Which edge checker ?

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

CCM Edge checker can be had from Nash Sports in Peterborough for around 70 i think it is. The one from blademaster the good one is 150!

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Please use the search function.

[Mikej411 2]

My topic has been merged into this one. So after reading this thread, It seems BR100 is the way to go. I don't think I've ever seen these at a LHS and when I google search, only European websites have it for order. Where do I get one?

[mnpucker 33]

Just use a dime" :)

[Mikej411 2]

Just got mine in the mail and it seems like a waste because of how inconsistent it was. Well actually im probably just using it wrong. The following 3 pictures were taken one after another on the same part of the blade. I secured it on the blade tightly and placed the magnet on right in the middle each time. But each time the reading was different...

http://imageshack.us/a/img546/3369/imagepoe.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img132/9768/imagereg.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/475/imageuyf.jpg

[jsykes 35]

Are you sure that there was no dirt or grit or anything under the level or inside the slot in the main part? You need to make sure they're totally clean when putting them on. Also make sure the magnet part is not dragging on the main level. There needs to be a little space between them so that it will actually be free to sit flat on the blade. I like the BR100 the best when I sharpen, its simple and works.

[forbs02 20]

As mentioned above, double check for debris on the magnet or the blade. Get in the habit of wiping both parts off before measuring. Also, sometimes it helps to give the level part a little tap to make sure it is laying level and not sticking itself to the side/corner of the blade.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Do put a strip of electrical tape on the magnetic angle piece. Tha way you don't create a groove in the metal.

[AfftonDad 88]

To be honest, the difference between the first two pictures doesn't bother me that much. How "high up" the angle piece is on the gauge piece is determined by how far down you clamp the gauge piece, so a shift up or down shouldn't concern you. The third picture however, definitely shows that you've got a problem. If I didn't know any better I would say you flipped the skate around, which would of course cause the unevenness to "flip" to the other side. However, it looks like you have the skate the same direction in all three pictures so that's not the case. Also, depending on how good a sharpening job it was (I know you didn't do it yourself), WHERE you put the checker on the blade can cause it to show a difference (because the sharpener may not have made the edges uniformly even throughout the blade). This is especially the case the closer you get to the heel and toe, particularly when you get to the "rounded" parts.

There's not really a lot of places for things to go wrong (with the edge checker). I mean it's just a couple of flat pieces of metal, one of which is pressed up against another flat piece of metal and the other which is sitting on the two edges. There aren't really any moving parts to become "variable". So what are the things that could vary?...

1) The local flatness of the pieces of metal. I believe that the pieces of metal (runner, gauge piece and angle piece) are all very flat, so I don't think that is an issue. If you have a piece of tape on the angle piece (which I highly recommend), you need to make sure the piece of tape is extremely flat and doesn't have any wrinkles or bubbles. I start on the back of the angle bring the tape around the bottom and then wrap it all the way to the back again. This way I can apply some tension to the tape as I am wrapping it around to help it to lay flat. I then make sure to smooth it out after I'm done. If you have any wrinkles or bubbles (or debris under the tape), this will prevent you from getting repeatable results, so take off the tape and try again.

2) Debris on the side of the blade where the gauge sits or the top (bottom) of the blade where the angle sits. Make sure you brush off the side of the blade, the top (bottom) of the blade AND the bottom of the angle piece before you check edges.

3) Play in the gauge piece. You need to make sure that it is clamped tightly enough so that there is no movement in the gauge piece (don't go overboard though or you will wear out the nylon screw)

4) Angle piece "hanging up" on gauge piece. Like jsykes said, make sure there is a little air gap between the gauge and the angle. I usually do this by pressing the gauge up against the angle piece prior to tightening and then backing up the gauge a slight amount and tightening. This gives a gap and makes sure the angle piece is still "aligned" to the gauge piece (when the angle piece is not "aligned" to the gauge piece it can cause you to observe false unevenness due to parallax). Like forbs02 suggested, I always tap the angle piece a tiny bit to make it wobble to convince myself that nothing is "hung up"

For what it's worth (and this ISN'T the problem between the first two pictures and the third), I have always had a hard time making pictures of the edge checker show the same thing I am seeing with my eyes. I don't know why this is the case but I expect that the camera and it's positioning for the picture is more susceptible to parallax than the eye is or perhaps there are lens distortion issues. Also, I noticed that I can see your feet in all of the pictures. I generally will check edge evenness with the skate horizontal so that gravity can help the angle piece to "lay flat"

Good luck.

Edited March 5, 2013 by AfftonDad

[TPRO 1]

Anyone else using a small carpenters square? I've been home sharpening for the past year. I started using a bar magnet and eyeing it for square which worked reasonably well. About 6 months ago, I found a small 4" metal square at a home center for a couple bucks and have had good results. I lay the body of the square on the side of the skate blade and have the blade of the square rest on the edges. If they line up, I have a winner. Check in a couple spots along the blade and can even flip and check from the other side of the skate blade.

