Tool for checking Skate Blade Hollow Radius?

[Sidz 0]

So the question is in the title. Is there a tool that can be used to check the radius of your skate hollow? I have done some searching with no luck. I guess the reason that there may be no tool is because it's quite easy to make one. But if there is one out there please let me know! The reason that I want one is because I am tired of hockey shops not sharpening it to the proper hollow. A lot of them will just sharpen your skates to their standard no matter what you ask for and then lie to you about it. One shop tried talking me out of anything but a half inch hollow for all of our skates which my son and I don't like(His hollow is deeper, mine is more shallow) and even tried to tell us that there isn't much of a difference... I know one shop that is great and is very vocal and open to what they do and we have gotten consistent results with them but they are too far away... I know that you can tell the hollow somewhat if you are used to it. I just want a concrete way that I can check to make sure. My family uses three different hollows so it's quite often that one of ours or more is incorrectly sharpened to the wrong hollow.

Anyway, thank you in advance!

[TPRO 1]

Fleming Grey offers one. I don't recall the cost, I ended up not ordering one. Their web address is www.mdfindustries.com. They call it a hollow tester. They have a sister company - center ice. Good guys to talk with. They were very supportive with my purchase of a used machine found locally on Craigslist a couple years back.

They are a Canadian company, so they should be an easy purchase for you. I had to pay some export fees here in the states.

[Chadd 916]

(He goes sharper, I go duller)

That's one of my pet peeves. Properly sharpened skates are all sharp, they are never "sharper" or "duller", though they certainly have a difference in how much they bite into the ice.

[GunRunner 28]

If you are able to listen, see if they redress the wheel between your skates and your sons skates. Depending on how shallow you go, you could probably eyeball it to see the difference, or lay a penny or something flat on the edges to so that it outlines the hollow.

[MThockeydad 469]

That's one of my pet peeves. Properly sharpened skates are all sharp, they are never "sharper" or "duller", though they certainly have a difference in how much they bite into the ice.

My pet peeve is people who kick their freshly-sharpened skates on the boards or door sill to dull them.

If you don't like that much bite, go for a flatter radius!!

If the curvature of the penny looks like it “fits” snugly in the hollow of the blade then the blade is a 3/8”. If the penny can be slightly rocked back-and-forth between the blade edges your hollow is shallower than 3/8” and often a 1/2” radius hollow.

A nickel fits a 7/16" radius pretty closely.

A quarter fits 1/2" and rocks back and forth in a 5/8" hollow.

http://www.axs2000.net/phantomsgirls/Information/SkateBladeEdges.htm

[Sidz 0]

Thanks guys for the tips.

I imagine that you are talking about american coins MThockeydad?

I am aware of that Chadd. I guess I just said that because some people refer to it that way. I know it is incorrect terminology.

Thanks!

[isk8byu 4]

It may be a bit extreme, but if you really want to know/monitor your hollows, you could get a "hollow depth indicator" or H.D.I. Just throw that term in google and go to Pro-Filer website for more details on how they work for skates. I own one for sharpening and really like it, but it is used more for checking to make sure edges are level than hollow confirmation. You would probably scare some sharpeners if you pulled that out to check their work.

Also, the HDI is discussed on several sharpening threads on MSH, so you could dig around the website for more feedback.