# Routing with the aid of Skis



## Tom76 (Aug 28, 2009)

I have answered a number of postings that were presented on Big Jim's Gallery and I would like to draw attention to the members on the information I have presented, but I really thought the postings should have been brought into this section Jigs and Fixtures.

If I have had success at transferring some of the details then I have continued to learn new computing techniques
Tom 
(Template Tom)

"who was it that originally came up with the idea of skis?"
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levon 

hi Harry,

"who did develop skis initially? was it template tom?"

"hi Harry, ive been corrected, Trend came out with the skis first."

Levon


"I'm sure that very basic skis were shown well before Trend with their fancy Aluminium ones but credit where credit id due, it was "Template Tom" who refined and attempted to popularise the idea. At the time that I became a member of router forums, major players like Bobj3 were denigrating the techniques without actually trying them. I like to take responsibility for being patient and presenting complete projects with photo shoots which ever so slowly caught the interest of several members, particularly Bobj3 who was so impressed that HE developed several variations that were easier to make than mine. Quite honestly, at my age I couldn't care a damn who developed what, so long as members are prepared to try something that's new to THEM
In reply to all the questions on "when/where were the Skis introduced".

Thank You Harry for the comments above.

Firstly I would like to say Yes Template Tom Developed the design of the skis that has been posted here on the forum. 

Jack Cox came up with his innovative idea in a Routing magazine, this was called a "Pivot Jig" This was way back in 1988, and it was centred round a circular board for inserting patterns on boards etc. 

Ron Fox another contributor to the magazine also introduced his method of routing a board flat.

I will look through my magazines and post some information from the various articles presented this may take a little time but I would like to clear up any misunderstanding of who did what.

Just as a matter of interest if I had invented the Pivot Frame and presented it to this forum I would have been inundated with not so complimentary replies. Possibly the same ones I would have used if I replied to Jack's article. Don't get me wrong the pivot jig did allow the owner to do wonderful things with the router that was not considered possible using the traditional method. But the making of it was beyond the capabilities of a number of woodworkers. (Also what was presented was very restrictive as to what could be achieved, certainly not what we can do with the design we have put together.) And no I did not even attempt to make it. 

Long before this Forum went to air when I was in the cabinet making business I looked at what was presented and I came up with my own version with the help of one of my retired teaching colleagues, who assisted me with the set of skis I designed and still have, (See the pics below with metal ends) again I could not present this version for others to make, so I 'Developed' the design you are using today. I think that was in my retirement days after the year 2000.

Even long before that I developed even a simpler set of skis which was simply 2 parallel supports placed at either side of my Jig Holder and two rods through the base of the router. But again that method was restrictive so hence you have the design that I came up with which is much simpler and easier to use.
Tom
(Template Tom)
Attached Thumbnails 



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http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...263337139t-router-skis-00jarrah-box-pat-3.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...outer-skis-00jarrah-box-pat-skiing-flat-2.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...outer-skis-00jarrah-box-pat-skiing-flat-3.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...-router-skis-forwood-tools-nov-24th.jpg-2.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...1867d1263337139t-router-skis-makita-ski-2.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...outer-skis-router-support-parts-assembled.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...-router-skis-ski-mode-ends-shaping-ends-2.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...1870d1263337139t-router-skis-ski-mode-bbb.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...i-mode-ends-routing-preparing-jig-5-paint.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachments/big-jims-gallery/31872d1263338329t-router-skis-000-skis.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...329t-router-skis-ski-mode-setting-depth-2.jpg
http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...t-router-skis-router-support-ski-position.jpg

Included with a number of posts I have made to Big JIM’s Gallery are PDF files of some wonderful material presented from Jack Cox 

. To Quote Harry above” Quite honestly, at my age I couldn't care a damn who developed what, so long as members are prepared to try something that's new to THEM” My sentiment exactly.

All the material that Jack Cox presented was new to me; even though I did not follow in his footsteps and produce his Pivot Frame Jig But he inspired me to look beyond the use of the router in the router table (I still have three routers set up in the Table) Even to this day I am continually introducing new techniques to introduce Greater Safety Awareness to routing and also adding a greater number of projects I can produce 
Tom

Template Tom


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## tacomamacxtech (Mar 31, 2009)

I made a pair of snow skis in New Jersey while I was in high school.
They were out of 3/4" Ash sliced into 3 veneers and formed by clamping up in a 4x4 with the shovel and camber cut in it. The edges were cleaned up and made parallel to the sides so I could route the groove in the bottom. THEN you shape the curved sides, after which the edges were routed for the segmented edge kit. I put on a set of Dovre cable clamps and epoxy painted the bottoms and hit the hill! Still have them. Just don't use em'.

Joe Cleary


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## tigerhellmaker (Sep 13, 2009)

Those images are too small


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