 4 inch mark but wonder if I should leave additional length on the tail of the board. In either case I am beyond the contact point of the tail. In fact the tail begins to rise at the upper horizontal piece of tape. I have a good 15 inches to work with from the last binding insert to the tip of the tail. Any input you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## ETM

4" man. Dont over think it. Just cut what looks right to you.
4" looks right to me.


----------



## wernersl

ETM said:


> 4" man. Dont over think it. Just cut what looks right to you.
> 4" looks right to me.


Well im an overthinker. I reworked the template and went for a simpler cut. Hope to start chopping this week. Here is the mockup.


----------



## wernersl

Settled on a cut. only concern I have is how close the top of the cut is to the carbon stringers. Under 1/2" away. Wanted to leave as much tail as possible to maintain solid groomer riding so the cut is a little narrow but taking 15" in length should still allow it to sink well. I'll update more when I chop. Probably this week sometime.


----------



## ShredLife

this one was the best mock-up you posted. cut this one.


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> this one was the best mock-up you posted. cut this one.


Think so? Already shitcanned that template! Out of curiosity what about this mockup do you prefer over the current?


----------



## ShredLife

the lines are much smoother, the tail is a little shorter, and most of all it looks like it cuts off the most of the tail kick out of the 3 - no reason for tail kick on a swallow - you want that bitch to sink in the back. fuck groomers. you won't be riding this kind of board on a groomer day. (what the fuck is a 'groomer day'? :blink


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> the lines are much smoother, the tail is a little shorter, and most of all it looks like it cuts off the most of the tail kick out of the 3 - no reason for tail kick on a swallow - you want that bitch to sink in the back. fuck groomers. you won't be riding this kind of board on a groomer day. (what the fuck is a 'groomer day'? :blink


Hahaha. True. Although thats most of what we get here in SoCal! But I guess thats what my Raptor is for! Thanks. I will revisit the template. Thats why I have been putting them up here. Thanks.


----------



## ShredLife

just to fuck with your head a little bit .... peep game:

no pointy tips.


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> just to fuck with your head a little bit .... peep game:
> 
> no pointy tips.


This was actually the inspiration for my latest mockup. Of course I would be rounding out the tips after the initial cut. If this is what you were referring to then i think I will stick with the current mock. I havent drawn in the tip rounding yet. This is what I came up with on the computer based on my template as a final product. Thoughts?


----------



## ShredLife

yea, visually the pointy tips were fucking with my ocd. :laugh: i think that'll be good - but keep in mind that all the production swallowtails are made to be swallowtails... if they have any tail kick at all its very minimal, nothing like a freeride board with a full kick tail. i'd be wanting to make the cut so as to have a flat or almost completely flat tail.


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> yea, visually the pointy tips were fucking with my ocd. :laugh: i think that'll be good - but keep in mind that all the production swallowtails are made to be swallowtails... if they have any tail kick at all its very minimal, nothing like a freeride board with a full kick tail. i'd be wanting to make the cut so as to have a flat or almost completely flat tail.


Ill keep that in mind. Once I make the initial straight cut Ill be able to season to taste. Can always take more off. Cant put it back on, at least without some fantastic duct tape!


----------



## ETM

shredlife said:


> this one was the best mock-up you posted. Cut this one.


+1










..............


----------



## wernersl

Alright...widened the swallow a bit and estimated the rounded edges. Unless you see good reason not to, this will be the cut. Thanks for the help so far guys.


----------



## ETM

chop it.........


----------



## wernersl

ETM said:


> chop it.........


sir yes sir. oh and need to repair a blown edge as well. :dizzy: damnit.


----------



## wernersl

Ok...went through the chop today. Here is the progress...


----------



## wernersl

A few more while I am letting the epoxy dry...









Now just 5 more months till I get to actually ride the damn thing!


----------



## wernersl

Next up...sand down the epoxy. I got a plastic bond epoxy that will flex and is good down to -20 degrees or something like that. I can tell already that it will need some touch up, but so far pretty easy to work with. Cant report on durability until this coming winter.

Then...the topsheet will be going away in place of something...probably matte black. Just something simple, well done, and deadly looking. Will definitely be the only one on the hill.


----------



## ETM

I like it!


----------



## wernersl

ETM said:


> I like it!


Thanks! Im rather partial to it. She still needs a lot of work. Downside to an old used board. Still lots of camber left in it. But...the base needs some work. Theres a bolthole that was pushed through by use of too long a bolt. Need to grind that down. Also a small blown edge near the nose that I will have to repair.

Upside...I can cut it with little guilt and wont care how big a rock I encounter with it!

Its an old Never Summer. Its built like a fuckin tank. Wont take much to fix and anticipate it will still jam pow and groomers alike with aggression.


