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Black and Decker workmate - ski servicing?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Somple question: If I were to need one, would a Black and Decker work mate work as a bench/vice for ski servicing?

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct.jsp?sku=1378276&CMP=KNC-GUK-FUK-GEN-LISTINGS&gross_price=true&mckv=YKMwxwd8|pcrid|14164337469|plid|
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
No any skis attached to it will immediately be ruined and thereafter unusable in perpetuity.



(My ski workbench is 2 old chairs)
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
fatbob, NehNeh I was considering the practicality of the vice arrangement not having one here to try.

I kind of assume that you could drop the binding between the two moveable wooden jaws and clamp around them (without damage?) and place a couple of blocks of wood under the front and back of the upturned ski to fill the gap between ski and bench and hold them steady? For the edges I'd need to find a way of supporting the ski sideways, but a couple of blocks of wood with appropriate slots and maybe a couple of G clamps should serve with a workmate if necessary?

I was just trying to kill the workbench and clamp purchase in one hit if I was buying from scratch and intended to invest more heavily in the correct 'rest of the gear' from our own resident expert.


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 9-07-13 12:11; edited 1 time in total
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I use a workmate with one of these and a bit of ingenuity.

http://www.edgeandwax.co.uk/4609/products/tools4boards_pro_500_ski_vice_spare_shoe.aspx
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
musher, initially puzzled, but thought process so far - is the shoe a plate that is wider than the binding that provides an undamageable surface for the workmate edges to grab hold of?

NB. I might follow up on that concept, I have a brother that can make this sort of thing, I'll show him the picture!!
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Just to add I mounted a section of 3x3 fence post where the hand is in the photo, and that gets clamped in the workmate. The "shoe" is adjustable via a wing-nut so easy to set to any boot sole length.



I was going to add a second bit of 3x3 to raise it up a bit and have bolts so I could turn it through 90 degrees, but the tape works well so I haven't got round to it yet.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
musher, I like! Very Happy Good picture! A workmate is about 56cm long do you find that is sufficient to stop the ends of a ski that is say 160cm + 'whipping' in the air as they are worked on?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Megamum wrote:
NB. I might follow up on that concept, I have a brother that can make this sort of thing, I'll show him the picture!!


If you do a google search there are plans out there for making this sort of dummy ski boot from a few bits of wood.
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A standard builder's trestle (eg Sealey) and ski vices works much better. I have seen the shoes work, but you need something to stabilise the tips.
Sad to have to recommend ski vices, but they do help.
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beequin, that's made me think, we own one of these, I wonder whether I could find a set of vices that would make use of it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wolf-3550mm-Aluminium-11-in-1-Folding-Multi-Use-Ladder-Trestle-Platform-Inserts-/281058850036?pt=UK_H_G_Ladders_RL&hash=item417069b4f4
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Megamum,

You need some other bits of 3x3 under the ski to hold it firm. Again I was planning to add the bracing bits to a base for what I have already. If you do a forum search there are pictures of what other people have done .
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Two cheap workmate devices side by side would also work I think!

I have been searching SH's as well - wonderful resource for this sort of thing.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I just built a shelf.

Bit of offcut kitchen worktop from B&Q which they cut for free to reduce width £5

Lengths of 1" square wood (also B&Q) for form frame. Possibly also £5 but can't remember.

Basically, I made two rectangles out of the wood, fixed them to the garage wall and screwed the worktop on top of that.

Dead rigid, takes up very little space and much cheaper than a workmate Cool
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=36579

was contemplating bodging something like that to go with my €10 not Black+Decker not-Workmate, plus something to support the tips when bases are flat.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I sharpened my skis once a week for 6 years on a B&D workmate, worked fine, just stuck a towel in the gap to grip the skis, elastic band to keep the brakes up and my other hand to stop the tips bending... easy

that said I think my bindings have gotten girlier since the race style blocks of metal.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
dulcamara, May work for sharpening, but not so good for waxing?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I just lean skis up against a wall. I service them after every use and just do one pass with a file so don't need to press hard on them.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
beequin, What's wrong for waxing? Holds the ski fine, lets it bend as it heats up, seemed ok to me, don't need to press hard at all, maybe it only works with race skis
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What beequin, said. I have some vices have a nice bench at home for them and on the road can and do clamp them to anything. rjs, has a point, quick and dirty works, little and often is the way to go.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hubby uses a workmate for our skis, can't say he's encountered any problems?
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I have no problem with waxing on an ancient B&D workmate. I'm all for multi-use of gadgets (and clothes!).
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for all the suggestions, currently working on a mechanism to give me something to grip the ski with, then I'll think about how to support the full length of the skis. I'm going to have a bash at some ski servicing - I did Jon's course some years ago, and I think I can remember what to do, I'll have to contact him and get the necessary in the next few weeks whilst the weather is warm and the wax will work well.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Megamum, I've used one for the last few years but need to make a couple of amends.
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Personally I use one to wax my skis, got one for £15 from halfords in a sale a year/2 ago, it does the job, but I'd recommend getting something better.

I basically just clamp the bindings(pivots) with the wooden planks(not describing this well), and it seems to work fine. The only problem is at the tips, my skis are only 171, but if you had longer skis it'd be even harder, waxing them at the ends is just ridiculously hard, due to the leverage.
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Mine is one of the very originals, I got it it about 1980. It's not ideal but does a job. I might invest £15 in a new one this winter wink
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I've used a black and decker orbital sander to sand down the base of my snowboard. It went great after. Just stuck the snowboard on the bull bars on my truck to do it, and chucked a couple of occy straps round it to hold it on.
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