Portable Tuning Set-up Show and Tell

[mdf]

Take a look at the fake wood they sell for building decks. Maybe there is something suitable.
Probably best just to do hand-flex test. If you can bend it appreciably it is probably not beefy enough.

 

[Blue Streak]

I mounted a 12” wide x 60” laminate shelf on mine, and I am glad I didn’t go shorter FWIW.
And if you are looking for ski “vices,” you’ll find plenty around here.

 

[KingGrump]

I've been reading the thread and am tempted to go with the Stablemate 30" sawhorse (I'm a shortie) with a board on top and some vices. For those who have done it, would a 48" shelf on top work? Thinking of an 8"x48" or 12"x48" laminate shelf from Home Depot, since it's cheap and won't splinter like wood. Would I need something thicker than .625 inches?

The 30" saw horse unit may be too low. You can try what height suits you by looking at your kitchen counter top. The standard kitchen top height is 36". If you are comfortable in your kitchen, get the 36" unit. Your lower back will thank you.

@Blue Streak idea of a 12" x 72" melamine top is a good one. A 3/4" (0.75) will be much stiff than a 5/8" (0.625) thick piece. If you have a router/trimmer, it would be nice to ease the melamine shelf edge with a 1/8" round over bit. Your hands will thank you.

Rather than mounting the board center on the saw horse. Try mounting the board bias front to back. It will be more balanced when you have the ski and vise secured to the top.

Happy tuning.

 

[laine]

The 30" saw horse unit may be too low. You can try what height suits you by looking at your kitchen counter top. The standard kitchen top height is 36". If you are comfortable in your kitchen, get the 36" unit. Your lower back will thank you.

@Blue Streak idea of a 12" x 72" melamine top is a good one. A 3/4" (0.75) will be much stiff than a 5/8" (0.625) thick piece. If you have a router/trimmer, it would be nice to ease the melamine shelf edge with a 1/8" round over bit. Your hands will thank you.

Rather than mounting the board center on the saw horse. Try mounting the board bias front to back. It will be more balanced when you have the ski and vise secured to the top.

Happy tuning.

Re: the height - I just need to figure out what is right with the height of the vises. In the class, on the Swix table, it was hard for me to get leverage. I'm only 5'1", so don't want something too high. But I'll stack some books on my kitchen counter to check the height and see what might work.

Re: the length - I've been looking online and am leaning towards a 48" or 60" board max. I'm 61", and my skis range from 154-162 (60.6" to 63.8") and husband's skis max out at 178 (70") and I don't want to table to be too unwieldy for me. The laminate boards seem to be 5/8" thick - but I could get two of them and stack them. They're only $10-15, but they only seem to come in 48" or 72", not 60". I need to do more research. I looked into a stair, but it's 20 lbs - and with the weight of the Stablemate, it might be too much for me. After some digging - I just found this one for $10 - I'll need to see if I can find out how heavy it is.

Any vise recommendations? Or are they all about the same?

 

[KingGrump]

3/4" melamine particle board weights about 2.80 lb per square foot.

If the available board for the top is too long, most Home Depot will cut it for you for a nominal fee.

If you are not sure of the optimal working height, an adjustable saw horse may work out for the best.

I am not feeling it for the REI vise posted up thread. The extra wide rubber surface generally get in the way.
@Mendieta has a good value vise posted in his post in another tuning thread.

 

[cantunamunch]

Re: the height - I just need to figure out what is right with the height of the vises. In the class, on the Swix table, it was hard for me to get leverage. I'm only 5'1", so don't want something too high. But I'll stack some books on my kitchen counter to check the height and see what might work.

FWIW I like a lower bench for waxing/scraping than for binding work.

 

[crgildart]

3/4" melamine particle board weights about 2.80 lb per square foot.

If the available board for the top is too long, most Home Depot will cut it for you for a nominal fee.

Lowes does two free cuts per sheet of plywood, flakeboard, paneling, whatever. Just grab your board and take it to the cutting area and push the call help button..

