Which machine to choose for sharpening your own skates?

Domestic industry and foreign manufacturers produce various devices for sharpening skates. With the help of these simple devices, you can completely restore the sharpness and original shape of the blade, regardless of what its profile is - rectangular or grooved. The machines are equipped with special equipment that allows abrasive processing of several types of blades: W, R, V and U.

Usually a sharpening machine for skates has a set of equipment, which includes:

• a universal type holder that clamps the blade using cams or screws;
• a device for collecting metal dust from the turning zone, operating on the principle of a vacuum cleaner;
• discs of abrasive composition, including a diamond wheel or pencil for restoring abrasive discs that have become rounded during operation.

To ensure smooth movement of the working tool along the blade, the machine uses a special rotary lever supported by bearings.

When deciding for yourself which skate sharpening machine to buy, you need to analyze the performance qualities and capabilities of various types of similar equipment and then, having also compared their cost, settle on one.

Grinding machines from PROSHARP. The Prosharp skate sharpening machine is professional equipment that allows you to use five different processing cycles in your work. This versatility makes it possible to use the Prosharp machine to perform both processing of figured blades and sharpening of hockey skates. The device is made in the form of a compact machine, shaped like a suitcase weighing 15 kilograms. All machine devices are mounted on a steel frame, which also contains a reliable blade locking mechanism. The blade is centered automatically, which allows you to perform work with high precision and without additional effort.

Functionality of the professional automatic skate sharpening machine Prosharp:

• automatic blade sharpening with rotation;
• giving the blade a given profile from the classic version to the radius one;
• adjustable pressure of the abrasive disc to the blade during operation.

The machine kit includes templates with which you can select the desired contour of the blade to be sharpened. Also included are abrasive discs with a diamond wheel and diamond pencils to restore the shape of the abrasive. Machines model AS 2001 ALLPRO contain an additional device with which you can cut a Z profile - grooves on the blade. The price of a machine for sharpening skates is 30,000 rubles. This relatively inexpensive machine has good operating parameters.

The SZK-1 skate sharpening machine allows you to perform professional sharpening of hockey skates and those intended for figure skating. With its help, you can restore the flat plane of the blade, or you can grind a figured groove. The machine has a universal screw-type holder that fits almost any type of blade. The device also contains a connector for connecting any household vacuum cleaner to collect abrasive metal dust generated during operation.

In addition to abrasive discs, the machine kit includes diamond pencils. To sharpen figure skates, you need a special profile of an abrasive wheel, which is cut using a pencil with diamond chips.

To operate the machine, a connection to a household electrical network of 220 volts is used. With a power consumption of 1 kilowatt, the electric motor develops up to 2800 revolutions of the abrasive wheel per minute. The weight is 25 kilograms, and the cost of the machine is 35,000 rubles.

The SSM-2 skate sharpening machine is the most popular sharpening design in the world, which has proven itself in processing literally all types of blades. It contains an N-10 blade holder, which allows you to securely fix any type of product. Weighing 14 kilograms, the sharpening device is reliable and easy to use.

The base of the skate sharpening machine is made of steel and high-strength composite materials, which allows you to achieve excellent results in the processing of the blade, and then the skating itself is easy.

Using this device, you can professionally prepare the blades of the following types of skates:

• for children;
• for walking;
• gaming;
• for figure skating;
• for hockey.

The motor power of the device consumed from the network is 250 watts, and the rotation speed of the sharpening tool is up to 3400 rpm. You can find out how much this device costs on the websites of sporting goods stores. At the moment, the price of SSM-2 is 120,000 rubles.

Mention should be made of the well-known manufacturer of Prosharp machines designed for sharpening skates.

PROSHARP products are known to all ice sports specialists. This is high-tech equipment that allows for fast and accurate processing of blades of any profile. The automated operating mode makes the operation easy and fast. You can use such a device in a small business environment right next to a city skating rink or sports stadium. Taking into account the electronic control of the process, the price of this company’s products is higher than that of other manufacturers and is now equal to 300,000 rubles.

Universal machine for sharpening skates

The SZK-1 machine sharpens equipment for any sport. This equipment for sharpening skates is convenient and is used by figure skating sections, service centers and skating rinks.

Advantages of SZK-1

Positive characteristics of the SZK skate sharpening machine:

• high motor power 1100 W;
• fast disk rotation speed - up to 2800 rpm;
• versatility - sharpening skates for hockey and figure skating;
• simplicity, the plate supporting the blade allows it to be sharpened well;
• affordable price; for the production of equipment, discs are made that are cheaper than imported analogues, which does not affect the quality.

