How to measure skate blade rocker/radius

[qmechanic 17]

Is it possible to measure the skate blade rocker/radius without any special tools? I was thinking of using the small angle formula.

length of blade touching ice = radius * angle (in radians)

I can measure the length of the blade touching the ice with a ruler, but I need to know the angle. I'm guessing that the angle is approximately constant for a range of rockers from say 8 to 12 feet.

The reason I was thinking about this issue is that I have a Graf and a Bauer skate. Even though everyone says that Graf has an 11 foot rocker and Bauer has a 9 foot rocker, I see that my Graf skate has less blade in contact with the ice.

[wetwilly17 6]

Is it possible to measure the skate blade rocker/radius without any special tools? I was thinking of using the small angle formula.

length of blade touching ice = radius * angle (in radians)

I can measure the length of the blade touching the ice with a ruler, but I need to know the angle. I'm guessing that the angle is approximately constant for a range of rockers from say 8 to 12 feet.

The reason I was thinking about this issue is that I have a Graf and a Bauer skate. Even though everyone says that Graf has an 11 foot rocker and Bauer has a 9 foot rocker, I see that my Graf skate has less blade in contact with the ice.

your equation will not work. if you truly have a flat surface to work with, since your runner is radiused you will only have one point of the runner touching the surface. think of a ball on a table. the only reason you have more than a point touching when you skate is because your weight forces the runner to cut into the ice. so even if you attempt to accurately measure the length in contact with the ice when you are in your skates, the equation becomes useless because you are no longer measuring the arc.

does this make sense?

[Hockeydog 8]

Not sure if this is accurate or not but here is a link that may help out

http://www.hockeycloseout.com/Profiling.html

[ktang 34]

The easiest way would be to go to a LHS that has those contouring templates (curved metal) and see which one matches your skate blades.

Another way would be to anchor a line 9' and 11' away from the centre of a sheet of cardboard, tie a pencil to the free end, trace the 9' and 11' arcs, cut the arcs, and match the concave sides of the 9' and 11' cutouts against your skate blades.

Another way would be to place the blades on a flat surface and use a micrometer to measure the amount of rockering at various lengths from the center. Then do some trig to get a rough idea about the radius.

[wetwilly17 6]

Not sure if this is accurate or not but here is a link that may help out

http://www.hockeycloseout.com/Profiling.html

good find. however i think it would vary greatly, depending upon the weight of the skater. gmechanic could be a 100lb girl or a 250lb guy.

[qmechanic 17]

Thanks for the ideas. I like the micrometer idea, but unfortunately, I don't have one. However, I think my dad has one.

In response to WetWilly17, I am in fact a 125 lb girl (!)

[Shark#81 0]

I figured out a way to do this.

1. Take a sheet of paper, and accurately draw your blade like you would with a ruler - but using your actual blade of course.

2. I used AutoCAD to create a template sheet with 9-13' curve lines. You can use any draw program to do this.

3. Then match-up the line you drew with the closest one on the template from the draw program.

My LS2 Powers ended up being an 11 foot.

I could post a JPG file with #2. on our website a bit later if you guys want the template.

[qmechanic 17]

I figured out a way to do this.

1. Take a sheet of paper, and accurately draw your blade like you would with a ruler - but using your actual blade of course.

2. I used AutoCAD to create a template sheet with 9-13' curve lines. You can use any draw program to do this.

3. Then match-up the line you drew with the closest one on the template from the draw program.

My LS2 Powers ended up being an 11 foot.

I could post a JPG file with #2. on our website a bit later if you guys want the template.

That would be awesome if you could post the file. Might I suggest using .pdf instead of .jpeg since it's a vector drawing?

[tsanga 0]

Just make sure scaling is turned off when you print. Thanks, #81.

[jimmy 194]

MARCHESE RADIUS/BEND GAUGE $200

"Accept no substitutes. This is the standard radius/bend gauge used by Olympic, World, and National team athletes, along with their coaches and training centers around the world. Absolutely eliminates the guess work in determining, fine tuning and maintaining your blade radius and bend. Perfect for short track or long track, single and multi radius, straight or bent blades. Pin point flat spots, high spots, kinks, etc. Accurate to .00005". CNC milled aluminum construction with carbide contact surfaces designed for a lifetime of exacting measurement. Includes flat carbide and ball point contacts, calibration straight edge, radius/bend chart, and instructions."

The template gauges and other hand drawn methods are innacurate and almost impossible to determine actual radius. The above is spot on.