Ski Builders Forum

if you are getting full delams straight out of the press you are doing something totally wrong.

or you just might have been unlucky and the supplier set a poor batch of materials. It's happened many times before.

Keep at it man ... it's all downhill from here!!!!!

Found a GEM on Ebay the other day located in MASS. Skid PUN 350 for ONLY $250!!!! In decent shape, unused for the past 5 years. Stoked!

FigmentOriginal wrote:Found a GEM on Ebay the other day located in MASS. Skid PUN 350 for ONLY $250!!!! In decent shape, unused for the past 5 years

You're kidding me? Man how did I miss this? What were your search words?

Wow great find!

I was searching with 'ski base grinder' 'ski grinder' or something like that. Ebay gives links to you other common searches and I clicked one of those links. 'ski tuning machine' maybe? I'll post some better pics when I pick it up. In Aspen right now cutting up the corduroy.

Picked her up today, try and get it under power tomorrow. Glory shots to come. I still can hardly believe I scored this thing for $250!!!

Is it a belt or stone grinder? Regardless, awesome find!

If you need belts, I get belts for my grinder from Econoway Abrasives. They'll make any size and its not super expensive.

http://www.econaway.com/

twizzstyle wrote:Is it a belt or stone grinder? Regardless, awesome find!

If you need belts, I get belts for my grinder from Econoway Abrasives. They'll make any size and its not super expensive.

http://www.econaway.com/

Funny, I just got am email from them today,
free shipping until the end of march on orders over $100
discount code "FEB2013"

sam

Thanks for the info guys! Thanks for posting that promo code Sammer. It will come in use. Belts for the machine are 1935mm x 350mm.

Got into cleaning the machine up today. Its been sitting for around 5 years and it wasn't cleaned before they put in into storage. Its amazing what some Simple Green and a little elbow grease can do. Test it out tomorrow maybe.

Damn that beats the deal I got on my grindrite by $50!! Good Score!!

Got the grinder hooked up to power today. Everything looks great! I do have a few questions for you guys that have/use belt grinders. I ran these questions by a buddy of mine that used to manage a ski tune shop, but he has been out of the business for 20 years so he wasn't positive.

Question 1: What grit belt and what material is best to use?

I was told to not go coarser than 120, or else the grinder will start to take more material from the center of the board resulting in a concave base. I was also thinking about ordering the belt in aluminum oxide. Silicone carbide, zirconia alumina, or ceramic are also available from the Econaway link mentioned above. Which works best for this application?

Question 2: What fluid is used to wet the belt on the machine?

I had thought just water, but my friend had said something about adding a rust inhibitor to the water. Any suggestions as what product to add to the water?

Questions 3: Any finishing tips?

My friend said they would use metal scraping cards and scrape against the grain to get rid of the 'hairs' or 'fuzz' that can be left over from the grinding process.


Test video of the machine under power.

I have zero formal training in ski tech, so take my advice with some warning...

I really like the ceramic belts from Econaway. I think the finest grit is 120 in ceramic. It gives almost a stone-ground finish. For just taking off material I use a 60 grit, I've tried both the silicone carbide and aluminum zirconia, both seemed to do ok. That's a pretty course grit though.

I got my coolant from Sun Valley Ski Tools. It's a non-toxic biodegradable coolant designed for this. Don't use water, you'll turn that gorgeous machine to rust, and make a lot of us angry The coolant I got is very concentrated, I got a gallon and that will probably last me a lifetime. It's something like a 30:1 mix with water (can't remember of the top of my head).

I have a giant belt cleaner I got on McMaster, the thing is gold. It's like a soft gummy rubber eraser, and it makes the belts look brand new with just a little but of rubbing while the grinder is turned on.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#4836A33

Also - don't take the hazards of this machine for granted. A grinder can grab your shirt and pull you down in a flash. Always keep a strong grip on the ski, if you let go a little bit, you'll be sending a 60mph ski across your shop.

I gave my buddy a little brief on my grinder, and the danger - he smiled and said "yeah yeah, I got this". I turned my back and within 5 minutes had a ski launch across my shop into the wall, and my buddies finger was bleeding everywhere.

twizzstyle wrote:Also - don't take the hazards of this machine for granted. A grinder can grab your shirt and pull you down in a flash. Always keep a strong grip on the ski, if you let go a little bit, you'll be sending a 60mph ski across your shop.

I gave my buddy a little brief on my grinder, and the danger - he smiled and said "yeah yeah, I got this". I turned my back and within 5 minutes had a ski launch across my shop into the wall, and my buddies finger was bleeding everywhere.

Ya it happens pretty fast and the ski edge cuts really good, ask me how I know

I went into my local friendly ski shop and asked if they could spare some, they filled an old pop bottle for free. It lasted thru a few water changes.
Might have to buy some next year, we'll see.
They are just happy they don't have to grind them any more, so might fill up a bottle again.

I use an 80 grit zirconia belt for rough work then switch it up to 120 zirc or ceramic.
Make sure you "break" the belt well with a piece of wood or something before you put you ski to it.

sam