This project was inspired by the Digervarden skis found with bindings intact in Norway in 2014..
The skis are made of quarter-sawn pine. The sealant is a pine tar and turpentine mix. The glide surface is coated with beeswax. Bindings are leather.
I used all modern tools to shape and smooth the skis.
The ski blanks were cut from carefully selected 1" pine boards which had been as close to quarter-sawn as possible. The blanks were then planed and sanded to the desired profile, using a jig. Once smoothed and prepared, the skis were soaked in a tube for a week to regain moisture content.
The ski blanks were placed in a steam chamber, then pressed into a form and left for several days. Once removed, the skis were mildly decorated using a marking gauge. Holes were drilled through the footpad to affix the binding.
The skis were coated in a pine tar mixture to reduce snow adherence. The bottom glide surface was coated in beeswax to minimize friction during use. Finally, a leather strap was passed through the footpad twice, for the binding.