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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Wasatch Back: 7000'
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    12,966

    Stone Grinds. Do you do it?

    First, I must admit that I don't know too much about stone grinds. Realistically, I have never thought about stone grinding skis that have no core shots, or require PTEX repair. I'm sure that a new pattern in a base once in a while is not a super bad thing, but I always thought that grinds don't do much, other than eat away at the base.
    Is the collective pro or con stone grind? How often do you do it? I know some people who do it 2x/year. I always thought that for recreational schralping, that is just insane.
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Sandy, Utah
    Posts
    14,410
    I typically grind when damaged, however if you have dedicated spring skis putting a structure that prohibits the "suck" to snow factor is much recco'd. YMMV.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using TGR Forums mobile app

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    30,881
    I had a grind done on a monatana saphir machine on a very evil handling rail high ski and it made a big difference in the handling

    Yes i could had filed it by hand but this M/C did a better job in about 10 minutes than I ever could have and I would probably still be working on that ski 10 yars later

    YMMV but I don't bother with stone grinds unless the skis have a real problem
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    273
    i lean more towards nay on a stone grind, especially if your skis feel alright on the snow

    worked in a shop for a bit and it was 9/10 edge and wax vs full tune, the only time i sold a full grind tune was when there was significant damage on a fairly newer ski, even more so if the customer only skied that ski

    i check my own skis from time to time with a true bar, never had the need to fix railed or base high ski which for me would be the only reason i'd want a grind and stone structure

    if the bases are flat, wax is the best thing for em

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    DownEast
    Posts
    3,237
    I stone grind everything, new/used/whatever, when I first get it to baseline it flat. Add edge bevels by hand and then maintain them from there. Only ever grind again for post core shot/ deep ptex repairs. Longtime buddy owns a shop so it's cheap/ free, so that's nice.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    西 雅 圖
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    5,359
    Quote Originally Posted by singlecross View Post
    I stone grind everything, new/used/whatever, when I first get it to baseline it flat. Add edge bevels by hand and then maintain them from there. Only ever grind again for post core shot/ deep ptex repairs. Longtime buddy owns a shop so it's cheap/ free, so that's nice.
    Me too. Don't really do it for maintenance unless there is base/edge damage I can't fix by hand; don't change structure for spring. Last 5 pairs of new skis also got Phantom base treatment.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    8,965
    I’m trying out the skivisions guy’s koolaid and incorporating a few quick passes with my stone tool on the base when I’m doing polishing and touching up the edges.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    In Your Wife
    Posts
    8,291
    I get my bases stone ground twice a year. Winter snow structure and spring snow structure.

    Also, I usually get a full tune with a stone grind on each new pair of skis before I ski them. I didn't do that with my most recent pair and regret it. Well worth the $60-80 to not form a shitty first impression of a ski.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    not there
    Posts
    1,558
    i only stonegrind after ptex repairs. if the garage repairs take over appr 33% off base and then its time for a grind.
    never for maintenance.
    new skies get serviced straight away and i also set base bevels by hand.
    rest is just keep up by hand.

    if spring is around the corner and a ski goes for service i tell them to but more structure.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Hokkaido
    Posts
    1,301
    I usually don't unless as other have stated, there is a serious problem with the ski. I keep my skis waxed, scraped, and brushed. I keep my edges smooth more than sharp since I am really only interested in skiing soft snow. I don't need or like the feel of skis that are race room sharp. So I would detune them again in any case. I had a pair of custom skis for testing arrive wickedly railed and I tried to flatten them with a panzer file, soon gave up, and had them stone ground before I ever skied on them. That's the only one in recent memory.

    I boiled my thermometer, and sure enough, this spot, which purported to be two thousand feet higher than the locality of the hotel, turned out to be nine thousand feet LOWER. Thus the fact was clearly demonstrated that, ABOVE A CERTAIN POINT, THE HIGHER A POINT SEEMS TO BE, THE LOWER IT ACTUALLY IS. Our ascent itself was a great achievement, but this contribution to science was an inconceivably greater matter.