Professional sharpening on the SZK-2 machine

The SZK-2 has a different boot fastening system than the SZK-1. The boot is secured to the holder. The holder slides smoothly parallel to the grinding wheel. The design completely eliminates blade displacement. The equipment is designed for sharpening athletes' equipment.

Automatic machine SZK-3

The domestic industry has automatic equipment for processing blades. Such devices include SZK-3. Sharpening blades on the SZK-3 is distinguished by accuracy and speed. The equipment professionally sharpens any profile of skates, be it hockey or figure skating equipment.

The principle of operation is to secure the boot in the carriage. The carriage moves automatically. The number of movements and speed of movement of the carriage is set by the operator on the front panel.

The design of SZK-3 allows you to obtain:

• cleanliness of the plates being sharpened;
• identical processing of both skates, regardless of the experience of the sharpener;
• achieving clear parameters.

Professional Prosharp machine

Prosharp is used for repairing professional equipment. The device maintains the shape of the blades and sharpens them within five minutes. Using the Prosharp skate sharpening machine is possible by connecting it to a car battery or other 12 W power source. When using the device, regrinding is eliminated, since the metal is removed evenly along the entire length of the plate.

Homemade sharpening machine

To sharpen the blades yourself, a sharpening apparatus is constructed from improvised materials. To do this you need two pipes, a whetstone, a file, a bolt and a metal ruler.

Athletes sharpen their blades in certified workshops.

Important! To sharpen blades well at home, you need a lot of experience as a sharpener.

How to sharpen skates at home

If you think that this is a simple task, you are deeply mistaken. Typically, athletes only turn to professionals to do the work of balancing and sharpening their blades. After all, the slightest mistake in this - and it’s all gone. The skater or figure skater will lose balance, the blade will overheat, and will not be able to hold on to the turn. The result is painful injuries and falls. So, if you are going to take up sports seriously, you only need a skilled master who knows a hundred different nuances and will do what you need. Well, if you like to ride, then there is nothing wrong with doing this procedure yourself. The main thing is desire, hands and tools.

So, in order to sharpen skates ourselves without special tools, we need:

1. A vice that will allow you to clamp the skates with the blade up. Without this, you will have a hard time and you will definitely not be able to get the expected result;
2. A small thin round file, otherwise called a needle file, the diameter of which will be equal to the thickness of the ridge. We will need it to make the groove of the blade smooth;
3. And lastly, you need to make some kind of device from a block of wood. To do this, we cut a longitudinal hole identical to the width of the skate blade and in depth to the height of the blade. Towards the very depth, the groove must be widened enough for the file to fit into it.

The process itself is not difficult, but it requires perseverance and care.

Let us describe in order what and how to do:

1. We clamp the skate horizontally in a vice and put on top a piece of a block we made with a file inside;

2. Using this device, you need to make a small and even depression right in the center of the blade. We move our piece of wood back and forth until you mark it;
3. Next, you can begin to apply force and go deeper;
4. We continue sharpening until we achieve a sharp edge.

As you can see from the photo, there are notches left. This is not scary and this always happens, even if a special machine is used. Later they are removed.

Stages of sharpening on the machine

Sharpening takes place in three stages:

1. Using a diamond pencil, the sharpening wheel is brought to the desired shape.
2. The shoe is secured in the holder's foot. The blade is attached parallel to the plane of the disk. The master's hands remain free, the skate is securely fastened. After turning on the machine, the master moves the blade to the grinding wheel. Once the movement of the disc becomes constant, the sharpener applies the blade and moves the boot in the opposite direction to the movement of the disc.
3. Repeating the movement, the master adjusts the location and size of the groove. When processing curved plates, a roller is used.

How to buy a machine, device, tool for sharpening skates on Aliexpress?

Aliexpress sells special sharpeners for sharpening skates . It is worth noting that they are not the same and differ in sharpening methods. This is a V-shaped sharpening, which we rarely use. It is mainly used by American athletes. There are also machines for sharpening under the groove. This is exactly the option that is used in our country. The sharpeners look simple. This is a small object with a recess inside. The recess is the thickness of the blade. There is a bulge inside that will help make a groove. The main disadvantage of such a sharpener is the inability to adjust the depth of the groove.

To place your first order on Aliexpress , read the article on our website “First order on Aliexpress”.

How to buy a machine, device, tool for sharpening skates on Aliexpress?

Sharpening at home

For this purpose, amateurs use sandpaper, a file and a fine-grained block. When sharpening with a groove, use a file. They are the ones who make the groove. When sharpening without a groove, the skates are secured. The essence of sharpening comes down to the fact that the sole of the blade is sharpened at an angle of 90 degrees to its side walls.

Important! After processing the blades, you need to check how the equipment is sharpened. To do this, you need to stand on the ice and make sure that your skates are level and straight.

