Edges

How flat (or not) are my bases? What are my base bevel angles? How straight are my scrapers, edge guides & tools?….are among the typical bits of information needed to perform and gauge quality of work and determine what work is required.
Like any tool we carry, there is a range of quality levels available to meet budget, personal goals and acceptable tolerances. From basic straight metal bars to precise, finely milled, high quality case hardened steel, the DIY tuner can achieve the desired and necessary level of precision using the fundamental tool known as a true bar.

For base work, a good backlighting source like a desk lamp, daylight, flashlight, etc is very important to help you see any variations between the bar and base. By clearly identifying irregularities and locations the guesswork is minimized.
The basic types are rectangular, square or round section bar stock of varying levels of precision and finishes for the recreational tuner, or a highly milled ‘knife edged’ precision true barfor those with tighter tolerances for their boards. A ‘hybrid’ of sorts, is a finely milled base skiver which can also be used for base repair and flattening tasks.

The narrower the section, the less ‘forgiving’ the lighting will be and increase accuracy. A wider square or rectangular bar will allow less light to pass between it and the base versus a round bar and far less than a knife edged bar.By turning a square or rectangular bar stock true bar on edge, you can increase the accuracy, as long as the quality of the bar stock is acceptable.

Typical base issues are flat, high, low (below) or both (as seen above). A perfectly flat base is ideal while some irregularity may be acceptable for some, depending on performance level or typical snow type. A backcountry or powder ski or snowboard has less of a need for perfection than a high performance race ski or snowboard.

Regardless, knowing ‘where they are’ is important.

Additionally, many new skis and snowboards are anything but flat.

A low base (concave) will cause

the edges to ‘rail’ or grab more readily than desired and harder to release, while high

bases (convex) will require more

angulation and time to get to an edge.

Achieving a flat base is also imperative if you also wish to achieve high precision while tuning edges since all bevel angles and tools are relative to an assumed flat base.

A common question is ‘What are the side and base bevel angles I should tune my boards for proper edge geometry?’ Like many similar subjective questions, one way to find out is to experiment to find out what works best for you.

For skiers, with two skis you have basically (2) pair of edges (inside and outside). By trying (2) different side bevel angles, say 2° and 3° you can easily find out for yourself on the same pair of skis, on the same run and the same conditions by simply switching right and left skis. After this you can experiment further, leave them as is or set them both to the same side edge angle as desired.

Last spring, with highly variable conditions throughout the day, I gave it a shot. The difference between various snow types and slopes was very noticeable. The 2° side edge was smoother to transition to and from and fine for softer snows and bumps, while the 3° was noticeably grippier on firm, steep runs. Both can be adjusted too for a given set of conditions, but having the option of two side edge angles on the same pair of skis was nice to have, IMO. YMMV, but since there is a high level of variability in snow types, terrain, type of turns etc, instant gratification to make subtle changes is literally underfoot.

Doing the same to the base bevel is not as easy to consider as side edges. Changing side edge bevels from 2° to 3°, 3° to 2° or something else is pretty straight forward since you are only dealing with the angle of the side edge. The side edge geometry has more to do with grip, while the base bevel geometry affects the angulation and time required to get on the edge, ie responsiveness.

For base bevels, you must also consider that to reduce a base bevel, you will need to remove base material, including all the wax you have saturated into your bases. If you wish to consider a more responsive, less forgiving base bevel of .5 or .7° than the most common 1°, this needs to be taking into account. But like the side edge asymmetry, there may be some advantages to be discovered by experimenting with this concept for the base bevels. Using some older skis, may be one approach.

Be sure to clearly mark which edges are which with grease pencil, tape, sharpie, etc to eliminate guessing or future tuning mistakes. A reliable multi-angle tool, multiple bevel guides or guides with shims , along with a file and a couple diamonds or stones will be necessary to perform the edge work required.

(FAQ)

You just got some new skis or a snowboard. Now what?

