Ski and Snowboard

Any DIYer will find years of usefulness for an array of gear and home projects, repairs and maintenance out of Big Gator Hand Drill & Tap Guides. They can be used on flat surfaces (like skis & snowboards), corners and round items (like ski poles and bike frames). With or without clamping, these handy guides should be in every DIYers toolbox.

Big Gator Tools was established in 2005 and is now marketing the most universal patented drill and tap guides ever sold. Guides are made from a special nickel alloyed steel that is heat-treated and ground along bottom surface to assure stability and accurate perpendicular alignment on flat surfaces. All guides have a 90 degree V-groove along the bottom that allows perpendicular alignment on round parts as well as corners.

TAP GUIDES: Holes are sized for ANSI Standard and Metric Ground Thread Taps.

Standard V-TapGuides can handle tap sizes: ( 0-80, 1-64, 1-72, 2-56, 2-64, 3-48, 3-56, 4-36, 4-40, 4-48, 5-40, 5-44, 6-32, 6-36, 6-40, 8-32, 8-36, 8-40, 10-24, 10-32, ¼-20, ¼-28, 5/16-18, 5/16-24, 3/8-16, 3/8-24, 7/16-14, 7/16-20, ½-13, ½-20, 5/8-11, 5/8-18)

Metric V-TapGuides can handle tap sizes: ( 1.6mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16mm)

STI TAP GUIDES: (Screw Thread Inserts)

STI-UNC V-TapGuides can handle standard ground STI hand tap sizes: (Unified Coarse Threads: 9/16-12, 1/2-13, 7/16-14, 3/8-16, 5/16-18, 1/4-20, 12-24, 10-24, 8-32, 6-32)

STI-UNF V-TapGuides can handle standard ground STI hand tap sizes: (United Fine Threads: 5/8-18, 9/16-18, 1/2-20, 7/16-20, 3/8-24, 5/16-24, 1/4-28, 10-32, 8-36)

DRILL GUIDES:

Standard V-DrillGuides are made for 17 standard drill sizes: (1/8 to 3/8 in 1/64 increments) Covers all the drill sizes in a standard 3/8 drill index except drill sizes smaller than 1/8”. Heat treated for durability like drill bushings. It’s like having a portable drill press anywhere! Straight perpendicular alignment wherever you go.

Metric V-DrillGuides can handle drill sizes: 3, 3.3, 3.5, 4, 4.2, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 6.8, 7, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9, 9.5mm

Here is a video from Tom Hintz, owner/publisher of NewMetalworker.com made this video as part of an independent review of the Big Gator Drill and Tap Guides. (Please note that the tap guides do not need to be clamped in place like in the video to hand tap.)

For additional information also see: Drill and Tap Guides for Hand Drilling

Now that you skimmed the pond due to proper waxing and technique (and hopefully not your good gear) , it’s usually a sign for most that it’s time to put your boards in storage.

Following is a recent bulletin from Toko:

TECH BULLETIN
Source: Toko Brand Management Office, Heber City, UT info@TokoUS.com 866-TOKO-USA

Here are Toko’s recommendations for storage waxing of skis. First clean the
skis well. This can be done with wax remover or by simply brushing the bases
out well with a copper brush depending on how dirty they are. Then drip on a
generous amount of NF or LF Red. Iron it in making sure that there is enough
wax to provide a thick layer on the base and that the iron is hot enough to ensure
a good bond between the wax and the base. This ironing procedure is normal,
but sometimes a person rushes through storage waxing and the wax is not really
heated outside of that it becomes liquid. The ski bases often times don’t even
become warm. This will result in air between the base and the ski and less
protection.
Red is our choice for storage waxing as Blue is so hard that it is more difficult to
make sure that there is no air between the ski and base and Yellow is so soft that
it gets “eaten away” quicker. NF or LF Red is perfect because their consistency
is perfect.
If waxing Alpine skis, slop the wax over the edges and cover them too.
A SUMMARY:
1. Brush skis out well with Copper Brush
2. Iron in System3 Red or LF Red making sure adequate wax is used and
that the wax is heated in well.

See the Toko Information Center for more tips and helpful hints.

In addition to the aforementioned rationale for using a medium temperature wax versus soft/warm temperature wax for storage, it is more likely that it will be appropriate for the initial snow temps you’ll encounter next fall than the soft. In the fall/early winter, for those wishing to minimize extra steps, time and expense, you might be good to go by simply scraping, brushing.

Side wall removal is necessary to allow the edge cutting tools to cut or polish the edges. If you are seeing plastic in your files or stones, it’s time for you to remove the side wall where the top of the side edge meets the side of your boards (see image upper left). The SkiMan Ergo Razor Side Wall Planer works basically the same as variations and it’s cousins branded under several ski and snowboard tuning tool companies.