----------



## ShredLife

legit! you've inspired me to do this... great way to breath new life into an old board i think.

the piece you cut out looks like it would make a sick chopper seat. you should throw it on craigslist as a chopper seat cut from a snowboard for like 40-50 bucks.. i bet you'd sell it

edit: you're in socal fuck it charge 150 i'm sure you could sell that thing down there..


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> legit! you've inspired me to do this... great way to breath new life into an old board i think.
> 
> the piece you cut out looks like it would make a sick chopper seat. you should throw it on craigslist as a chopper seat cut from a snowboard for like 40-50 bucks.. i bet you'd sell it
> 
> edit: you're in socal fuck it charge 150 i'm sure you could sell that thing down there..


Fuck an a! Great idea. Thanks. If it sells I'll cut you in!


----------



## Sim79

Your going to love riding this now Wernersl.


----------



## ETM

You and mick going to japan again simmo?


----------



## wernersl

Sim79 said:


> Your going to love riding this now Wernersl.


Oh I'm sure. Been staring at it all summer! Fuck summer.


----------



## Sim79

ETM said:


> You and mick going to japan again simmo?


Yes :thumbsup:


Just not next year.


----------



## wernersl

Ok. Summer has come to an end and I have some updates. Went with a satin black with slight metallic finish. Need to lay down a few stickers and apply clear coat. Here it is so far.


----------



## timmytard

Sweet, I'm gonna have to make me another one too.

Maybe I'll do that when I get back from picking up an old Santa Cruz deck:dunno:


TT


----------



## wernersl

timmytard said:


> Sweet, I'm gonna have to make me another one too.
> 
> Maybe I'll do that when I get back from picking up an old Santa Cruz deck:dunno:
> 
> 
> TT


Yeah this is a 2007 NS Premier T5


----------



## Tartosuc

Have you guys seen the boards from spring break snowboards?
Spring Break Snowboarding | Handmade Wooden Snowboards | Custom Snowboards | Lake Tahoe | Portland Or | Winter Sports | Spring Break Stuff | Spring Break creates handmade abstract snowboards that also serve as functional pieces of art. These experime

I like the closed end cutout he does... I wonder of it works well,!


----------



## wernersl

Tartosuc said:


> Have you guys seen the boards from spring break snowboards?
> Spring Break Snowboarding | Handmade Wooden Snowboards | Custom Snowboards | Lake Tahoe | Portland Or | Winter Sports | Spring Break Stuff | Spring Break creates handmade abstract snowboards that also serve as functional pieces of art. These experime
> 
> I like the closed end cutout he does... I wonder of it works well,!


Looks interesting. Wonder how they ride, but definitely funky. 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## Tartosuc

I'm tempted to try it for my next board


----------



## wernersl

Tartosuc said:


> I'm tempted to try it for my next board


Cutting your own or a spring break board? I certainly don't have a G to throw down on a what if. 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## Tartosuc

Not buying...cutting my board that way


----------



## ShredLife

looks retarded. the last thing anyone needs in powder is a notch in the tail to create resistance and slow you down. powder is already slow enough as it is... 

i am the goddamn motherfuckin rooster king. i don't need a stupid notch to throw rooster tails.

edit: by notch i mean the hole cutout. swallowtails make sense in pow.


----------



## wernersl

ShredLife said:


> looks retarded. the last thing anyone needs in powder is a notch in the tail to create resistance and slow you down. powder is already slow enough as it is...
> 
> i am the goddamn motherfuckin rooster king. i don't need a stupid notch to throw rooster tails.
> 
> edit: by notch i mean the hole cutout. swallowtails make sense in pow.


Wurd. Nuff said.


----------



## ETM

Thats just silly lol


----------



## Sim79

Cool to see old style boards becoming more and more popular



http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...=/watch?v=fMLRX52WRUI&feature=player_embedded


----------



## quiver

servus,
im from innsbruck austria and really loved this thread! so after inspiring me to bulid my own powdergun or at least transform one of my old decks into a powdergun i hope you can give me some advice! i plan on using an ride manic 160w for this project, but im not quite sure what i should take care on an hope that you can help me! i know there are plenty of information in this thread but my english is that bad that i cant understand most of it or im not quite sure when interpretating things i dont get...so i hope some of you are so kind and can help me! thanks for all and greetings from the alps!


ps. sry for my bad english, hope you can understand most of it


----------



## wernersl

Well first place I started was taking measurements. If your board has any carbon v straps you want to take care not to cut those. Start working on your cut template. Draw it out measure redraw until you find a shape you like. 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## Sim79

quiver said:


> servus,
> im from innsbruck austria and really loved this thread! so after inspiring me to bulid my own powdergun or at least transform one of my old decks into a powdergun i hope you can give me some advice! i plan on using an ride manic 160w for this project, but im not quite sure what i should take care on an hope that you can help me! i know there are plenty of information in this thread but my english is that bad that i cant understand most of it or im not quite sure when interpretating things i dont get...so i hope some of you are so kind and can help me! thanks for all and greetings from the alps!
> 
> 
> ps. sry for my bad english, hope you can understand most of it


If you can't understand a section copy and paste them into English to Austria on--line translator .

