What help do you need to mount your own skis?

[Alpinord]

At the risk of floating a concept and seeing it taken by someone else and being pissed at myself later, here's a concept I've been kicking around:

1) Start with ski and 2" wide tape run as long as practical (the longer the better):



2) Set ruler with pins and slot diagonal across ski until pins touch edges. Scribe diagonal with pencil or pen:



3) Rotate the ruler so the pins touch the opposite edges and draw second diagonal. Be sure the pins touch directly across from previous location due to continuously changing ski shape:



4) View from below of pins at touching the edges:



5) Repeat above steps at opposite end of tape and draw straight line from center of X's with long straight edge or snap a string line. Double check with ski center gauge and tweak as needed:



6) Tape binding mount template to center line and BSL, mark, drill and mount with the assistance of the centering ruler.



Flaws with this concept?

[that dude who did that thing]

Just my opinion, but I think people are going to struggle with step 3. How do you make sure you're pins are resting DIRECTLY across the ski from the previous point? If you don't, your center is going to be off.

The "lego drill guide" idea posted above won't work as a drill guide, because the distance between holes will change as ski width changes. But that idea will work as a center marker with some minor tweaking.

[Alpinord]

Yeah, I have mixed feelings about the criss-cross technique and left it as an 'option' on a subsequent version for universal jig. I think there are several ways to rotate the ruler and end up with very close to dead on. Using the centering ruler works well enough and the criss-cross approach is somewhat redundant, but quicker method to find center. It works great on parallel edged objects, which is an argument to leave the option because the ruler (and jig) could be used on other things besides skis.....

I made a 'lego-type' centering jig earlier this year and decided it would get complicated trying to deal with variable ski widths and pairs of holes. For center holes as noted, it worked fine. BTW, I used 3/8" sink supply tubing as a poor-man's drill bushing and it fit 5/16" step drill bits perfectly.

[dcpnz]

Been thinking about this for awhile since this thread got underway and now my thoughts after mounting two pair this week....

I don't have much trouble finding ski center - I use a pair of combination squares and put both heads on one bar and sandwich the ski and mark center on masking tape in about 5 places then draw a line with a straight edge.
I'm also comfortable lining up paper templates to account for various bsl.
My last two mounts I've used a perpendicular drill guide (like the one Alpinord posted earlier in this thread) and it improved things greatly over my prior freehanding - (didn't realize how far off vertical my drill bit was until trying to align it in a drill guide).
All in all my process and technique after having done 9 or 10 mounts (tele, AT and alpine) is much better than when I started.

One thing I would like to see someone make (Jondrums????) is precision machined drill guides with for common binding holes - I'm thinking a separate piece of metal (with or without bushings) for each of say the salomon toe, salomon heel, dynafit toe and dynafit heel. They could be used in conjunction with paper templates to deal with various BSL, lined up by eye to paper templates and clamped once then drill all holes in a toe or heel pattern at one time. Wouldn't have to be as bulky or expensive as a proper jig cos not accounting for various BSL or finding ski center but would help precision in relative hole spacing of toe or heel and save lots of time by not reclamping a drill guide for every hole.

I know a few folks have made something like this out of chopping board HPDE or other plastic but i'd like to see more precision from a shop built version.

[syrneh]

Theres the LUST factor of groping my skis as i tune and test release settings at the beginning of each season. Plus i risk life and limb everytime i go out so my not trusting a binding mount or an edge sharpening to anyone else!!

[jfost]

Theres the LUST factor of groping my skis as i tune and test release settings at the beginning of each season. Plus i risk life and limb everytime i go out so my not trusting a binding mount or an edge sharpening to anyone else!!

that's a pretty erotic post...

[Alpinord]

Theres the LUST factor of groping my skis as i tune and test release settings at the beginning of each season. Plus i risk life and limb everytime i go out so my not trusting a binding mount or an edge sharpening to anyone else!!

Be sure to use protection when you lust and grope your skis:

[bern43]

One thing I would like to see someone make (Jondrums????) is precision machined drill guides with for common binding holes - I'm thinking a separate piece of metal (with or without bushings) for each of say the salomon toe, salomon heel, dynafit toe and dynafit heel. They could be used in conjunction with paper templates to deal with various BSL, lined up by eye to paper templates and clamped once then drill all holes in a toe or heel pattern at one time. Wouldn't have to be as bulky or expensive as a proper jig cos not accounting for various BSL or finding ski center but would help precision in relative hole spacing of toe or heel and save lots of time by not reclamping a drill guide for every hole.

I know a few folks have made something like this out of chopping board HPDE or other plastic but i'd like to see more precision from a shop built version.

This seems like a really good idea to me. You would still need to use the paper templates but you wouldn't need to re-clamp the drill guide for every hole.

[dcpnz]

This seems like a really good idea to me. You would still need to use the paper templates but you wouldn't need to re-clamp the drill guide for every hole.

Yep - that exactly what I was thinking when I suggested it
I'm happy finding ski center and then using paper templates but my issue with reclamping a drill guide for each hole is the time it takes to ensure precision - and even then it is fairly easy to get one hole a fraction off which can be just enough to complicate a dynafit mount for example.
Would love to have a means of ensuring all holes are absolutely precise relative to each other (at least in any given toe or heel piece).

[Shorty_J]

Skis.
Bindings.
Beer.

