Ski Builders Forum

Hello all,

I am at a frustrating point in my layup process. I have yet to be able to find a way to keep the edges from torqueing and twisting while I bend them around the tip and tail of the ski. I am sorry if I couldn't find this thread on the forum or if this topic is beating a dead horse, but I am posting this in haste. I am curious if I can get some insight on what I am doing wrong.

I have used tile nippers that were custom ground to bend edges and an edge bender I bought with a load of material as well. Any advise on this is helpful. Thank you.

I use a modified break tubing bender. I cut a thin channel in the radius and a notch in the top handle to hold the edge. This cost me about $15. It makes bending pretty easy and keeps the edge flat as long as you cut your channel straight.

Also be sure to not clamp your edges too close to where you are bending so you don't have to lift and twist he edge to get it into the bender.

Some suggestions here;

http://www.skibuilders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4854

Or here;

http://www.skibuilders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3199

Secret to nippers is keeping them perpendicular to the edge.
Properly built 3 roll edge bender should keep them true.

sam

As requested, thought I'd link it here for everyone to revisit.

http://www.skibuilders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2069

Easiest to machine the single roller for tangs in 2 pieces, then bolt it back together with the handle. Also allows you to shim for different tang thicknesses.
Nylock nuts hold the rollers in place without over tightening so they spin free.

Thanks Twizz!!! And ultimately Redbull.

sam

Ha, that old thing. That bender was pretty cool, but honestly I can bend a set of edges using my ground tile nippers in about 5 minutes, versus 15+ minutes of fiddling/adjusting with the 3-roller bender. My edges stay perfectly flat with the tile nippers too.

Twizz,
I'm thinking that gketcham is using the set of nippers that I made for him. Can you post a photo of the jaw design on your set so we can all see what design works well? I also use a nipper but I don't think I can make edges made as fast as you do! Maybe I just fuss too much over them?
Thanks,
Ryan

Are you guys all doing full wrap edge as well? I just cant seem to not fcuk up the edge around the tip and tail of the ski.

I usually do a 4 part edge (not doing many twin tip skis though). A machined aluminum inset on across the tail of the ski, and then a curved section 3-4 inches long that wraps around the tip. The few twin tips I've done have this same 3-4 inch section around the tail. That leaves two long pieces for the edges that only have subtle bends.

I do 3/4 wrap. That last bit to do a perfectly-fitting full wrap can be a royal pain, once I did my first 3/4 wrap ski I never went back.

I don't have any pictures of my nippers, but there's nothing special to them. Middle ground out of one jaw, the sides ground off on the other jaw, in roughly equal thirds. Then I ground the top perfectly flat so it gets all the way up in the corner of the edge teeth (does that make sense?). The jaws have a fairly sharp edge to get up in that corner.

When I'm bending I do lots of little light bends back and forth along the edge until the curvature is right.

Twizz,
That sounds like how I built mine and later gketcham's. The flat section on the middle tooth I found helps stabilize the tang on the edge and it lines up the two outside nipper teeth with the edge. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the outside teeth on the nipper, where they contact the edge material, are not perfectly perpendicular to the flat on the middle tooth. Maybe this is inducing a slight twist into the edge?

I use a modified brake tube bender as well, and with further modifications it could keep the edge flat. Haven't quite got around to it though, so I just use a pair of pliers to grip and counter torque the outbound end of the edge with my other hand as I bend the edge with the BTB. Not very elegant, but it works.

I've tried every configuration of full wrap - joining two pieces at the center of the tip & tail, joining two pieces where the camber transitions to the tip & tail and even joining one piece at the center of the ski on one side - but for the past few pairs I've gone to three quarter wrap. But I also replace the ptex base with same thickness aluminum pieces from where the edges end. I cut the aluminum pieces wide enough so that they're flush with the outside edge of the edges. That way I don't have to turn the edge ends in and the ski looks more finished.

Scott

Looking at this post makes me both sad and incredibly angry.
F'n photophucket has screwed almost every forum on the internet!!!

One of these days I might get around to finding another host for my pics but I don't see myself going to every post I've ever made and updating the links.
I really don't have that kind of time.

sam

Funny, even my profile picture is apparently from photobucket!

twizzstyle wrote:Funny, even my profile picture is apparently from photobucket!

Ya I removed mine, didn't want to advertise for those bastards.

sam

sammer wrote:Looking at this post makes me both sad and incredibly angry.
F'n photophucket has screwed almost every forum on the internet!!!

One of these days I might get around to finding another host for my pics but I don't see myself going to every post I've ever made and updating the links.
I really don't have that kind of time.

sam

Well that sucks! They want $400 to upgrade for sharing to 3rd party. Just went into photobucket for details and was bombarded with pop-ups and annoying ads.