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Tilt Vise for Vermont Ski Safety Release 'Calibrater'

#1
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10/31/09 at 9:57pm
  • Joined: September 2006
  • Location: Taos, NM
  • Post Count: 58
I picked up a Vermont Release 'Calibrater' (the mis-spelling bugs me) from e-bay for a steal, but it doesn't have a tilt vise.  I sprang for the training video DVD and as far as I can see, the tilt vise is little more than a platform with 4 adjustable rubber bumpers to stop the ski twisting during the test and 2 toggle clamps to stop it lifting during forward/reverse lean test.

I am planning to make one from a 2x6 and a few dollars worth of hardware (versus $1750 for new from VSSE), but thought I would check in to see if anyone has any comments or suggestions before I start.

So any recommendations ?  ( I know it won't be qualified for indemnity purposes, but I am only planning to use it for myself to check the second hand skis I buy; I don't plan to sell the service, so I won't sue you if your idea doesn't work)


PS I actually have 2 training DVD's , so if any Bear wants one, PM me & I will mail it to you for $1 to cover the envelope & postage
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#2
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10/31/09 at 10:56pm
  • Joined: November 2005
  • Location: Truckee, CA
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any doctor that does surgery on themselves has a fool for a patient.

donate the thing to one of the guys in the retro memory thread!!!! a perfect piece for midwest petes museum.

imho,

jim
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#3
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11/1/09 at 2:16pm
  • Joined: September 2006
  • Location: Taos, NM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starthaus View Post

any doctor that does surgery on themselves has a fool for a patient.

donate the thing to one of the guys in the retro memory thread!!!! a perfect piece for midwest petes museum.

imho,

jim


Hmmm,

 not sure I'd equate something where the training is a 25 minute DVD to medical school....

And why throw it away? - it's still a current product used in a number of ski shops that I know of.

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#4
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11/3/09 at 9:23pm
  • Joined: September 2004
  • Location: An innocent prisoner will become more angry by the hour due to...
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The Calibrator is indeed a current tool, but I highly doubt YOURS is current.

That said, it isn't rocket surgery.  Depending on how many skis you are planning to test, I might not even bother with the bench.  It is a convenience.

Do yourself a favor and read some tech manuals in addition to the training vid.  The torque wrench is only one part of confirming a system is set up and working as intended, and it isn't necessarily the most important part.
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#5
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11/10/09 at 7:25pm
  • Joined: December 1999
  • Location: Amherst MA
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I'd like to take you up on the DVD offer.

My understanding of the tilt vise is that it allows you to do a vertical/forward release test with a normal ceiling.
If this isn't immediately apparent, trying clamping the ski into an ordinary tuning vise, now put the boot and tester into the binding, and you'll probable run out of vertical space (or at least I did).

 My Dynafits are powered by Gu.

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#6
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11/12/09 at 8:59pm
  • Joined: September 2006
  • Location: Taos, NM
  • Post Count: 58


Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Shefftz View Post

I'd like to take you up on the DVD offer.

My understanding of the tilt vise is that it allows you to do a vertical/forward release test with a normal ceiling.
If this isn't immediately apparent, trying clamping the ski into an ordinary tuning vise, now put the boot and tester into the binding, and you'll probable run out of vertical space (or at least I did).

Glad to see there are other do it a home lunatics. !  It's clear from the DVD that the tilt vise is to stop the ski twisting during the torque test and to clamp it in place during forward/reverse lean tests.  My basement has high ceilings so I don't run out of room, but the tilt is also helpful for working at a more convenient angle.

pm me your address and I'll mail you the DVD.  It's really just a visual demonstration of the stuff in the training manual.

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