• Unwrap & drool, then inspect them to ‘get to know’ them
• Check bases for flatness with a true bar and backlighting
• Eyeball torsional squareness and general structure evenness
• Measure the side and base bevels and record info
• Check general consistent sharpness of the edges and for burrs or nicks. Also, check for rust.
• Make any necessary (hopefully none or minor) fixes
• Clean, wax, scrape and brush a few cycles
• Ski or ride ‘em, repeat above and make any edge bevel tweaks deemed appropriate and test again
• Periodically repeat above

(FAQ)

While sharpening and polishing side edges and in order to cut the metal side edge only, the sidewall material needs to be planed or back-filed. Otherwise the cutting tool will get clogged with the sidewall material and reduce the efficiency and possibly the accuracy of the desired bevel.

A Sidewall Planer with a round carbide blade or bit will remove a nice, clean fillet along the edge which can be further sanded to smooth out any irregularities and provide a smooth surface.

Here’s a clip from the SVST Tuning & Waxing DVD on SideWall Planing:

As a specialized tool, it can be a bit pricey for the casual tuner, however. A viable alternative is to use an adjustable multi-angle guide or a dedicated edge guide with a short panzer or coarse file to cut back the sidewall so the diamond, stone or file cutting tools are not obstructed.
The Tools4Boards Razor or Xact work very well as multi-angled tools when set from 5° to 6°. So do dedicated edge guides of 5°/85°/95° to 7°/83°/97°.

The T4B Razor is shown

below:

1) Position of the panzer or coarse file in Razor to just get past the sidewall:

2) Side view of 5° peg position and tilted razor beyond the edge and contact with the sidewall.

3) Side view of file on sidewall.

(FAQ) (MORE TO COME)

Long held as the primary edge work tool, files are being replaced with stones and diamond cutting tools for edge sharpening and polishing and prolonging edge life. Diamonds and stones tend to remove less material than files, are more forgiving and polish the edge while cutting and sharpening.

Here’s a clip from the SVST Tuning & Waxing DVD on Diamond Stones:

Accurately measuring and recording edge bevels is necessary to match or select proper dedicated edge guides or mult-angle guide tools & settings for efficient edge work. This will give you a point of reference in making adjustments relative to skiing or boarding feedback, or for maintaining consistency while maintaining sharp and smooth edges. It’s a good idea to measure and record the edge angles of new ski or snowboards so you know where they were when you got them. Later, you’ll be glad you did.

As a precision base and side edge bevel meter from SVST, the Pro Bevel Meter snaps to the metal edge with a strong magnet that then quickly and accurately rotates the finely machined tool meter and shows you your side or base bevel angles. This sets the standard for precision measuring, ease and speed.

Also a finely machined tool, a machined side edge bevel meter, can be placed against the base of the ski and quickly measures the side edge with (4) preset angles: 1 thru 4° (89 thru 86°/SVST 91° thru 96°). As with all measuring devices placed against the edge, requiring visual clues of the tool relative to the edge, good visibility and backlighting is necessary to compare the edge to the tool. Magnify glasses help in the visibility department.

(Note: the side edge angles 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc are the angles cut inward from the side edge relative to a 90° degree corner. Thus, the European standard is 90, 89, 88, 87, etc, while SVST/US standard is the dedicated edge guide designation to create the side edge bevel, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, etc.)

Base bevels are simpler in that they are designated relative to flat: 0, 0.5, 0.7, 1.5, 2, etc….

The most common bevel angles are 1° base bevel & 3° side bevel. Designations always should include base bevel angle first, followed by side edge angle: 1:3 for 1° BB & 3°SB, for example.)

Metal or plastic protractors can also be used as can T-bevels, coupled with protractors to return reasonably accurate measurements, but require extra care and time to assure a good measurement. The plastic protractors require extra care as the sharp ski or snowboard metal edge can modify the plastic protractor edge.

A very handy way to see if you have a match to your edge guide is to run a marker of some sort along the edge, leaving a thin ink film. By running your guide over the ink with a fine stone (to minimize edge material removal), the removal of all the ink will indicate a match or near match, while ink removal on one side of the edge or the other will indicate there isn’t a match and you’ll be able to determine if the guide is too steep or shallow relative to the edge.

A reliable multi-angled tool is very useful for this as a low cost measuring device used in this manner, since you can try different angles and zero in on the angle the edges are.

Another method for measuring the base edge bevel is to use a true bar and measure the height or use feeler gauges at 60mm to determine the angle. As the following graphics show, it is actually 57.3mm mathematically, for the given heights, but 6omm is generally considered acceptable since it is easier to remember (and marked on the above true bar, from the right edge).