What is Stone Grinding?

The term "stone grinding" evolved, as a rotating stone in the Tazzari machine puts a pattern or grind into the base of the ski. To initiate the process, the specific pattern is entered into the computer screen. The machine has an extremely small sintered diamond that comes down onto the surface of the stone and puts a pattern into the face of the stone. The lines in the stone that remain in the surface of the stone press the lines into the base of the ski.

To start the process, the ski is flattened with a fine linear pattern and then polished to create an even finer linear pattern. The ski is polished so that it is better able to accept the finishing structures. Most of the grinds consist of a compound structure with one pattern layered over another. A few structures for classic skiing consist of a single structure. All the skating ski structures that I use are compound structures.

The entire process of flattening, polishing and structuring the ski can take up to 30 to 40 minutes for one pair of skis with the Tazzari RP-23 machine. The stone grinding process with the Tazzari machine of flattening, polishing and then structuring the ski is time consuming, but it has been determined by world class skiers that it creates a more effective grind and a faster ski.