In fact you need a local shop for my "impulse mounts". You determine what kind of store I'm looking for.

[Alpinord]

(Bump)

Just wrapped up a series of Binding posts in our Tuning Tips section:

https://www.slidewright.com/category...ki-snowboard/:

• Binding Freedom & Quiver Killer Stainless Steel Threaded Insert Installation
• Finding Your Ski’s Centerline
• Paper Ski Binding Templates
• https://www.slidewright.com/drill-an...hand-drilling/
• Drilling Skis to Mount Bindings
• Stainless Steel Screws for Threaded Inserts

Feel free to comment on the posts and if you have any critiques or additions, please let me know.

Edit: updated links

[bern43]

(Bump)

Just wrapped up a series of weblog posts:

• Binding Freedom & Quiver Killer Stainless Steel Threaded Insert Installation
• Finding Your Ski’s Centerline
• Paper Ski Binding Templates
• Drill and Tap Guides for Hand Drilling
• Drilling Skis to Mount Bindings
• Stainless Steel Screws for Threaded Inserts

Feel free to comment on the posts and if you have any critiques or additions, please let me know.

Good stuff Terry. Thanks for posting.

[josef]

(Bump)

Just wrapped up a series of weblog posts:

• Binding Freedom & Quiver Killer Stainless Steel Threaded Insert Installation
• Finding Your Ski’s Centerline
• Paper Ski Binding Templates
• Drill and Tap Guides for Hand Drilling
• Drilling Skis to Mount Bindings
• Stainless Steel Screws for Threaded Inserts

Feel free to comment on the posts and if you have any critiques or additions, please let me know.

This stuff is great. I really like the pdf that you have that has all of the different binding mounts. It is especially useful to me because it has my corrent bsl. Something that would be really cool and useful would be a program where you could compare the hole spacing of previous mounts with different bsl's and different mount locations on the ski. I buy second hand skis quite often and its always sort of a pain in the ass to see if you are going to have mounting issues with the previous owners mounts. My guess is that I am not the only person who has to deal with this. Not exactly sure what program you would use for something like that or if it would be easy to make web based. Im just the idea guy after all...

[Alpinord]

This stuff is great. I really like the pdf that you have that has all of the different binding mounts. It is especially useful to me because it has my corrent bsl. Something that would be really cool and useful would be a program where you could compare the hole spacing of previous mounts with different bsl's and different mount locations on the ski. I buy second hand skis quite often and its always sort of a pain in the ass to see if you are going to have mounting issues with the previous owners mounts. My guess is that I am not the only person who has to deal with this. Not exactly sure what program you would use for something like that or if it would be easy to make web based. Im just the idea guy after all...

Glad it helps. Knut, I believe is the source of the template and I'm not sure if Jondrums had something to do with the templates.

I've been thinking about some sort of web base comparison as well. I've got a 'system' in place in my CAD file to bang out overlays with different BSLs and bindings, but it'd be super tedious to do this for all BSLs and bindings. I can easily set up and print transparency overlays (and have been considering plexi-glass system) that could be 2-part and movable, but not sure it's be worth it from a ROI stand point.

[josef]

Glad it helps. Knut, I believe is the source of the template and I'm not sure if Jondrums had something to do with the templates.

I've been thinking about some sort of web base comparison as well. I've got a 'system' in place in my CAD file to bang out overlays with different BSLs and bindings, but it'd be super tedious to do this for all BSLs and bindings. I can easily set up and print transparency overlays (and have been considering plexi-glass system) that could be 2-part and movable, but not sure it's be worth it from a ROI stand point.

I was thinking something web based similar to this tire calculator I have used in the past: www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Something where you could input previous mount and bsl and then a new mount and bsl with the option to shift it for mounting it further back from center line. The tire one looks like it is java. Not sure on the difficulty or cost of something like that. Probably not worth it unless you think it would drive a lot of traffic to your site.

[LC]

I just mounted a new touring setup using this technique to find the centre line. Very accurate. A new 50cm straight edge made drawing one true straight line easy too. And used a friend's drill guide again (just a lump of metal with a hole in it).

The result:

[good4nothing]

Fairly primitive, but I just use one of these:



patience, and beer. bunch of bindings, couple of plates, and tons of inserts without any problems

[Bird Blaster]

^^^^ in my opinion you have to have one of these.

[good4nothing]

i'm sure you've answered this before, but toe-plate only to take the ramp out of the plums?

[LC]

i'm sure you've answered this before, but toe-plate only to take the ramp out of the plums?

Correct. I ski Tecnica Bodacious which have a lot of ramp in the boot anyway. Toe plates level out the ramp, making it about 1mm flatter than my alpine setups. Also (in theory) added strength of the toe mount with a wider screw pattern into the ski.

[twomartinis]

I don't have much trouble finding ski center - I use a pair of combination squares and put both heads on one bar

...creative use of tools on hand, thank you. I have a pair of combo squares and will be doing exactly this to move some bindings back and inch.

Thinking about mounting that center-finding template on the wax scraper though!

[~mikey b]

there’s another thread you want



mount your own fucking skis

[SB]

What beer are you drinking while mounting?

Asking for a friend.

[Alpinord]

What beer are you drinking while mounting?

Asking for a friend.

Before or after two martinis?

[SB]

Yes