Ski Builders Forum

Anyone sand the UHMWPE sidewall after routering the angle? I have some dark green sidewalls and after I routed them, I could see a little bit of texture. I checked the bit and it has a tiny nick in the edge.
So I tried sanding and all it does is scuff the PE and it looks terrible. Is there a certain grit or material to use?
The only other option I see is increasing the edge bevel with a new sharper bit.

What if you went over the whole sidewall with a propane torch lightly? That might melt down the fuzzies just enough to get a nice smooth surface.

When I've routed my sidewalls they come out nice and smooth, but my bit has only seen a few pairs of skis so it's pretty sharp and clean.

Sherpa Burns wrote:Anyone sand the UHMWPE sidewall after routering the angle? I have some dark green sidewalls and after I routed them, I could see a little bit of texture. I checked the bit and it has a tiny nick in the edge.
So I tried sanding and all it does is scuff the PE and it looks terrible. Is there a certain grit or material to use?
The only other option I see is increasing the edge bevel with a new sharper bit.

I assume that the nick in the bit left a ridge down the sidewall?

If this is a bearing bit just adjust the height. The bearing will ride on the "good" section of the sidewall, and the nick in the blade will be above/below the ridge and will cut nothing but air.

it did leave a nick. I adjusted the egde bevel a little and put on a new bit. Perfect now. Lesson learned. Check your bits and blades. I always try to use bits and blades for way too long. Ends up causing more trouble.