Abstract:
The competitive and technological evolution of sports with ice skates such as ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating as well as the conditioning and training of these athletes places increased demands on their equipment. Amongst these are the ability to vary the blade profile at different points to increase speed, agility, acceleration, etc according to the sport and the athlete&#39;s personal preferences. In many instances matching left and right blades is also important. In contrast in amateur sports where users access retail skate sharpening services speed or service and cost of service is important. A system and method are taught for simultaneously profiling both blades of user for increasing speed and reducing cost in retail environments whilst aligning there profiles in more professional applications. The method further allows for profiles to vary in cross-section along the length of the blade.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application US 61/409,650 filed Nov. 3, 2010 entitled “Ice Skate Blade” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/409,650 filed Nov. 2, 2010 entitled “Multiple Blade Sharpening Apparatus and Method” 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to sharpening blades and more specifically to sharpening multiple blades simultaneously with complex profiles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In winter sports such as ice skating and hockey the blades of an ice skate are the point of contact for all of the forces generated in turns, spins, jumps, stops, gathering speed etc. Ice skates typically have a convex shape along a length of the skate blade and a concave shape across the width of the blade, defining two edges along the length of the blade. A skater can use either of these two edges in executing maneuvers on the ice surface. In order to maintain a desired blade configuration, a skate sharpening machine must be employed to re-grind the lower surface of the blade to create a groove along the length of the blade according to the desired profile 
         [0004]    As skate blades differ from one pair to another, the sharpening of the skate blade to a required profile has long been considered to be part art and part science. Within the prior art the operator of a skate sharpening machine is required to first dress a grinding wheel to have the desired contour and then ensure that during the grinding process the centerline of the contour on a wheel coincides with the centerline of the blade along its full length. If this is not done an irregular groove will be created along the length of the blade, with one edge being higher/lower than the other. 
         [0005]    Further with use a dressing of the skate sharpening grinding wheel itself must be carried out. This is traditionally carried out using a single point diamond dresser that is pivoted about an axis generally perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the grinding wheel. The single point diamond dresser is slowly swung through an arc that intersects the outer periphery of the grinding wheel, removing material from the wheel to create and define a grinding wheel contour. Since the dresser pivots, the contour formed on the grinding wheel is anything from a convex arcuate surface with a radius typically in the range of ⅜ inch to 1⅝ inch through to a triangular profile. Once the grinding wheel contour has been created, it may be used to create a complementary surface on the skate blade. 
         [0006]    With time the profiling of ice skates has evolved as former recreational sports such as skating and “shinny” hockey evolved into Olympic sports with multiple disciplines including long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, ice dance, ice etc and “shinny” hockey on frozen ponds, lakes, and rivers became a multi-billion dollar sporting franchise globally with individual players being remunerated in contracts of tens of millions of dollars. Alongside multiple equipment manufacturers jostle for an edge in the sports equipment market for the over 1.5 million registered hockey players globally and tens of millions of skaters globally who spend anything up to $1,000 on a pair of skates to keep up with their heroes, given the winning edge, etc. 
         [0007]    As such ice skate blade profiles have evolved into a science with different profiles of blade between speed skating and ice dance, defender, goalie, attacker, short speed and long speed. Additionally atop these differences that science is establishing from research are the individualities of the various players and the intuitive, difficult to quantify “feel” of their skates. 
         [0008]    Accordingly it would be desirable to provide an ice skate blade sharpening machine that allows for sharpening multiple blades simultaneously allowing accurate alignment of profiles for example within a single player&#39;s pair, across multiple pairs for a user or simply to reduce time and cost in retail establishments offering blade sharpening services. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of the prior art. 
         [0010]    In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising:
   providing a first grinding wheel having a first profile demountably attached to a first spindle operably engaged to a first drive system and forming a predetermined portion of a first grinding sub-assembly;   providing a second grinding wheel having a second profile demountably attached to a second spindle operably engaged to a second drive system and forming a predetermined portion of a second grinding sub-assembly;   providing a first stage comprising a first mount for accepting a first blade and a second mount for accepting a second blade, the first stage, first mount and second mount configured to place the first blade in a predetermined relationship to the first grinding wheel and the second blade in a predetermined relationship to the second grinding wheel;   operating the first and second drive systems to rotate the first and second grinding wheels;   moving the first stage in predetermined pattern relative to the first and second grinding sub-assemblies to simultaneously profile the first and second blades with the first profile and second profiles respectively.   
 
