Students

noun_profile_956164

Edward Elson
Politics, 2021

noun_profile_956164

Charlie Van Allen
Politics, 2021

noun_profile_956164

William Ueberroth
Geosciences, 2021

noun_profile_956164

Charles Thompson
Economics, 2021

Project Description

Last semester, we mastered the more fundamental wood-working skills when we created a snowboard out of polymer and wood-post. The more intricate technicalities of our project (and thus where we had the most difficulty) was in the design and execution of a wood press so that the pitch and curve of our snowboard was even.

Now that we have figured out how to build a functional snowboard, we want to build on our skills to make something aesthetically pleasing and exciting. Our only artwork from last semester was a small blue-print sticker reading “Princeton Powder” that we pasted onto the face of the board. This semester, we will be removing the blue-print, and replacing it with a wooden inlay design.

We have chosen our design and planned out the inlay process. The process requires use of the X-carve machine, which we have thus far learned the fundamentals of and played with on smaller wood pieces. The X-carve will be used on both the board itself, and a piece of a darker wood (we have not yet finalized our decision on wood-type), so that our design can be fitted into the board in its own distinct shade.

The result will be a really beautiful snowboard for us to display during the spring and ride on with friends during the winter. Granted we are successful with the inlay, we hope to end the year with a well-rounded understanding of wood-working, as well as all the co-ordination and organization that comes with it. We also expect that the process will be very fun!

Technical Background

In order to execute an inlay design for a snowboard, the X-carve must be used on two pieces of wood. First, the X-carve must hollow out an outline of the intended design on the snowboard itself. The design of choice is rather complex in respect to its lines, so it will require several rounds of testing on throw-away wood. The margin for error will come in the outer lines that are sharp. The X-carve can only operate curvilinearly, so in order to cut out the lines of the tree design that look slightly more jagged, a very small drill-bit must be used.

Once the design has been hollowed out on the snowboard, it will be time to cut-out the same design for the interior. In order for the interior design to fit snug into the snowboard, the interior must be slightly smaller than the hollowed-out frame. Luckily, X-carve features an inlay processing program that automatically establishes the necessary sizing differences required to make a successful inlay. This program will be used in order for an inlay that is fitted with exactness, and to reduce the potential for human error in measurement.

As soon as both the hollowed-out frame and the interior design have been carved, the X-carve will no longer be needed. The next step is to use hand-work to make the inlay precise. It is possible that the depth of the inlay will not match up with the hollowed-out frame of the snowboard. This is why the inlay must be given a little more depth in the initial X-carve process, so that it can be sanded down by hand for an even pitch with the rest of the snowboard. Once it is clear that the inlay design fits both by width and depth relative to its frame, the process is very simple. Apply some wood-glue to the hollow and place the inlay design in the snowboard like a puzzle piece. Let it sit, and then sand and shellac to preference.

No references

Design Drawings

Fabrication Process

Final Result