The Ski Bench Project

The frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that I have been collecting skis for some mystery purpose. Every time I see a pair of skis in the trash on the streets of New York City (which is more often than you'd think), I grab them! It's been a little while now and I've collected enough skis to form critical mass for a really cool project. I made an Adirondack chair out of skis a few years back so this time I decided to make a bench. Or more specifically, a park bench made entirely out of old skis. Look at these beauties, all in a row.

Look at these metal bindings! You don't see skis like this anymore!Before you can construct, you must deconstruct. In other words, removing the bindings from the skis. After all, sitting on bindings wouldn't be very comfortable. I removed the binding screws with an electric drill, saving the screws to reuse later in the project.

Most screws came out easily but some were seized or I stripped the screw head. For these I used a long screw driver to pry them out of the ski. This did not damage the ski, at least not for my purposes.

Look at all those bindings! You really don't think of bindings as being a heavy part of the ski, but a garbage can of dozens of them becomes very heavy.

Next I designed the bench. Essentially I decided to copy a park bench, with a set of backs, legs, arm rests, etc. with slats running between each end.

Next I started cutting. Skis are made of fiberglass, metal and wood (or a core made of foam). This presents a challenge to cut because of the different materials. The best thing I've found is a multi-purpose abrasive cutting wheel on a circular saw. It doesn't do that well on the wood, but it is sure better than a wood blade. An angle grinder is great for touch ups but doesn't cut as straight as a circular saw.

Also, be sure to use hearing protection, eye protection and breathing protection. You'll want to shower right after cutting because fiberglass dust is very itchy. Keep it away from your lungs, eyes and skin to the greatest extent possible.

Look at all those skis ready for a new life. Wouldn't it be a shame to just throw these away?

Here are the two end pieces constructed. With back and bottom slats with an arm rest. This design mimics, on a slightly larger scale, a park bench.

To attach the sections that join at a right angle, I used an angle bracket from the hardware store. I cut the bracket into sections about two inches long. To attach the bracket to the skis, I reused the binding screws. After all, why buy new screws when you can reuse screws specifically designed for skis? To attach the brackets, I had to drill pilot holes, just like when installing bindings on skis.

Next I started installing the slats. Because these skis were all different lengths and widths, I just eyeballed the positioning. I kept pairs of skis apart from each other and pointed skis in different directions for aesthetics. To attach the skis to the chair, I drilled a hole through the slat ski and the base ski and attached them with a galvanized carriage bolt. And the final result! Notice the stringer in the back which will give the chair torsional rigidity. Because this is a park bench design, it is meant to be bolted to the floor for stability. I leaned it against a railing so it wouldn't tip over and it was very solid. You could also bolt it to another set of skis which lay on the ground. For stability and to make a really cool sled!