If you still don't understand we will try our best to help you out.


----------



## ETM

Your english is better than our austrian!


----------



## Riley212

These boards all look really cool. I have a few questions:

What kind of filler should be used to seal the wood? Specifically what brand/formula

Why cut so much wood out of the edge? I have read about people making split boards and just seal the edges with spar-urethane. 

I wan't to do this to my Option Free Plus 165. Im fairly handy and have access to a band saw, spindle sander, router table, etc. But I have little experience with resins and urethanes.


----------



## wernersl

I suppose you don't have to hollow out the core on the cut. But I liked the idea and figured it would provide additional protection and rigidity to the cut tail. I used an epoxy for plastic that supposedly is more flexible and resistant to extreme temps. Honestly don't remember the brand. Just a 2 part from home depot. I think I put a pic of the dremel bit I used earlier in this thread. If you don't find it let me know I'll put one up. Anyway I haven't ridden the board yet so time will tell how it holds up. Here it is all finished and ready to rock... 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## wernersl

Well season hasn't started here yet. Nothing better to do than post more pics of the Frankentail. 

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----------



## Cburdick1

Hi gang,

I've got an old Arbor Element Wide (169) that I rode for 5 years. It was replaced with a custom Donek Phoenix last season, but i hung on to it for sentimental reasons. I'm tempted to cut a swallowtail into it to make myself a more powder friendly board for the few days a year that I ride pow.

Any suggestions as to the exact length of cut from tail towards the rear binding?


----------



## wernersl

Cburdick1 said:


> Hi gang,
> 
> I've got an old Arbor Element Wide (169) that I rode for 5 years. It was replaced with a custom Donek Phoenix last season, but i hung on to it for sentimental reasons. I'm tempted to cut a swallowtail into it to make myself a more powder friendly board for the few days a year that I ride pow.
> 
> Any suggestions as to the exact length of cut from tail towards the rear binding?


There are suggestions earlier in the thread. I left about 4in from the last insert. 

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----------



## ETM

Cut whatever you feel comfortable with. 
There is no right or wrong here.


----------



## Riley212

aaaand done


----------



## wernersl

Wow that's a chunk man. Hope you didn't take out any structural material with that cut. On the plus side that thing is goin to pop a serious wheelie in the deep!


----------



## Riley212

the tip was already 2.5 inches longer than the tail. I cut one side kind of F'ed up with the band saw so i had to take this much out. If it sucks or breaks I'm not worried as i already have a charlie slasher.


----------



## wernersl

Got it. So it was a fuck up recovery. Good luck with it. 

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----------



## bseracka

Riley212 said:


> aaaand done


Are those clicker marks I see?


----------



## Riley212

i bought it from my friends dad in 2004 for $50. yep he used klickers


----------



## wernersl

Well I took the beast to the hill this weekend! What shitty coverage there was on the one open run. But what the hell. Why not? I have to say the first turn on it bucked me off. Didn't know if it was being under prepared for this season or just underestimating the power required for the board. Well it was lack of power. Saddled up and flew down the hard pack with ease. Obviously in so cal there was no pow to be found at this point of the season. But... I can say there is little to no power loss in the cut tail on the groom. The bitch held on just fine. And... She was rocket Fast! 

I will report back later this season on powder performance. I have high expectations. Just hope they're not too high. 

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----------



## wernersl

.....2 years later......

I finally have an update! First off, F this drought we have had the last few years. Its been really bad. But...this last weekend we finally had a nice dump. about 3 feet in the trees, but really heavy and sticky. That didn't really matter though. The beast is a beast. So glad I cut that board. Absolutely flawless in powder. Id say its a bit big and stiff for tight tree runs but it is, afterall, a plank. The advantage though...cut through chop with ease. It was very damp, almost to a fault. I wasn't prepared for it! By the second or third run I was used to it and loved that I didn't have to shift my weight at all riding this board. Maybe next time I'll get a video or something. Moral of the story...expectations highly exceeded.


----------



## kosmoz

Thread is so old, that pictures dissapeared, but it is still actual, at least for me. I have a good used and abused 159 Salomon Man's Board, which is not looking so good to be sold for what it is really worth, so I think of making a DIY swallow tail from it. Will keep the shape simple, Nitro Quiver Squash or similar, don't know yet and not thingking about it too much, the only thing bothering me is what saw to use, so the board didn't fall to peaces while doing it, and what resin/glue to use to avoid delamination from water.