If disassembled, simply put the post in the hole in the planer body and tighten with the knob or included hex wrench so it looks like this:

You can flip the direction of the blade for pulling on the left or right side. The knob also controls the in and out location of the blade to position it relative to where the edge meets the side wall. The two screws on top are for setting the height. The blade should just skim/plane the side wall in thin slices. Adjust deeper as needed and as you use repetitive strokes. If it skips, it’s cutting too much and you need to back off.

The blade post can accept either a round blade or a rounded square for optimal planing depending on side wall shape. The hex wrench can be used to replace or rotate the blade to a fresher and sharper cutting edge.

After planing you may wish to touch up the planed area with a fine file, sandpaper and/or tex pad.

For more side wall planing and cutting tips, see: Planing and Cutting Back SideWalls.

Updated: 4/7/13 for additional information.

FAQ

One of life’s simple pleasures is getting out for skate skiing, touring or making turns on a warming bluebird day, with an inch or so of wet sweet corn on firm crust or solid base. Spring & summer predawn hikes on crust to harvest morning corn is right up there.

The best corn comes after a freeze of transformed, wet snow from the day before. The snow is no longer flakes or crystals, but saturated ice ‘kernels’ known as frozen corn. Depending on timing, aspect and other factors, this can start out like a coral reef, a very abrasive crust, sun-cupped, or ‘icy’, among other consistencies. As it melts and transforms again to wet corn, how do you prepare your boards to perform well all day in these variable conditions?

If you wax with a warmer & softer wax for the warmer, wet conditions, you can easily wear off the wax on highly abrasive, colder snows, while you wait for conditions to moisten and soften (or not). If you wax with cold wax, you may miss out on the best glide and enjoyment when it becomes prime time.

One option is to simply wait until conditions soften and you hit it when the conditions are best and wax accordingly. This may be easier said than done for some and as the unreliable weather can change, this plan may backfire.

We’ve found the best balance between ideal wax temperatures for glide and abrasive snows is to start with an aggressive base structure, wax with a very durable mid and broad temperature base liquid or solid wax like Briko-Maplus Race Base Medium, and top it with a warm temp Low Fluoros like Briko-Maplus Universal Hot or LP2 or Toko Dibloc LF.

The base structure doesn’t seem to matter relative to the coarse, frozen snow, but makes a huge difference when the snow becomes saturated by channeling water and reducing suction. The durable base wax provides a longer and better protection for the bases and runs very well in a wide range of condition if the softer wax wears off. Depending on how the day goes, the LF wax may be perfect for the entire day and will provide an extra bump in glide.

Additionally, since it is a softer wax, it can easily be reapplied if desired or necessary by crayoning/rubbing on solids, wiping on cream/paste or liquids, or spraying (most convenient and durable option) high-melt waxes and then corking and polishing with a brush.

(Minor revisions & updated links 3/26/13)

With the new season fast approaching with expectations of much more snow than last year, here is the 2012-13 Briko-Maplus Wax and Tool catalog. As with all of our tools and supplies, if it is not found in our store we probably can order it for you. So drop us a line if you have questions or are looking for something.

Here is the Briko-Maplus Waxing Manual for detailed instructions for waxing applications. This covers hot, liquid, powder & grip waxing from recreational to elite racers. waxing

Updated: 2/15/13

As a general guide there are three main Toko options for Alpine Ski Vises to choose from (and one for Snowboard and Skis).  Here they are with a brief explanation:

Toko Ski Vise World Cup
This is our most popular vise.  It can hold the skis base up for waxing, scraping, and base edge bevel tuning.  It can also hold the skis between 90 degrees (and anywhere down to 60 degrees) for tuning the side edge.  The clamping surface is 70mm long providing a very sold hold on bindings or binding plates and narrower ski side walls.  The jaws open up to 95mm.
Toko Ski Vise Freeride-155mm
For those with very wide skis and who don’t want to clamp the Ski Vise WC to the binding plates, this is a great option.  We have changed the end pieces on this vise to bring the cost down.  The jaws open to a massive 155mm giving the option of fixing skis from the binding plates or the sidewalls.  Also gives the option of 60 and 90 degrees for working on side edges.

Toko Ski Vise Express

This vise doesn’t “fix” the skis down per say, but still allows for a decent surface for waxing, scraping, and tuning skis.  If the vises are placed far enough apart and the top sheets are dry, friction from the high-grip rubber pads keeps the ski still and stable enough for some decent work.  This vise is perfect for anyone who wants a basic set up for hot waxing and tuning but doesn’t want to spring for a Ski Vise WC or Freeride.

Toko Board Grip
Friction from high-grip rubber pads against the snowboard or ski top sheet hold the snowboard or a pair of skis fast when working on the base.  The snowboard or ski can be fixed vertically when working on side edges.  Adjustable widths.

(Reprinted and edited from Toko eBlast.)

Updated links 3/21/13