Seperate but related edge question. How often do you have a bent blade when shapening? Seems like every sharpening, my squirt kid's are bent. Both skates are bent toed in. As if from playing the puck on with the inside of his skate, which he does, but he is not blocking hard shots. I use the straighener and get them back in line blade and they sharpen up nice and true. Occasionally, they will not be distorted. On my skates they seem to stay straighter. I talked to a buddy at the LHS and he said he has never had to straighten a blade and normally does not bother checking for straightness.

My son's skates are size 4 CCM 452 which has the solid blades. Mine are RBK 8K which has the perforations size 8.5.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[smu 29]

I get bent blades from time to time and wonder if it is not from jumping over the boards and landing hard on them? Other than that they may bend if they are struck hard by the puck.

Where do you get a "small carpenter's square" cheaply for checking edges?

Thanks - Alan

[Chadd 916]

I get bent blades from time to time and wonder if it is not from jumping over the boards and landing hard on them? Other than that they may bend if they are struck hard by the puck.

Where do you get a "small carpenter's square" cheaply for checking edges?

Thanks - Alan

Any hardware store should have something like that.

[smu 29]

I have done some searching with Google and it is difficult to find a small tri square, carpenter's square or Crown Square. I see some at 3 inches, but that seems too large for use with the blade?

This is the second time that I have been told that a small square would work, but I have been unable to find one. If anyone owns one please give me the make etc.

I noticed that some good quality squares have specs as follows - 0.01 mm per cm of steel blade, it does not take much for your edge to be out, would this be significant? Perhaps not.

Thanks - Alan

[smu 29]

I quote another expert opinion while I am still searching.

"Looking at some of my usual shopping places I see that most of them sell Grade B which is 0.001"/1" which doesn't strike me as very square at all"

Alan

[smu 29]

Found something perhaps better from a figure figure skating site although more expensive at $110.

Looks great!

See - http://www.iceskateology.com/Skateology/The_Precision_Square.html

Alan

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Honestly, you can't go wrong with the cheaper Blademaster skate square on a consumer standpoint, and if you're sharpening and need to be precise, then the Pro Square.

[smu 29]

Honestly, you can't go wrong with the cheaper Blademaster skate square on a consumer standpoint, and if you're sharpening and need to be precise, then the Pro Square.

Thanks for your advice, you mean the $60 one?

Alan

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Yes. Same premise but not as precise (not in the terms of operation, but the measurements. There are less lines, but on a consumer standpoint, it's perfect and will tell you whether your skates are square or not.)

[smu 29]

Great, thanks for your comments and the price is right!

Alan

[AfftonDad 88]

Have any of you guys seen or used the new BR1000 edge checker? If so, can you please explain to me how it works? Not having to take the skate off to check is an interesting feature.

http://www.blademaster.ca/Catalog/document.pdf (page 17)

Edit: Nevermind... I just figured it out. It assumes the blade is at a right angle to the holder's "anvil" (a fair assumption). Seems like it would work as long as that face of the "anvil" is perfectly flat and at a perfect right angle.

Edited January 15, 2014 by AfftonDad

[TBR 11]

Picked up two of the BR1000's the other day. Checked them against the accuracy of the BR100's and they're spot on. My only gripe is, I wish the magnetic angle had a post or handle in the center to make it easier to place on and off the blade while it's in the holder.

The BR100's are still my go-to edge checkers, but when sharpening runners only, or skates with fusion or perforated steel, the BR1000 comes in real handy.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

I've been using one on and off for the past couple of months. I wish the lines were a bit thinner.

[RedWings44 0]

"Picked up two of the BR1000's the other day. Checked them against the accuracy of the BR100's and they're spot on. My only gripe is, I wish the magnetic angle had a post or handle in the center to make it easier to place on and off the blade while it's in the holder.

The BR100's are still my go-to edge checkers, but when sharpening runners only, or skates with fusion or perforated steel, the BR1000 comes in real handy."

I have been trying to get my boss to get a BR100 for a couple years now. The first time, due to money, he got the BR200 which is OK except for the one line that is there being so fat. We also have the Bat Gage (which has obvious issues) and a BR100 like device which has been way overused. My new boss finally got to ordering a new one only to find out that Blademastee no longer makes the BR100. They sent us the BR1000 instead for the same cost. The BR1000 is nice in theory but I immediately found issues with it. Due to things like skate size and weight, along with other things, there is no guarantee that that blade will sit at a perfect 90° each and every time. I teach my workers this (even before the BR1000) because my method requires you to remove the skate at least once during your cut.

I use what I call a "tap method" which has you tap the blade to the wheel to find out how the blade is hitting the wheel which allows for your pre-sharpening adjustments to be accurately made. I let my guys know that you can't put the skate back on (necessarily) the same way you took it off and I prove that when I tap it. I agree the BR1000 is good in theory and will get it close but it is no substitute for a good ol' BR100.

Edited March 21, 2014 by RedWings44

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

They're out of stock on the BR100. Will be back in stock in June. Not being discontinued.

[RedWings44 0]

They're out of stock on the BR100. Will be back in stock in June. Not being discontinued.

Really? They told my coworker (the one who ordered it anyway) that they didn't make them anymore. That's good news I suppose except I won't be getting one anytime soon.