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my DIY swallow tail burton supermodel 172

77K views 193 replies 29 participants last post by  ridethecliche 
#1 ·
Here are some pics of my DIY swallowtail job on my 172 supermodel.
Basically I cut it with a jig saw, cut the wood core back about 5mm between the top and bottom layers and filled the gap with flexible urethane.
It has turned my old board into an insane pow stick for under $50, cant wait to test it out in japan!







 
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#34 ·
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.
 
#35 ·
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?
 
#36 ·
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.

 
#38 ·
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.
 
#39 ·
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:.
 
#40 ·
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.

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.

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

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


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.
 
#41 ·
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.
 
#44 ·
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.
 
#48 ·
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.
 
#51 ·
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
 
#53 ·
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.
 
#54 ·
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.

 
#58 ·
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.
 
#59 ·
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)
 
#62 · (Edited)
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!
 
#64 · (Edited)
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
 
#63 ·
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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