Skate Sharpening.

[all-star 0]

Hey guys. i know some of you on MSH are pros at sharpening skates. well i got a job at a sporting good store by my house, and i was wondering what are some tips for sharpening skates? or what is a good technique to use?

Thanks.

[all-star 0]

oh yeah. we use a blademaster.

[Chadd 916]

Take your time and take pride in your sharpening. Look to see if the blades are level before you start, dress the wheel frequently, make sure the holder is square to the wheel, etc...

[Irish6491 0]

It probably will take some getting used to but at first try to make slow rough passes so that you dont end up with chatter on the blades. And on your finishing pass make sure you bring it across slow and steady. Other than that I cna't really help you out becayse after sharpening skates for a while you just get a feel for it. Maybe some other guys can help out on this one.

[all-star 0]

Take your time and take pride in your sharpening. Look to see if the blades are level before you start, dress the wheel frequently, make sure the holder is square to the wheel, etc...

by level you mean like... well what we do is put black marker on the bottom, and grind it for a quick second to see if its the grinder is going in the middle of the runner. is that how? and what do you mean by "dress the wheel frequently."

Thanks

[Chadd 916]

Dreee the wheel is to make sure the wheel is at the correct hollow. After a few pair of skates it can be slightly off. By touching the skate to the wheel you can see if the blade is square or not.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

When you do your passes, make sure you hit the middle of the wheel. Hitting the ends of the wheel will make it easier to misshape the blade.

Do not apply too much pressure, you will overheat the blade.

Stay away from the heel and the toe of the blade - they're there for a reason. What I suggest is sharpen the working radius, then hit the heel and toe after your 5th or 6th pass. You don't want to make the blade look like a banana.

Make sure your edges are square. A Maximum Edge Quick Square is your best ally when it comes to that.

Slow and steady final pass, try not to burn or leave chatters.

Here's my personal motto - try to outdo your last sharpening every time. It'll establish some pride in your work and keep you motivated. Too many people out there just do not care.

PM me if you need more tips.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

JR, my sharpener also doesn't really over do the toe of the skate. He says its because it can allow the skater to have longer strides. The other shop in town grinds the crap outa them becasue they say its so you don't catch your blade on your toe when you are doing cross cuts. Which techniqe would you reccomend?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Your sharpener.

Do we play hockey going around in circles?

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

Nope, I was just double checking. Big split in town, the second guy owns a great shop, but he won't sell you skates unless you basically vow to only get them sharpened there, and ALOT of people get them sharpened there. the other 1/3 of our town goes to my sharpener (Dave Amodeo). Great guy, no BS. Now I know for sure he knows his shit. Does the jr. A teams around here (both OHL (Generals) and tier II(Legionares))

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

You need the toe to complete your stride.

[Eazy_b97 1]

The quicksquare is great for keeping it level. Make sure the skate is always tight in the holder and don't get discouraged. You won't step in and be great, it'll take time, try to soak up whatever you can the guys on the board have been a great help to me in learning and the information they give is great.

[all-star 0]

thanks for all your help.

[PH_Hockey2 4]

Sharping skates is an artform and make sure to take good pride in your job. I love my job at my shop.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

What store is that?

[LetsGoWings13 0]

i kno nothing about sharpening skates but maybe bringing a old pair of skates that you dont care about and comming in earliey to work so you can practice on them

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Yes, that is a good thing to do.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Hey guys. i know some of you on MSH are pros at sharpening skates. well i got a job at a sporting good store by my house, and i was wondering what are some tips for sharpening skates? or what is a good technique to use?

Thanks.

Buy a couple of MIRACLE STONES. It's a great product.

[Irish6491 0]

Yea you should always try to make sure the skates are perfect. I mean before I started working at my store I used to get so mad when I got a bad sharpening. Everytime I sharpen a pair of skates I think back to those experiences and it encourages me to do the best sharpening I can. I don't understand how some of the places around me can let skates go out looking the way they do. At my store we usually have to fix a lot of bad sharpenings due to huge uneven edges. Some advice is to overlook somebody at your store shapening and see how they do it.

[Slapshot 0]

I have tried both types of blades - Flat and Banana shape (heel and toes grinded down).

I prefer the the heel and toe grinded completely down. My agility or abiltiy to turn and cut on a dime has helped out my skating much more then the loss in toe push off. I just adapted my toe push-off style to compensate.

Gretzsky had banana blades (7 foot raidus) virtually no toe or heel. You need better balance with your toe and heel shaved. That's probably why most people don't recommend it, its much more technically difficult.

It all depends at what level of hockey you are trying to play at.

I have heard that forwards and rushing defencemen prefer the banana cut blades and stay-at-home defencemen like the flat blades. It helps with pushing forwards from in front of the net and pinning guys into the boards.

[all-star 0]

i kno nothing about sharpening skates but maybe bringing a old pair of skates that you dont care about and comming in earliey to work so you can practice on them

yeah at work we have like 3 old pairs that we train people on.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I have heard that forwards and rushing defencemen prefer the banana cut blades and stay-at-home defencemen like the flat blades. It helps with pushing forwards from in front of the net and pinning guys into the boards.

Generalizing like this isn't usually effective. There's always alot of exceptions when it comes to skating techniques regardless of the type or player you are. You can still have a small radius and not have Banana blades. Banana blades cause you to fall more frequently. Look at figure skates, they have the blades go behind their boot so they never will rarely fall backwards.

[prenny207 1]

when a skate has the toe's sharpened off... the biggest problem is that it causes the skater to work harder to keep full stride. you are pushing harder and farther to get full extension, and can create a hyper extension of the hamstring. a good blade will have a contour that the player likes, but still retain somewhat of a full blade.