Mounting Pow Plus (and other basic mounting questions)

[otis]

first time mounting my own skis and looking for guidance. 2 questions:

1. i'm planning to mount up some atomic powder plusses this weekend and i'm concerned about the screws being too long (is that the right way to spell "plusses" -- i almost feel dirty). ski looks pretty damned skinny, especially under the heel.

for folks that have mounted these bad boys, did you just use the standard screw? or did you have to grind it down?

2. i'm mounting tele with a paper template and a drill (no jig). from what i've read, you need to drill 9.5 mm. or as my friend told me, not too shallow, not too deep. just right. sweet jesus. tolerance of .5mm? even with a mark on the bit, this seems tricky. thoughts on the best way to drill it just right and make sure i don't drill right through these suckers?

thanks. any help is appreciated.

[Choke Slam]

as far as binding screw length goes, just look at the sidewall when you set the binding on the ski with a screw in the binding overhanging the edge of the top sheet(sorry if this is a bit confusing-much easier if I had a digi cam). Make sure there is at least 1-2mm from the bottom of the screw to the bottom of the ski so you don't bubble the base. Be carefull with the heel piece screws- Pow+ are a little thin in that area. Usually you can grind the tip of a tele screw off pretty easily.

Relating to not drilling through the ski, go to a ski shop and buy a 4.1*9.5mm ski drill bit. There is a step on the bit making it nearly impossible to drill through the ski. These bits aren't cheap, but if you haven't drilled many skis its worth it. Also, if you haven't drilled many skis, make sure you spend as much time as necessary to make sure everything is straight and you put the holes in the right spot. Paper "jigs" are lots of fun!

[mntlion]

1) should be standard, drill normal (3.5*9) and hand screw in to see if the base bubbles.

2) six pack and a store, without the right drill bit it is a bitch.

[Lexi-Bell]

Semi-thread hijack:

Atomic Powder Plus has a metal topsheet, right?

Considering a pair mounted 2x and may need to drill a third.

[Jaxson]

Pretty sure there is metal in them...not the topsheet though.

Use a punch to mark drill locations...helps so your bit doesn't wander when trying to get through the metal. Also, you should tap the holes after drilling when you have metal in the ski.

[davep]

for folks that have mounted these bad boys, did you just use the standard screw? or did you have to grind it down?

2. i'm mounting tele with a paper template and a drill (no jig). from what i've read, you need to drill 9.5 mm. or as my friend told me, not too shallow, not too deep. just right. sweet jesus. tolerance of .5mm? even with a mark on the bit, this seems tricky.

They're plenty thick.

Normal screws stick ~7mm past the bindings. Normal binding bits are ~9mm deep. You've got plenty of wiggle room, drill 8-10mm deep.

Make your own depth gauge/drill guide:

Go to a hardware store that sells 1" aluminum round stock, and that will cut it for you with their bandsaw. Buy a 9/64" drill bit (=3.6mm, for skis without metal) and a #20 gauge drill bit (=4.1mm, for skis with metal).

Chuck these bits in your drill and measure how far they stick out past the end.

Cut one piece of Aluminum round to be 9mm shorter than your 3.6mm bit sticks out of your chuck, and the other to be 9mm shorter than your 4.1mm bit.

Now drill through the aluminum rounds with the appropriate bits, MAKE SURE IT'S STRAIGHT!!!

Now when you use a paper jig or whatever, you just drill through your appropriate depth guage/guide. It'll keep your hand drill nice and straight, and make sure you only drill 9mm into the skis.

Disclaimer* I cut my jigs with a Mill, not a bandsaw. I think a bandsaw should be plenty straight, but check it out yourself before using it.

Semi-thread hijack:

Atomic Powder Plus has a metal topsheet, right?

Considering a pair mounted 2x and may need to drill a third.

Dude they're like entirely metal skis. Drill till you can't see the ski no mo'