DIY Ski Wax Bench
If you plan to do your own ski maintenance, a solid ski waxing and tuning bench is a must. Between keeping my skis ready to roll, setting up test gear and working on friends’ gear, my ski bench sees a lot of use. Ski widths exceeded the width of my traditional ski vices years ago, and I’ve tried a variety of ski tuning stands and racks for basic ski maintenance over the years. Here are some universal and low-cost ski waxing and tuning bench solutions for your home workshop.
Voile Ski and Board Tuning Tree
One of the best off-the-shelf ski waxing and tuning stands is the Voile Ski /Board Tuning Tree. I saw these at Voile’s booth during a tradeshow a few years ago. They were using them to display some splitboards. It turns out they own the mold and sell them. They have become my go-to ski waxing and tuning stand.
The top platform is a full 12 inches across, so they feel rock solid and easily accommodate a full pair of skis or a snowboard. They are easy to set up and take down – just clamp them to your workbench with a few turns, and you’re in business. The top side has a grippy rubber pad to keep your skis from sliding around, and they offer a solid platform for waxing and mounting without clamping to your skis. There’s even a center slot for putting your boards on edge for light tuning work.
The stands are easily removed for storage between uses. You can get them directly from Voile for $60. They are unbeatable for all-around ski maintenance versatility and easy storage.
Do-It-Yourself Ski Wax Bench
My favorite DIY ski wax bench requires two pieces of 2×6 lumber and a few old bicycle inner tubes. I built my setup on a portable bench that rolls around the garage as needed, but it could also be added to almost any workbench. It accommodates multiple pairs of skis. is great for waxing and scraping skis, as well as drilling and mounting. And it can be cobbled together for almost no cost if you have some spare 2x lumber taking up space in your garage.
The design is simple. Just mount a couple of 2x6s on edge along either side of a workbench. I found 2x6s to work better than 2x4s as they put the ski high enough above the bench top to allow clearance for various bindings when the skis are lying base up.
I braced the 2×6 pieces with 2x4s to stabilize the system (see photo). Once cut to length, I screwed the 2×6 and 2×4 pieces together before attaching them to the bench with additional screws. An old mountain bike inner tube across the 2×6 protects the skis and provides grip when scraping or pushing on the skis.
The whole setup is excellent for general ski work. You could easily set up your 2x6s to be removable for the off-season.
Read more about DIY ski waxing.
Read about DPS PHANTOM – wax alternative.