    --MT--

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sun Valley, ID
    Posts
    2,527
    Quote Originally Posted by bodywhomper View Post
    I’m trying out the skivisions guy’s koolaid and incorporating a few quick passes with my stone tool on the base when I’m doing polishing and touching up the edges.
    Do you strip the wax first as per instructions? I guess after 4-5 days skiing there’s not really any wax left anyway.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    2,469
    Never, less material to chip away with rocks. If it's deep ptex, if it's superficial... wax.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Posts
    751
    Quote Originally Posted by CaliBrit View Post
    Do you strip the wax first as per instructions? I guess after 4-5 days skiing there’s not really any wax left anyway.
    Yeah I think if you’ve got a couple days of use on then it doesn’t need to be stripped. Otherwise I would strip wax, or else presumably you aren’t actually grinding the base and are just stripping wax with the stone


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    8,965
    Quote Originally Posted by CaliBrit View Post
    Do you strip the wax first as per instructions? I guess after 4-5 days skiing there’s not really any wax left anyway.
    Quote Originally Posted by waxloaf View Post
    Yeah I think if you’ve got a couple days of use on then it doesn’t need to be stripped. Otherwise I would strip wax, or else presumably you aren’t actually grinding the base and are just stripping wax with the stone
    i'm still learning the tool a bit. i've stripped wax if the wax is recent and have not removed wax if they've had several days of skiing on them, which worked well except for my wife's base-high skis. For those, i used a wax remover solution, but ended up getting down into wax that was apparently deeper in the sintered base, which then got into my stone. if i had to do it again for a ski that is pretty base high, i'd get the new base flattener attachment and an aggressive file for removing significant base material, and I would stop part way through the work and use the wax remover to make sure that i wasn't clogging up my cutting surface.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Bend
    Posts
    1,350
    I think the idea that a high quality stone is shortening the life of your ski is largely a misnomer. I ground an old pair of K2's once a week for two seasons, sometimes running them through repeatedly after a repair and it took well over 150 passes to thin the bases out. Adding structure helps to hold wax and a base grind with a side edge makes skis feel brand new again. If you have access to a stone for a reasonable fee definitely take advantage.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Walpole NH
    Posts
    10,828
    Yeah, for sure. I grind mine all the time. I hate freezer burn. Skis will lose their pop way before you will ever burn the base. So you might as well keep them flat and fast.
    crab in my shoe mouth

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    28
    I think all points expressed are valid, I have been surprised when a tech put a true bar on skis that had no real damage but were not flat. Techs have told me wide skis seem to need more base flattening than skis of yesteryear.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    truckee
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    23,115
    I get a stone grind if my edges are bad enough that I think I need to reset them from the bases which means the base must first be flattened and stone ground first. Or sometimes if the bases are so mangled I just can't stand the look of them. I do my own core shots and the like. I don't get a grind after that, just make sure the repair is flush with the rest of the base.

    May I suggest a good quality engineer's square instead of a true bar. A very valuable tool to have around the shop for things other than checking ski bottoms.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    tetons
    Posts
    8,509
    my husband yells "stone grind" to me every time I ski thru the parking lot directly to the car

    and I yell back "tools not jewels"
    skid luxury

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Wasatch
    Posts
    1,997
    I ski them w factory/existing tune then will usually get a tucker tune which usually includes a grind to establish a good structure and any other adjustments we talk about.

    hell, i might even Phantom this couple of new pairs i have comin up here pre spring

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Wasatch
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    1,997
    Quote Originally Posted by buttahflake View Post
    Yeah, for sure. I grind mine all the time. I hate freezer burn. Skis will lose their pop way before you will ever burn the base. So you might as well keep them flat and fast.


    haha i have some second (third?) hand DPS hybrid wailers (awesome ski btw) that have some really low spots on the base - can almost see through it to the core. heheheh

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Montrose, CO
    Posts
    4,618
    Quote Originally Posted by babybear View Post
    my husband yells "stone grind" to me every time I ski thru the parking lot directly to the car

    and I yell back "tools not jewels"
    My wife told me yesterday "you don't get new skis because you trashed them skiing through the parking lot."

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    tetons
    Posts
    8,509
    Quote Originally Posted by snowaddict91 View Post
    My wife told me yesterday "you don't get new skis because you trashed them skiing through the parking lot."
    we live in snowy enough places that it's ok. more efficient really
    these spouses belong in the OCD thread
    skid luxury

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Inside the Circle
    Posts
    4,167
    Everyday I ski at Magic my skis get a stone grind.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    1,487
    I'll usually do a full tune once a year on them. That includes a stone grind. It takes so little material off I think I'll wear skis out with my fat ass before they get too thin. If it's a long spring season with a lot of really we spring snow then I'll do it again, makes a HUGE difference in high water content snow in May-June.

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