----------



## wrathfuldeity

kosmoz said:


> Thread is so old, that pictures dissapeared, but it is still actual, at least for me. I have a good used and abused 159 Salomon Man's Board, which is not looking so good to be sold for what it is really worth, so I think of making a DIY swallow tail from it. Will keep the shape simple, Nitro Quiver Squash or similar, don't know yet and not thingking about it too much, the only thing bothering me is what saw to use, so the board didn't fall to peaces while doing it, and what resin/glue to use to avoid delamination from water.


Use a jig saw, with a fine tooth/metal blade and then seal. But have never done...so refer you to @ridinbend


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## timmytard

I've just used a circular saw and plunged right through.
Finished with a hacksaw.

It's way easier than you think.


TT


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## kosmoz

I'm pretty sure this one will do the cutting part just fine, just need some flexible and cold resistant resin for waterproofing.


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## ridinbend

kosmoz said:


> I'm pretty sure this one will do the cutting part just fine, just need some flexible and cold resistant resin for waterproofing.


That's a grinder, and doesn't even have a cutting blade. I would not use that. Do the metal edge by hand with a metal blade hack saw.


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## bartschenck

ridinbend said:


> That's a grinder, and doesn't even have a cutting blade. I would not use that. Do the metal edge by hand with a metal blade hack saw.


I used a grinder with a cutting disc to cut thru the metal edge than used a skill saw with a fine tooth blade. I cut my son's board (black/green) and it worked great so I decided to cut my backup board the white one. It really is an easy job for a DIY type of person. It really brought life back into my son's backup board that he inherited from his older brother.























Sent from my XT1575 using Taptalk


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## linvillegorge

The black board on the right is really well done. That looks a lot like my 164 Rome Notch that is a factory built swallowtail.

I could see the cutout shape on the white board riding really funky and catchy in heavy powder and not in a good way.


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## bartschenck

That is the Rome notch but in a 172. (Absolutely love that board). And the white board my be catchy, but that is the beauty of diy, I can easily change the shape if needs be.. Just waiting to get it out. 


Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatlk


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## linvillegorge

Well, that'd be why it looks so much like my Notch. LOL!


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## kosmoz

So it's pretty much done, my 2013 Salomon Mans Board became shorter, now just waiting for epoxy to cure. Put the center point where the upkick started, so I didn't eat shit riding switch, and the shape of the cut was dictated by the place, where edge wasn't welded from factory. Used angle grinder for cutting and finishing edges.


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## Alpine Duke

I'm intrigued by this thread. 

I wonder how important it is to use something other than a full camber deck? I hate riding full camber in pow (love it on groomers). This would seem to correct that but....still.....i would think it would be best to use a hybrid or, better yet, rocker board.


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## kosmoz

Pretty sure you are right, but those kind of projects usually are done with what you have laying on the side. At first I wanted to sell this board, but since it has some chips and dings there and there, the base was damaged and proffesionally repaired, but visible (black patch on white leg of the girl), noone really wanted to pay even 20-25% of it's new price. That's how I ended choping it's tail.


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## Special Blend

kosmoz said:


> Pretty sure you are right, but those kind of projects usually are done with what you have laying on the side. At first I wanted to sell this board, but since it has some chips and dings there and there, the base was damaged and proffesionally repaired, but visible (black patch on white leg of the girl), noone really wanted to pay even 20-25% of it's new price. That's how I ended choping it's tail.


Have you tested it out yet?
I'd like to do this to some old twins I have for myself and wife. I wouldn't want to shorten them too much at first though. Do something more like you did at first.


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## kosmoz

Special Blend said:


> Have you tested it out yet?
> I'd like to do this to some old twins I have for myself and wife. I wouldn't want to shorten them too much at first though. Do something more like you did at first.


yes I did. Tail sinks better, didn't loose carving performance, board holds edge, doesn't washout, especially in the tail. I'm happy with end result, that's for sure. Since I cut rockered area, riding switch on groomers is OK, it doesn't hook up.


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## Kijima

ETM said:


> Blast from the past LOL
> 
> When I got back from Japan I decided I was going to build my own boards from scratch, well Im about a week out from pressing my first one. Its been a long road but Im almost there!
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> Where it all started, drawing it out on CAD (thanks Dad!)
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Man what a flashback. Thats my old turbocharging workshop and my start at building boards


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## Kijima

ETM said:


> I am currently building this sleeper cab for my ute for this local season, it aint -30 maybe -10 at worst.


Ahh my old rig


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## Kijima

ETM was my old name on here years ago


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## timmytard

Kijima said:


> ETM was my old name on here years ago


Me thinks you're trying to pull a fast one on us haha.
Sure you were this ETM fellow🤨


TT


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## Kijima

timmytard said:


> Me thinks you're trying to pull a fast one on us haha.
> Sure you were this ETM fellow🤨
> 
> 
> TT


Does this prove my case?


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## ridethecliche

Holden is golden.


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