         [0016]    In accordance with another embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising:
   providing a first grinding wheel having a first profile demountably attached to a first spindle operably engaged to a first drive system and forming a predetermined portion of a first grinding sub-assembly;   providing a second grinding wheel having a second profile demountably attached to a second spindle operably engaged to a second drive system and forming a predetermined portion of a second grinding sub-assembly;   providing a first stage comprising a first mount for accepting a first blade and a second mount for accepting a second blade, the first stage, first mount and second mount configured to place the first blade in a predetermined relationship to the first grinding wheel and the second blade in a predetermined relationship to the second grinding wheel;   operating the first and second drive systems to rotate the first and second grinding wheels;   moving the first grinding sub-assembly in a predetermined pattern relative to the first stage to apply the first profile to the first blade; and   moving the second grinding sub-assembly in a predetermined pattern relative to the first stage to apply the second profile to the second blade.   
 
         [0023]    Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  depicts ice skate sharpening systems according to the prior art; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  depicts ice skate holders for providing contouring of the skate according to the prior art; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  depicts ice skate blade profiles typically employed within sports and recreational environments and how these vary for different aspects of the same sport for professionals and serious amateurs; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  depicts variants of ice skate blades for ice dance with a schematic of a typical alignment error in skate sharpening systems; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  depicts ice skates and the sections now considered for a skate with varying profile for each according to the users sport; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  depicts a skate sharpening system according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  depicts a skate sharpening system according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  depicts a prior art approach to dressing a disc and grinding a blade together with an alternative approach according to an embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  depicts a side elevation view of a skate sharpening system according to an embodiment of the invention for sharpening both blades simultaneously. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    Reference may be made below to specific elements, numbered in accordance with the attached figures. The discussion below should be taken to be exemplary in nature, and not as limiting of the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined in the claims, and should not be considered as limited by the implementation details described below, which as one skilled in the art will appreciate, can be modified by replacing elements with equivalent functional elements. 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  depicts ice skate sharpening systems according to the prior art such as the Blackstone H-01 Liberty Double Head Machine  110  that provides one cross-grinding head for coarse profiling and one finishing head for fine profiling, the Blackstone K-01 Stealth Triple Head Machine  120  with one cross-grinding head and two finishing heads and the BladeMaster BR2006VSV  130  designed to accommodate 2 operators simultaneously with angled 3-station machine featuring cross grind, two variable speed finishing stations and a granite tabletop for improved accuracy and durability. Such machines retail for $10,000-$30,000 whilst there are also portable versions for teams/users to take with them which retail for between $1,000 and $5,000 typically. 
         [0036]    Each of the ice skate sharpening systems above in  FIG. 1  requires that the skate be mounted into an ice skate holder such as those depicted in  FIG. 2 . Depicted are typical examples including the BladeMaster SH-5000  210 , BladeMaster SH-2000  220 , Wissota Elite 3-Dial  230 , and SSM Produkt SSM-2  240 . The basic idea being that the blade and/or skate are mounted in the ice skate holder and then positioned with respect to the cross-grind or finishing wheels on the ice skate sharpening machines with the correct vertical position and then laterally moved with respect to the wheel so that the profile is added to the blade. 
         [0037]      FIG. 3  depicts ice skate blade profiles, circular arc  310  (CA), flat bottom circular arc (FBC)  320 , and flat bottom “V”  320  (FBV), typically employed within sports and recreational environments and how these vary for different aspects of the same sport for professionals and serious amateurs. Considering initially CA  310  then this represents the traditional profile of a skate. This is because the traditional method of shaping the grinding wheel that is used to sharpen the skate blade is to swing a single point diamond tool in an arc about the centerline of the grinding wheel. The variables in this CA  310  profile are the width of the skate blade (w), the radius of the circular arc (r), the included angle at the edge of the blade (φ) and h max  the maximum depth of the groove. 
         [0038]    The geometry shown in CA  310  is with the circular arc centered with the blade, considered to be the best, arrangement and is known as “edges even condition”. The interrelation between the variables can be determined from Equations (1) and (2) below: 
         [0000]        h   max   =r (1−cos(α sin( w/ 2 r )))   (1)
 
         [0000]      φ=90−α sin( w/ 2 r )   (2)
 
         [0039]    There are two other variables that can be changed in the above equations; namely, the width of the skate blade, w, and the radius of the groove, r. The width of the blade, w, is dependent upon the type of skating being done, with the typical hockey blade being 0.110 inches (2.8 mm) wide. The typical radius, r, used by hockey players varies from 0.250 (6.35 mm), such as shown by profile  340 B for sharper turns but making gaining speed harder, to 2.00 (50.8 mm) inches, such as shown profile  340 A making turns difficult. A common radius being 0.50 (6.35 mm) inches. Typical values of groove radius, r, when applied to hockey skates, 0.110 inches (2.8 mm) wide, will give the values of maximum depth, h max , and the edge angle as shown below in Table 1. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Typical Circular Arc Blade Parameters for Hockey 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Radius, r (in) 
                 Depth, h (in) 
                 Edge Angle, φ (deg) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 0.250 
                 0.00613 
                 77.29° 
               