 

[Pumba]

I never got to posting pics showing my apartment living room Ski Workshop. Ever since my tutorial at @KingGrump 's, I've waxed 4 times. I attempted edge sharpening with the file he gave me. I selfishly tested the technique on one of Peter's skis. I didn't get any of the correct sounds or spring-like shavings I got at King Grumps, and I kind of freaked out that I was dulling the edges instead, so I gave up on the sharpening of edges. I will stick to just waxing and rubbing a gummi stone on the edges to remove rust for now.

The only thing the vise could clamp onto in my apt was a wooden bench. This is not ideal, as I have to bend over to do everything. Also, the bench is not super stable. Here are pics, from various angles, of Kara's Ski Shop:

Also, waxing does cause a huge mess. The wax shavings that inevitably land on the floor vs. drop cloth causes our floor to become super slippery...For a couple days after waxing, we usually slip in the area where my shop is located.

Open for business!

Shop closed:

 

[surfsnowgirl]

My SO can never see these or know that I've seen this thread lol because he's terrified I'm going to turn the living room into a tuning area ha ha. He's promised me one day we'll have a garage or a basement where I can do this. Looks great. Good job!!!!!!

 

[Sibhusky]

Tuning is not really for apartment dwellers. My daughter is one and I'm always surprised she doesn't use my stuff when she visits. I wouldn't want to deal with the mess if I had an apartment.

 

[Fuller]

OK it's not exactly portable but here's my solution for this year, just build one if you you can. My landlord allowed me to build this, the cordless drill comes with me anyway and there was a small handsaw here to cut the 45 degree angles. One trip to HD to precut all the rest. You could sit a couple of people on this with no worries. Maybe I can rent this place next year!

 

[Sibhusky]

Put a rubber mat on the cement before it gets impregnated with wax and you end up going down.

 

[Fuller]

Put a rubber mat on the cement before it gets impregnated with wax and you end up going down.

Got that covered, I bring a canvas drop cloth with me in case I have to convert a kitchen into a tuning shop. Did that the first year - it's nice tuning your skis in a warm kitchen with a granite counter top and the beer fridge nearby. But this year's garage is awesome, but at about 48 degrees not exactly room temp but it's way better than having to clean up after every tune.

 

[Philpug]

While it is technically portable...I was looking for more stability when mounting and waxing. The extending arms really keep the tips and tails stable when buffing.

I plan on changing the table top to a different material.

 

[Doug Briggs]

That looks like a bomber bench. What brand/model? The portable benches I've used have had a tendency to be a little wiggly. Not a good thing when you are scraping wax off sharp skis.

As a geek, I also agree with your definition of hack. I'd call them kludges although the geektionary tells me a kludge has a negative connotation. So it would be a brilliant hack, but an ugly kludge. Sorry. I digress.

I'm intrigued that your garage is carpeted.

 

[cantunamunch]

As a geek, I also agree with your definition of hack. I'd call them kludges although the geektionary tells me a kludge has a negative connotation. So it would be a brilliant hack, but an ugly kludge. Sorry. I digress..

You forgot 'bodge'

 

[Doug Briggs]

You forgot 'bodge'

I'd never heard that one. It's good. Sounds like what it is.

 

[hbear]

Anybody know how heavy the Holmenko bench is with the table top removed? I hear the topper is heavy and contributes a bunch to the overall weight.

I like how sturdy it is....but primarily going to be using this when we travel overseas (and tuning rooms are hit or miss).

 

[bad influence]

Thanks for the Stablemate suggestion @JMD
It really is a nice piece of equipment.
I had some extra shelving in my garage.
View attachment 32559
Add one Stablemate.
View attachment 32560
Center it up.
View attachment 32561
Drill it out and bolt it up.
Voila!
Took about 30 minutes total!
View attachment 32562

how long did you cut the piece of shelving? My stablemate arrives tomorrow thanks!!!

 

[Blue Streak]

how long did you cut the piece of shelving? My stablemate arrives tomorrow thanks!!!

Mine is 60" x 11 1/2", which works great. With the Stablemate you have a great deal of flexibility. I just used a piece of vinyl coated OSB I had lying around.