Sharpening feature

The majority of people who rent skates from time to time believe that the runner of the skate has a smooth sliding surface. But that's not true. The inside of the blade is shaped like a groove. Its depth differs for different sports. The deepest for speed skating is 4.5 mm, and the shallowest for figure skating is 2 mm. This shallow groove allows the figure skate to be stable and at the same time perform various maneuvers.

Modern hockey skates use more than just a U-shaped blade profile. There are two more varieties:

1. FBV. It has the shape of a trapezoid. Gives skates good maneuverability and stability. Often used in US hockey associations. Appeared in Russia recently. A significant disadvantage is the rapid loss of cutting properties of the edge.
2. Channel-Z It is a square profile inside a round groove, the radius of which depends on the weight of the athlete. Improved speed properties are achieved by reducing the contact area of ​​the blade with the ice and reducing the friction force.

It is precisely because the surface of the blade has a complex shape that conventional sharpening machines become unsuitable for sharpening such skates.

Consumables for machines

Sharpening equipment consumables include:

• dressing tools with diamond element;
• abrasive discs;
• sharpening stones;
• holders and other accessories.

Timely sharpening is necessary for safe and reliable skating. Sliding on the ice, as well as the cleanliness of figure skating jumps, depend on proper sharpening. When using laser equipment, the device determines the required amount of metal that needs to be removed and also controls the entire sharpening process.

Machine equipment

Today, any manual machine for sharpening skate blades comes complete with special devices that allow you to properly sharpen the most common types of blades. A typical machine kit consists of the following components, which can be useful not only for professionals, but also for amateurs:

1. Holder. A universal device that allows you to clamp the skate blade using special screws or other components. Essential for safe and more precise sharpening.
2. Dust removal device. Metal dust will appear when sharpening in large quantities. It can be hazardous if inhaled, and the small particles make the dust difficult to remove. The device operates on the principle of a vacuum cleaner, quickly collecting all the dust while sharpening the blade.
3. Devices for editing. To profile and clean abrasive grinding wheels, you must have a profiling diamond wheel or a special diamond pencil. The stropping attachment allows you to sharpen skates to different groove shapes and makes the sharpening process much easier.
4. Knee support. It is necessary to ensure that the blade runs straight along the sharpening stone. Thanks to the bearings built into the knees, the sharpening process is smooth and careful, leaving no nicks or scratches on the blade and making it as sharp as possible.

Types of sharpening hockey skates

The convenience of play and the safety of the athlete depends on the correct sharpening of hockey skates. There are several standards that apply during the procedure.

The basic term is groove (gutter). You can often see names such as radius, notch, groove.

The sharpening radius (groove depth) is affected by:

• athlete's weight;
• hockey player's skating style;
• hockey player skill level.

The numbers in the table indicate the depth of the groove. In this case, the lower the value, the deeper the recess will be and the sharper the edges. More value means less depth of the groove, less sharpness of the edge.

Table of standard groove values ​​for sharpening hockey skates of a forward

Table of standard groove values ​​for sharpening defender's hockey skates

You need to focus not only on the table, but also on the player’s personal preferences.

• For stable skating and with turns, you should choose a sharpening with a deep groove - from 9 to 14 mm.
• To increase the rolling speed, you will need to increase the groove size to 20 mm or more.

Main types of sharpening:

1. Radius (standard sharpening).
2. Channel-Z
3. Flat Bottom V.

Necessary elements for sharpening

To ensure high-quality sharpening and to ensure that the device does not fail during the first start-up, you must use:

• 2 aluminum or brass pipes with a diameter of 25 mm (one with an internal diameter of 25 mm, the other with the same external diameter),
• sharpening stone 25 mm,
• M6 mounting bolts,
• drill,
• bench vise,
• flat file,
• hacksaw for cutting metal,
• metal ruler,
• abrasive grinding wheel,
• diamond pencil.

The abrasive wheel and diamond pencil are consumables. What circles are skates sharpened with? For a particular machine, a suitable abrasive grinding wheel is selected. They come in three types depending on hardness:

• soft-hard,
• medium hardness,
• solid.

Skate discs come in 3 colors: white, blue, pink. The color of the circle is not decisive. There are 6 main parameters that matter when choosing:

• disk hardness,
• grain size (coarse or fine),
• size,
• compliance of the circle with the fastening parameters of the machine,
• price,
• grinding wheel color.

The function of diamond pencils is reduced to straightening abrasive discs. A single material has its own parameters:

• durability,
• length,
• diameter.

Not every element is suitable for every unit. A particular material corresponds to a specific type of grinding wheel. In terms of price, diamond pencils are 2-6 times more expensive than abrasive discs.

