Just a quick question.... After doing my own waxing for a while, I've done a fair bit of research into doing my own edges and have looked at the various options such as mutli tool or clamp and file etc.

Although all my family skis are cap construction, it's been suggested I might need a sidewall planer. I'm a bit dubious about this and think if not set up properly i could do some damage with one. I realise that by not using one, any file i use to sharpen would clog up easier with bits of material but my question is, for new skis (skied plenty but not yet sharpened), do i need a planer straight away or would i get away with a sharpen or two before needing to remove some sidewall.

If you're waxing, you've probably already got scrapers and firm application of your straight-edged steel one will scrape away enough plastic & resin material to allow a nice, unimpeded file run down your edges. If that gums up or doesn't work on the hardest sidewall material, a Stanley knife blade is good for trimming away offensive or stubborn bits.

Never thought about a stanley knife... This might seem a silly question but where exactly do you remove the material from? There doesn't appear to be any material on the face of the edge, but it does sit flush with the top of the edge if that makes sense.... Is it a case of just digging a blade in to that area slightly and scraping a bit off the top of the edge?

"where exactly do you remove the material from?"

Any part that's flush with the vertical edge that would prevent the file cleanly cutting metal only and getting gummed up with resin & plastic instead. You'll know soon enough if it's necessary when the file picks up bits of white gunk.

If you do need to get rid of some sidewall, mostly, next to nothing needs to come off though the as even if it isn't tapered thinly to the metal edge, the sidewall angle is usually much steeper than say the 88 or 87 degree angle that you want to cut into the metal. The most awkward skis I've ever needed to dress were Dynastar 8800's with a sidewall angle of only about 85 degrees made right up to the metal. As the family ski maintainer, I've now got 5 sets of skis to look after and in my experience, most sidewalls are built with a stepped lip with a 60 or 70 degree angle making them quite easy to trim.

The Stanley knife blade is best for cutting away any awkward bits of glass fibre but the steel scraper is by far the best way of shaving off resin & plastic.

Thanks for the replies.. I'm still a bit unsure about this. My skis are cap and therefore there isn't a sidewall so the plastic topsheet extends all the way down and sits on top of the edge.

2 sidewall/top sheet types in picture above. Not sure how the process would differ for either as I've had no problems with both types but maybe I'm missing your point. In any ski consruction, there will always be some material from the topsheet coming down to the metal edge and it's the angle it meets at that makes the difference between it being easy to deal with or slightly more work. In my experience, whatever it's made off, it's soft enough to scrape away without a specialist plane & getting rid of a small amount of it when I've needed to has never been a problem.

Take say the first picture with a 'full sidewall', you only need to get rid of a little bit at the bottom of the sidewall face and exactly how much that is will depend on the angle it's made at. On the second picture, i.e. your CAP construction, it's just resin you'll be dealing with at the lip interface. I'd guess that if you're getting to the point of cutting into wood etc, your edges would already be too thin to make the job worthwhile.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 18.36hrs Sat 29 Oct 11 by moffatross.

OK, I'm officially confused!

I've just had a good close up look at my skis and can't really see how it'd be possible to remove any material without "digging in" to the wall of the skis. To try and describe it; from the base up - there's the edge, then immediately above it a thin black line that is completely flush with the edge. At the top of this thin black line, the material that the rest of the ski is made from meets it almost seamlessly. It isn't quite flush but sits VERY slightly back, and I mean slightly. Is it that tiny bit that needs removing? If so, I can't see how that can be removed without digging something into that area and therefore exposing the innards to air / moisture.

I'll try and post a photo but my camera is crap.

Pics below?



Attachments: PA290071.JPG (73kB)   PA290074.JPG (108kB)  

So in your case there's a little lip at the bottom where it meets the edge that's there so that not a lot of sidewall will ever need removing. The angle of most of the sidewall looks like it ramps back to the centre top of the ski quite a lot more steeply than the metal edge does too so even if you ever wear out that 'lip' material, you'll only be cutting into the bottom part of that.

Here're side views of 4 of sets of skis here & you can see where sidewall/lip has been cut away in each to facilitate metal edge dressing.

Don't worry about it ... you won't hurt the skis.





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 20.04hrs Sat 29 Oct 11 by moffatross.

Attachments: edges.jpg (26kB)  

I'm really sorry, I know is sound like a real twat and your help is REALLY appreciated, but I can't really tell in any of those photos where the edges are or where anything has been removed!

I suppose in a round about way what I need to know with regards to my skis is:

1. Do I need to remove anything prior to sharpening for the 1st time.

2. If so, what.Do I i try and scrape back what is sat on top of the edge (basically pressing down towards the base) or do I press into the ski wall, dragging as I go?

3. If so, what with.

If it helps, the photo with the orange seems similiar to mine although I can't actually see the edge itself in your photo, just a black line.


Just took another look. In the red photo, I'm guessing it's the white line which is the removed material? As said though, other than not being able to see the actual edge, the orange photo seems about the same as mine.....



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 20.39hrs Sat 29 Oct 11 by shootingmike.