The thickness profiling jig is used to plane the thickness of the ski to size; in other words, it is what allows the core to be machined thicker in the center and taper toward the tip and tail. The jig is then used with a router to profile the thickness.
To make the jig, I first cut the base of the to size and then routed grooves in each side so that the rails would fit snugly in place.
During this process I realized that the bit that I was using was worn out and when I tried to replace it, I was stuck. After torquing, lubricating, and pounding on the bit, it finally came out.
The next step in the process was to create the rails. To do this, I cut two rectangular rails of equal size and then glued the thickness template to the side of one of them. Next, I screwed the rails together so that when I cut out the profile, each rail would be identical. I cut the rails to shape with a combination of my table saw and jig saw.
Once this was complete I sanded out the rough spots with a belt sander and screwed and glued the rails in place.
The finished jigs:
What were the thickness of your rails, and the dimension of your skis?
ReplyDeleteThe Arlias are 161cm long, 129-86-105, the core is 2mm thick at the tip and tail and 12mm thick under foot.
ReplyDeleteThe Panjshirs are 181cm long, 137-106-122, the core is 2mm thick at the tip and tail and 12mm thick under foot.
The profiling jigs are different length, but since the cores have the same thickness the rails have the same minimum and maximum height, with a linear taper in-between. There is a flat spot at the center of the ski where the binding mounts. The rails are 8mm high at the tip and tail and 20mm high at center. If you are building a jig, take your time as the profile is critical to the skis feel and performance.