Base Flattening

[slow]

I think I will do that on mine, if I get to buy the tool for that. The edges are decent, but the bases are a little high even though they are fairly flat. Would you use Tongar's base flattening tool (with the square steel bar) or something else to take off the excess ptex?

The easiest way is to get a base grind at a reputable shop. Just be sure to ask for a zero base edge angle. Otherwise they will give you the usual 2 degrees used with skis and snowboards.

Unfortunately, I have not had success with my local shop, so I do it myself.

I use the SkiVision Base Flattening tool with the square steel bar. But what made it work was sharpening/honing the steel bar to have a burr that cut well.

Previously I did not have much luck with the tool. But once I sharpened/honed the steel bar as recommended on their website, it cut relatively well. I flattened 5 pairs of skiboards one (long) day without having to re-sharpen/hone the steel bar. You have to be patient. It takes much more time than sharpening edges. Each pair of skiboards can take over an hour to remove the excess ptex.

What I did find is that it works best on narrower skiboards like the SII. When wider, I had to cut a path near each edge first exaggerating the ptex crown and then take off what was high down the middle.

On hard pack, having the ptex flat to the steel edges, makes the skiboards very responsive to slight inputs. Being a casual cruiser, this is the tuning I like. Aggressive riders would not perceive a benefit from the required effort IMO.

[valmorel]

Also, let the boards are a bit first. They seem to change a little over the first few trips to the snow.

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[slow]

Also, let the boards are a bit first. They seem to change a little over the first few trips to the snow.

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Good point valmorel, it is best to let the boards cure/set up for a period of time because the bases do change with use and time.

[Kocho]

Thank you both! I've had the SIIs for about a month now and maybe 5-6 partial days of skiing on them. And I'm sure they've sat in a warehouse somewhere for a few months. Curing should not be taking that long, IMO. Doesn't epoxy (even slow-acting one) take only a few days to cure pretty much fully, maybe a week or two as far as I know? I suspect more likely what might be happening is I think the wood might be changing shape over time during the fist few months.

I might try to flatten the bases with the Ski Vision tool for the next weekend's skiing if I get the tool in time.

I have not found a good local shop to do base grinding for me - the one I tried before messed-up the first time and didn't really do much better the second time despite very clear instructions. So I gave-up on them. I'm doing it myself if I can, the tool will be handy to have down the road, I suppose.

[slow]

Be sure to also order the green stone to sharpen the steel bar and the dressing tool for the green stone.


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[shortydude]

I had bases and edges ground flat one year at the Winter Park Colorado slope side resort. They have a hugmungeous base grinding machine that's all enclosed like a CNC. It takes longer to chuck the boards into place than for the actual grind, it's a beast of a machine that made quick work of it. It's a lot truer than mere mortals can do by hand.

[Davelynam]

I had to look at what base grinding was... I feel so lost in so many conversations on this forum. haha.

[Kocho]

Luckily, for my Stickies I only think I need to shave off a little of the ptex, no need to flatten the edges as far as I can tell. On a pair of older boards I did something like that with sandpaper on a block, but I want to be a bit gentler and more precise with these being new-ish...

I had bases and edges ground flat one year at the Winter Park Colorado slope side resort. They have a hugmungeous base grinding machine that's all enclosed like a CNC. It takes longer to chuck the boards into place than for the actual grind, it's a beast of a machine that made quick work of it. It's a lot truer than mere mortals can do by hand.

[valmorel]

My Stickies seem pretty good too. I think the manufacturers manage the narrower boards better than the wide.

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[Kocho]

So, I spent 3 hours and about $120 in tools to begin to flatten the SII bases... They were pretty tall over the edges. Probably should have spent another hour to fully do it, but that's close enough for now.

https://goo.gl/photos/ZuU5bw9U8qnswNya8

The Ski Visions tool is OK I guess, but I sure wish I had a motorized device. The videos suggest using the pink stone for most of the grinding and finish with the steel bar, which is what I did. One edge of that pink stone was not really flat though, so I had to redress it for it, the rest were mostly OK.

[Fedfan]

Yummy!

Kocho, I'm not sure what that was in the picture, but it looks like something the show cook at a local Japanese restaurant put on my plate.

[Kocho]

That's a pile of base shavings that came off my Ickies...

[Bluewing]

That's a pile of base shavings that came off my Ickies...

Wow - that is a pile of ptex. Perhaps you should save it to melt down in case you ever need to do a base repair.

[macrophotog]

That's a pile of base shavings that came off my Ickies...

wow!

[Kocho]

It looks like a lot since it is quite fluffy. Still, it is surprising how much came off given the bases did not look too bad eyeballing them before flattening.

I drew lines across the bases and over the edges with a Sharpie so I can see what's going on as I was removing material. The middle of the boards (length-wise, where the board is narrower) was in slightly better shape with a little less base material to remove. Near the front and rear it took longer to scrape. I stopped when my marks pretty much disappeared from the bases but were still untouched on the edges. So I did not touch the metal. Probably should have removed a bit more base material since the edge sharpening tool still doesn't touch the base side of the edges, but is close now.