               
                 0.500 
                 0.00303 
                 83.68° 
               
               
                 0.750 
                 0.00202 
                 85.79° 
               
               
                 1.000 
                 0.00151 
                 86.85° 
               
               
                 1.250 
                 0.00121 
                 87.48° 
               
               
                 1.500 
                 0.00101 
                 87.90° 
               
               
                 1.750 
                 0.00086 
                 88.12° 
               
               
                 2.000 
                 0.00076 
                 88.42° 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0040]    It is worth noting that the range of edge angles, φ, and depths, h, is very limited. It is common knowledge in the ice skating world that a smaller radius provides better turning ability along with a slower glide speed, while a larger radius provides superior glide speeds along with poorer turning ability. 
         [0041]    Now considering the FBC  320  then the cross-section through an ice skate blade is shown where a flat bottom has been added to the traditional circular arc profile, leaving the two interior circular arc profiles. In this case, the edge angle, φ, will remain the same as those calculated for circular arc profiles of various radii, r, as shown in Table 1 above but the depth of the flat, h, will be adjustable to any value less than the maximum depth, h max , under the blade as calculated for the circular arc. The depth of the flat, h is the distance between a line joining the two blade edges, and the flat bottom of the skate blade. The width of the flat bottom, d, is given by Equation (3) below. 
         [0000]        d= 2[ r   2 −( r−h   max   +h ) 2 ] 1/2    (3)
 
         [0042]    The advantage of this profile over the traditional circular arc profile is that the edge angle, φ, can be maintained while the depth, h, of the profile is reduced from, h max , leading to a potentially faster skate with less drag. A nomenclature for FBC profiles used by some manufacturers is FBC-XXX-YY where XXX is the radius, r, of the arc in thousandths of an inch and YY is the depth of the flat, h, in thousandths of an inch. 
         [0043]    Now referring to FBV  330  then this groove profile on an ice skate blade is an attempt to overcome the primary shortcoming of the traditional circular arc profile; the fact that the edge angle, φ, and the maximum depth of the groove, h max , are linked. This is a major constraint of the CA  310  profile. This profile is named flat bottom ‘v’ (FBV) as the two lower internal profile lines would intersect in a V if there were projected, and the bottom of the ice skate blade forms a flat bottom for the V shape resulting from that projection. There are a few geometric properties that define the shape of the FBV  330  ice skate blade profile; the blade width, w, the width of the flat bottom, d, and the depth of the flat bottom, h. The height under the blade, h, is the distance between a line joining the two blade edges and the flat bottom. The edge angle, φ, at the blade edge, in the case of a symmetrical (central to the blade width) location of the blade bottom is given by Equation (4). 
         [0000]      φ=α tan( w−d )/2 h    (4)
 
