Portable Snowboard Tuning Stand/Vise

If you've ever tried waxing your snowboard on a table, a couple chairs, or even saw horses you know what a pain it can be to have your board slide all over the place when scraping, and edges are nearly impossible to do precise work on when the board is always slipping off your work area.

The solution to these problems is to use tuning vises to keep your board under control, but at about $80 a set I just couldn't spend the cash, and why buy when you can make?

So here's a basic list of what you're going to need, although most things can be substituted with whatever you have laying around.
You will also need 2 clamps of some kind to hold these vises to a table.   I use my Irwin quick grip clamps, but c-clamps will also work great, and you can get em for a few bucks at a hardware store or watch Home Depot around Christmas for specials.

Materials:
1 - 4x4 16" long
1 - 2x4 24" long
1 - 5/8" diameter "all-thread"(a.k.a. "threaded rod") 8"-10" long
2 - wing nuts and washers to fit on the all-thread 
1 - small scrap of hardwood approximately 1/2" thick x 1" wide  x 5" long
3" screws
wood glue (optional)
cupboard liner



Tools:
Here is where I say that I'm not taking any responsibility for your safety at any time, especially while building this project.  It is your responsibility to learn how to use your tools correctly and safely.  I am not even going to tell you exactly how I cut my wood or even what tool I used to cut it.  Use what you are comfortable with and have.

Some kind of wood saw( table saw, mitre saw, hand saw, whatever you got)
Drill 
Various drill bits
Hacksaw
Pliers (preferably vise grips)
Speed square
Pencil
Tape measure

So first thing to do is cut your 4x4 down to 7" long, and your 2x4 to approximately 11" or just about the width of your snowboard.  I angled the bottom corners of my 2x4 for aesthetics.

Next you're going to cut up the 4x4 to match this picture. The 2x4 will fit into the 1.5" x 3" space, and the other notch's size will depend on what size your hardwood scrap is. (hardwood isn't really necessary but it will hold up better than soft wood when clamping your board in place, a piece of plastic or metal would work well too) Also pictured is the hole you need to drill for clamping the vise to a table.  The hole should be centered in the 4x4 about 2 inches from the bottom and deep enough to fit your clamp.

Now you are assembling the main structure of the tuning vise.  Attach the 2x4 and 4x4 together with screws and wood glue. Pay attention to where you place the screws as you don't want to saw or drill through them in the next step.  After putting them together, you need to cut a slot in the center of the vise to accommodate the snowboard while doing edge work.  I cut my slot 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" deep. 

Now you need to drill a hole for the all-thread to fit in.  Make sure you use the right size of bit to pre-drill the hole so that the all-thread goes in easily and doesn't pull out when you tighten the vise (see picture).  Center the hole on one side of the notch on the 4x4 (see picture).  Drill the hole about 2-3 inches deep, and and then twist in the all-thread using pliers or vise grips(or even with your cordless drill). The all-thread should be tight in the 4x4, if it's not you may need to try again on the other side, or glue it in place.  Carefully cut off the all-thread just a little lower than the top of the tuning vise so that your snowboard doesn't get scratched by it.

To make the clamp, take your piece of hardwood and drill out a notch so that it can clamp tight against the snowboard.  Make sure the notch lets the block slide freely, and put on a washer and wing nut.  Then glue on some shelf liner to the top of the 2x4 and the end of the hardwood piece so your board doesn't get scratched up.  I used silicone caulking for the glue.

Now just clamp down your vises to your workbench and wax away, or clamp in your board to fine tune your edges.  

Here is a good ible on waxing and tuning
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Tune-a-Snowboard/

Have fun riding!