Ice skate sharpener

Abstract

The invention comprises an improved ice skate grinding, sharpening and contouring machine. The machine includes pins mounted in movable blocks to accurately center an ice skate between the heel and sole struts in a movable holding fixture and alternate eccentric pin positions to select the best contour location on the blade as a function of intended skate usage. As an example, the best blade contour for a hockey forward requires a deeper grind below the forward strut than the contour for a hockey defenseman. The centering feature assures that the skate contour desired will be accurately ground onto the blade and pitched forward the desired amount. An eccentrically mounted pin to adjust the blade position relative to the blade holding fixture for pitching is disclosed in one embodiment. In an alternative embodiment the entire fixture is pitched relative to the fixture follower rollers. Figure skates can be advantageously centered and pitched as desired with the invention for accommodating the particular requirements of the figure skater. New hockey skates with unconventional molded plastic struts such as the Canadian TUUK 2000 have entered commerce. Such skates are accommodated by a modified method of determining the blade center location that is equivalent to the center location of a hockey skate with conventional struts. The modified method and apparatus utilize modified pins or a notched clamping jaw either of which engage one plastic blade clamping lip adjacent the skate blade to locate the blade in the fixture.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.