To read: Making homemade machines for the production of cinder blocks

Assembly instructions for the unit

Sharpening machines at home are assembled according to the following scheme:

1. a pipe with a large diameter is clamped in a vice,
2. a cut is made along it with a hacksaw having narrow blades,
3. the required slot width is 3 mm, its structure is smooth,
4. 2 fragments of 10 mm each are sawed off from a smaller pipe (2 plugs are obtained),
5. 2 plugs together with a sharpening stone are inserted inside a large pipe,
6. using a drill, a hole is drilled across the large pipe, located between the stone and the plug,
7. the entire structure is tightened with a screw,
8. the design of the device is adjusted with a file,
9. the stone must extend beyond the plugs,
10. the plugs are polished with a file with mandatory measurements using a metal ruler,
11. so that sharpening does not lead to crumbling of the stone, it is strengthened with superglue,
12. the body of the resulting device is coated with silicone for plumbing needs.

Sharpening Channel-Z

A special feature of this type of sharpening is the presence of an additional notch in the middle of the standard groove. It is made in the form of a square.

Channel-Z has its own sequence of sizes. The depth can be 0.8-1.6 mm. The channel width is divided into 3 types - S, M, L.

Among the advantages noted:

1. Increased maneuverability and riding speed.
2. Reducing resistance.
3. An additional recess collects ice crumbs that melt during the game. Melted water is an additional lubricant that ensures better gliding of the skate.

Among the minuses noted:

1. High cost of the service.
2. The process takes longer.
3. Sharpening requires professional equipment (Sweden).
4. Sharpening can only be done by a highly qualified specialist.

Useful tips

The frequency of sharpening skates depends on how actively the player skates. With regular training 4-5 times a week, sharpening should be done every 3 days. Professional athletes easily feel the need to sharpen their skating quality. Young hockey players should focus on the following nuances:

1. Socks move apart on the ice.
2. Burrs and roughness are visible on the edge.
3. If you run a blade across the skin, it will leave scratches.
4. Visually inspect the site.

On the bottom of the blade the layer of metal is 1-2 mm. When sharpening, the machine removes no more than 0.1 mm. After 20 sharpenings, the equipment becomes unsuitable for riding.

Another question that worries beginners is whether it is worth sharpening new ammunition. Ready-to-skate skates are only available from Reebok (T-blade model).

Which skate sharpening is better: straight or grooved?

This question cannot be answered. This is due to the fact that new skates are sold straight sharpened. That is, there is no groove inside. This type of sharpening is suitable for few people. It allows you to develop enormous speed and brake quickly, but maneuverability is lost. That is, turns are more difficult to perform. Therefore, straight sharpening is more suitable for athletes who are involved in sports that involve straight and fast movement.

Skaters, especially hockey players, choose a groove grind. It allows you to develop a speed that is not as high as a straight line, but the skates are very maneuverable. This allows you to perform tricks, turns and spins. It is more difficult to brake on such skates.

Which skate sharpening is better: straight or grooved?

Classic profile

The radius longitudinal profile is measured by the radius in feet. For example: 14″ designation means the radius of the profile template is 14 feet. Used for profiling the blades of hockey skates: children's, beginner hockey players and amateurs. Sharpening is done on machines according to factory patterns with a sharpening radius from 7″ to 30″.

The most popular single profile patterns for children's skates:

• 11″ - for small players with good skating skills;
• 15″ - for young beginners;
• 17″ - for beginner young players with a lot of weight.

How to choose hockey equipment for a child, read our articles
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How to check the sharpening of skates, how to understand whether the skates are sharpened or not?

Experts place skates on the floor or other flat surface. At the same time, they must stand perfectly straight. If there is bevel or curvature, it is time to sharpen the blades. In addition, a distinct groove should be visible. There should be no hangnails. If you are riding and find it difficult to perform tricks or turn, then urgently sharpen it.

How to check the sharpening of skates, how to understand whether the skates are sharpened or not?

How to sharpen hockey skates at home?

For hockey players in our country, groove sharpening is used. But in Europe and the USA, other types of sharpening are also popular.

Types of sharpening for hockey players:

• Channel-Z It is becoming more popular in our country. Allows you to move more maneuverably on ice without losing speed. It looks like a depression with a small groove inside.
• Classic. This is a groove sharpening. It helps develop maneuverability, but “eats up” speed.
• FTB. This type of sharpening is used in Western countries by NHL teams. This is due to the fact that they mostly perform on artificial ice. Therefore, the main grip and speed can be sacrificed. In profile it looks like two sharp blades with a straight platform inside.

How to sharpen hockey skates at home?