Structure roller tool
Price: USD 142
Structure tools: Comprehensive guide to manually structuring your skis
Structure tools: Comprehensive guide to manually structuring your skis
It’s the little details that can make you go from good to best when skiing. In recent years, it has become even more important for skiers to be able to manually structure their skis to get the best results in the waxing cabin.
Structure or filing?
First of all, we need to make sure we're talking the same language: The structure in the skis is often called ripples or waves. In Swix, we call the tool that manually adjusts the structure a filing tool. The filing tool consists of a replaceable roller that leaves patterns in the ski base.
What is the structure of your skis?
The structure is a pattern on the ski base, i.e. the side of the ski that is in contact with the snow. All skis come with a structure from the factory that produced them, but you can adapt this using a filing tool. You can adapt the structure based on temperature and conditions.
Structure on wet vs. dry skiing
If you're going out in mild temperatures and wet conditions, you want to use the structure to drain water away from the base.
If you're going out in cold and dry conditions, you want to create a friction that results in the formation of a thin film of water between the snow and the ski.
What you need to get started
You need a filing tool and its rollers, but before we go into the different models, you need to know that there are two types of filing tools.
One that rolls the structure onto the ski base and one that cuts the structure into the base.
Rolling filing tools
The safe choice for those who haven't spent hundreds of hours in the waxing cabin before. Rolling tools add a pattern that marks the ski base but which doesn't last. This means that you can easily remove the manual structure by base grinding your skis again.
Cutting filing tools
Requires more experience because the tool cuts ripples into the base. To change the structure after using this tool, you need to re-grind the skis in a workshop.
Filing tools for beginners: T0424 Rolling filing tool
T0424 is the product name of our most basic rolling filing tool. This is a great tool for beginners as it allows you to experiment with different pressures, rolls and combinations. With T0424, it is impossible to damage your skis. The tool is supplied with a 1-mm straight roller.
Filing tools for beginners
Filing tool for advanced skiers: T0401 Cutting filing tool
T0401 has been on sale ever since filling tools came onto the market, and it is still just as popular. T401U cuts the pattern into the ski base as described above. Recommended only for experienced and advanced ski waxers.
Filing tool for advanced skier
Structure tool for professional waxers: T0410 rolling and adjustable tool
T0410 is our most advanced filing iron, yet it's easy to use. This tool can adjust the pressure for you, so you don't have to worry about how much force you need to put on the tool when adding ripples. T0410 comes with four different rollers.
Structure tool for professional waxer
Rollers: What you need
You probably already realized it, but the rollers are what actually determine the structure you put on your skis. These are replaceable and can be mounted in the different filing tools as shown above. The big question for many is which roller fits which thread. To help you make the right choice, we've created a table that tells you when to use the different rollers:
Table for rollers
The table lists all of our structure rollers. The column starts with the product number followed by how many millimeters the roller penetrates the base. For example: T0401– 1 mm U. This sets a straight structure of 1 mm. You can search for each product number on swixsport.com.
Below you find frequently asked questions about filing your skis.