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Mounting Bindings on a Budget

firebanex

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I've been mounting my own skis for a long time using a combined version of this guide and a slowly growing collection of good tools. You may be on a budget but the best thing imo is to spend the 15$ on the correct Wintersteiger stepped bit. Just knowing that you won't drill through your base is a huge amount of stress removed from the process. As long as you spend a bunch of time measuring and checking each hole placement, it's hard to mess things up. I've started using a digital caliper and measuring each hole distance relative to the ski edge to make sure everything is actually centered on the ski. Takes time, but I haven't mounted a binding crooked in 8 years now.

I also lack a good local ski shop that I trust. Ever since the kid writing up my mounting order told me they didn't have jig for Look bindings.. as he was standing next to the Look binding display. Never went back to them for binding mounting or shop work. The shop I do trust is 400 miles away and I most certainly save all the advanced repairs and boot work for them.
 

crgildart

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You can pretty easily move bindings from one pair of skis to another simply by making a template from the holes in the old ski after removing said bindings and clearly marking the center width wise and cut a little window in the template to mark the mid sole line of the old ski and show the mid sole mounting point mark on the new ski. Set your fore/aft mounting point and center left/right to mark the hole locations.. Same BSL and binding footprint as old ski easy peasy..
 

Henry

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Drilling tip: have someone watch you hold your drill & drill motor "vertically." I've seen lots of guy who are sure it's straight up & down when it is way over to one side. Get a second opinion.

A light countersink works well to remove the raised burr at the top of a drilled hole.

Waterproof yellow carpenter's glue works well in screw holes that are the correct size. If in doubt, use epoxy.

I second the motion to mount the bindings on a 2x4 to make a template for drilling the skis. It is also a good way to be sure the boot center mark is aligned with the ski mark before drilling.
 

Paul Lutes

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May have already been mentioned (Too lazy to check), but a small table top drill press has re-ignited my passion for binding mounts.
Primarily due to old age (bad eyes and weak muscles and ligaments) several recent mounts were .... less than ideal ( still worked but stress was off the chart). A table top press has returned the joy.
 

mdf

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a small table top drill press
Yeah, I got the one Tom recommended in his NON-budget mounting thread. The Grizzly Industrial website pitches it for model making. I like it a lot. I've never been great at staying vertical in 2 dimensions simultaneously. It is big enough for most of the things I want to do. I didn't want the expense or floor space consumption of a full-size press.
 

spudbumkin

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tomahawkins

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This is the budget mounting thread. A regular ruler should be substituted. ;-)

Maybe let the binder clips rest on the topsheet and instead use the binder clip handles as the mark. With any luck they'll bump up against the edges. Then again, you've got to worry about binder clip manufacturing variability.

Center finding is the hardest step. I've tried lots of approaches, but my favorite is still this micro adjust marking gauge -- and at $70 it also doesn't belong in this thread. :)
 
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tomahawkins

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Yeah, I got the one Tom recommended in his NON-budget mounting thread. The Grizzly Industrial website pitches it for model making. I like it a lot. I've never been great at staying vertical in 2 dimensions simultaneously. It is big enough for most of the things I want to do. I didn't want the expense or floor space consumption of a full-size press.
It's a great little machine. I love being able to put it away when not in use. One could even travel with it; mounting skis in the hotel.
 

Yo Momma

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This is the budget mounting thread. A regular ruler should be substituted. ;-)

Maybe let the binder clips rest on the topsheet and instead use the binder clip handles as the mark. With any luck they'll bump up against the edges. Then again, you've got to worry about binder clip manufacturing variability.

Center finding is the hardest step. I've tried lots of approaches, but my favorite is still this micro adjust marking gauge -- and at $70 it also doesn't belong in this thread. :)
Okay I'm game! What's the proper way to use this tool to mark the ski center? :beercheer: + pics would be awesome! :)
 
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tomahawkins

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Okay I'm game! What's the proper way to use this tool to mark the ski center? :beercheer: + pics would be awesome! :)

Procedure described here:

 

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