Concave Camber Vlam with Composite Construction, a "How to" guide.

[hoch92000]

[hoch92000]

Here are several ½” poplar strips laid side by side. The tape is not necessary.



They are glued together and while the glue is wet, they are placed between two layers of 6-mil polyethylene tarp material. Clamps are applied to the ends only. The entire get-up is placed in the press and everything is squeezed. In my particular press, I have laid a cross grain 1/8” piece of BB under the polyethylene to provide support under the Vlam strips. I do believe that a cross rib press would probably work better for this. Any press should work, concrete, foam, Broody style, etc.





When the core comes out of the press, you can see the concave and camber. I left this out for about 2 days and the shape stayed stable. Interestingly, when it is taken out of the press, the wood strips tend to separate in the middle (not the ends). I had one separate here. It just has to do with the concave/camber forces, I guess. Also, note that the concave from the press holds pretty well, but most of the camber will be lost, much more than when pressing BB plys, but this can be accounted for.

[hoch92000]

It is sanded, cut for a top mount prototype, fine-tune shaped with a belt sander, then routered along the edges to finish the core.

[hoch92000]

[hoch92000]

It takes about 16 oz of epoxy for an entire board, skinning both sides with 20 oz triax knitted glass. First pour some epoxy over one side of the board.



Next to the core, lay a paper towel layer, then your peel ply, then the dry glass cloth. Pour the rest of the epoxy over the dry cloth and saturate it. Notice the respirator, squeegee, and gloves. Try not to touch or breathe in the stuff. I have open windows and fans on. Also notice the telltale elbow scars from refusing to wear elbow gear.



Place the wet side of the core onto the wet glass.



Wet the other side of the core with some epoxy.



Lay on the glass, and saturate it again.



Lay on the peel ply, then the paper towel.

[hoch92000]

Now for the hardest part, insert this into the vac bag. The best way, I have found, is to advance the lay-up as a unit, partially in, then raise the entire apparatus vertically. While holding the top end of your lay-up, drop it in, using gravity to keep everything relatively lined up.

Seal the bag, then pump out the air. You can see the excess epoxy coming through the peel ply holes. You may have to come back later and give a couple of pumps due to air that has escaped from the lay-up.



Here is the core, out of the bag, as a top mount.





I eventually transformed it into a proto drop through.





Notice the concave and camber. The camber is minimal, but it is there none-the-less. To increase the camber, I might try a trick that Ted shows on his site. With the vac bag, you can glue two pieces of ply into camber by simply bending the pieces, applying vacuum, and releasing the bend. The vacuum keeps the two pieces of wood bent. In my case, I may setup a toothless system with weights between two blocks just prior to vacuum, to add a bit more camber. Haven’t tried it yet, but it should work.

You can also use this method to press Vlams with BB plys all in one step as well. Used it for the green deck in the middle.





If anyone tries this or has tried this, by all means, post your results and suggestions. If any of this is inaccurate, I would appreciate the criticism. Hopefully, those that have tried this before, could share their wisdom as well.

BTW, I got my brother to make me a GIF for my sig. It has one of those priceless Schwarzenegger one-liner's at the end.

[fatky90]

this is amazing, and a very informative post, NICE board

[blizzad]

Sick tutorial man.

Love your work!

[scratch]

you can also incorporate maple stringers in the center for extra snap and mahogany on the edges for impact

[hoch92000]

this is amazing, and a very informative post, NICE board

Thanks dude. Learn, do, then teach.

[hoch92000]

Sick tutorial man.

Love your work!

Thanks man. I don't think you need a tutorial.

[hoch92000]

you can also incorporate maple stringers in the center for extra snap and mahogany on the edges for impact

Thanks Rus, You read my mind. I've got some purple heart, walnut, and maple. I've just got to get all the stuff planed. My plan is to thin the planks a bit, to maybe 3/8", then use some more rigid stuff for the middle, as it will extend into the drop through section. I'm not sure how long the 1/2" poplar will last. It feels pretty strong.

BTW Thank you for the tips you passed on. They went a long way. I had to use your acrylic grip thing once. Thanks again.

[bob0974]

this is exactly the thing I am trying to make. but I want my final outcome to be flexy( like a loaded vanguard flex 3,4ish if you've ridden that).. what are some tips you reccomend for me to do this?

[hoch92000]

this is exactly the thing I am trying to make. but I want my final outcome to be flexy( like a loaded vanguard flex 3,4ish if you've ridden that).. what are some tips you reccomend for me to do this?

Simple, use thinner wood.

[blizzad]

Thanks man. I don't think you need a tutorial.

Still, it's fantastic to see how others do certain things... all info is good info. I'll admit I'm still learning about this whole art which we call board building, and I don't think I'll ever stop.

One day I'll put together some tutorials about how we do certain things... of course there is a lot of stuff which I wont be able to show, but I'll let some secrets out of the bag for sure...

Keep making decks bro, now that you've hit the composite side of things it can only get better...

Cheers, Will

[bob0974]

Simple, use thinner wood.

okay... how do you think a 1/4th inch core would work?

[hoch92000]

okay... how do you think a 1/4th inch core would work?

If it is all oak, it just might be alright. How thin are those old oak Vanguards?

[itsyourfriendbob]

Nice work Art!!!

[hoch92000]

Nice work Art!!!

Thanks Kyle. The Board is not quite stiff enough and the cave is not quite deep enough for you.

[bob0974]

If it is all oak, it just might be alright. How thin are those old oak Vanguards?

i dont know... i was thinking a 1/4th inch core of baltic birch and maple combination or just baltic birch.. Do you think it should be thinner.. thicker?