         [0044]    As can be seen from this formula; once a blade width, w, is known, a value of blade bottom width, d, can be chosen in conjunction with the depth of the flat, h, to obtain a wide range of edge angle, φ, values. A similar nomenclature as that for FBC  320  is used by some manufacturers, FBV-XXX-YY. The ability to vary the blade profile being shown by profiles  350 A through  350 D whereby moving from first profile  350 A to second profile  350 B are variations for constant bottom width, d, but varying depth of flat, h, giving better turns. Moving from first profile  350 A to third profile  350 C is decreasing bottom width, d, for constant depth of flat, h, giving more speed. Moving diagonally from first profile  350 A to fourth profile  350 D is decreasing bottom width, d, and increasing depth of flat, h, trying to balance speed and turning. 
         [0045]    Now referring to  FIG. 4  there are depicted variants of ice skate blades for ice dance. As shown there is a parabolic blade  410  whose design tapers to the mid-section of the blade, translating into less steel and a lighter blade overall. Such a parabolic blade  410  being favoured by ice dancers for increasing stability for improved footwork and edge jumps. Also shown is standard parallel blade  420  for comparison. Referring to schematic  430  there is shown a common misalignment issue for skate sharpening wherein the axis of the skate blade  422  is misaligned to the axis of the grinding wheel  424  by an offset  426 . Accordingly in the example shown for a curved grinding wheel as used within ice dance the resulting offset results in a different profile being formed on each edge of the blade so that the blades effectiveness will vary according to the edge the skater either uses for a turn or landing. Such differences can result in falls which during competitions will lead to the difference between gold and not finishing in the medals for example which is further amplified if the event is the Olympics and that represents the skater&#39;s only chance to win gold. 
         [0046]    As can be seen in schematic  430  this offset  426  is even more critical as one moves from a freestyle blade of typical width 0.15″ (3.8 mm) to the narrower 0.11″ (2.8 mm) blade of an ice dance skate. Accordingly it would be evident how alignment of the blade is important not only within a single skate for desired edges but also within the pair. In some instances such as short-track speed skating where the skater is essentially permanently on one edge there may be introduced a deliberate offset  426  but again the control of this is important to achieve the desired edge for the skater. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIG. 5  there are depicted hockey skate  501  and figure skate  520  showing the differences in design not only of the boot but the blade fitting to the boot and the construction of the blade. Historically a blade was a blade but now sharpening may consider the blade as having four zones, toe  512 , front  514 , middle  516  and heel  518  which are potentially profiled differently one zone from another but also vary in profile between say a defenseman, an attacker, and a goalie for ice hockey. Balancing the designs of these zones results in improved balance, sharper turns, quicker turns, increased acceleration, reduced fatigue, increased power in strides and improved gliding, injury reduction, increased agility, increased lateral movement, increased speed, increased stability, and controlled leg extensions. 
         [0048]    Considering the zones then the toe  512  generally is used for starts, acceleration, and final toe snap and may represent 1 second of a stride that this zone is in contact with the ice. The front  514  is primarily used for acceleration and ankle dekes and typically represents 1-3 second of stride movement. The middle  516  is used most for gliding, stopping, forward strides of several seconds, and provides balance and pivot point in motion. Finally the heel  518  is used in stop-turns, extension and backward pushes for backward skating as well as crossovers, direction changes and balance. Typically the toe  512  and heel  514  represent 20% of the blade length, the middle  516  60%, and the heel  518  20%. 
         [0049]    Now referring to  FIG. 6  there is depicted a skate sharpening system  600  according to an embodiment of the invention. A skate comprising skate body  610 A and blade  610 B is mounted to a holder  640  which is itself mounted to first stage  690  and therein to the base  630  of the skate sharpening system  600 . The second portion of the skate sharpening system  600  being a grinding wheel  650  that is mounted to a frame  685  which includes a drive mechanism, not shown for clarity, for the grinding wheel  650  which may be for example direct drive or differentially driven according to the degree of control/complexity of the skate sharpening system  600 . This frame  685  is mounted to a second stage  680  and therein to the base  630  of the skate sharpening system  600 . The frame  685  including adjustment screw  660  which is driven by drive  670 . Adjustment screw  670  and corresponding drive  670  may be provided for example for multiple axes of the system including lateral, translational, vertical, yaw, pitch and roll. 
         [0050]    According to one embodiment of the invention drive  670  may be manually adjusted, second stage  680  rigidly mounting the frame  685  to the base  630  and first stage  690  be manually controlled. According to another embodiment of the invention the first stage  690 , second stage  680  and drive  670  may all be controlled through a central microprocessor to automate the process of grinding a desired profile thereby improving the reproducibility of the profile applied to the blade  610 B. It would be evident to one skilled in the art that the programme may be varied allowing an operator to simply key in an identity of a skater for example to retrieve their custom profile and reapply this to the skates. 
         [0051]    It would also be evident to one of skill in the art that in both manual and automatic approaches that a measurement and indication of pressure between the blade  610 B and grinding wheel  650  may be made/displayed allowing increased control of the grinding process. Optionally if a conductive grinding wheel  650  is employed then an electrical contact may be made to both the grinding wheel  650  and blade  610 B such that initial contact of the blade  610 B to the grinding wheel  650  can be detected or monitored to detect errors in position as contact is lost for example. 
         [0052]    Now referring to  FIG. 7  there is depicted a skate sharpening system  700  according to an embodiment of the invention wherein a pair of sharpening sub-systems, for example skate sharpening system  600  of  FIG. 6  are assembled to a base, not shown for clarity. As such a skate mount  700 A engages first and second grinders  700 B and  700 C. Each of the first and second grinders consists of a grinding wheel  730  that is driven through a belt system  745  from a motor, not shown for clarity, which provides the rotational power for the grinding wheel  730 . This drive and wheel sub-assembly is mounted to a body  720  that is in turn mounted to a stage  710 . 
         [0053]    The skate mount  700 A provides for mounting of left skate  750 A and right skate  750 B with corresponding left blade  740 A and right blade  740 B with each being clamped via a levered mechanism engaged via first and second handles  760 A and  760   b  respectively. Skate mount  700 A further comprising skate stage  770 . As with skate sharpening system  600  in  FIG. 6  each stage  710  and skate stage  770  may be fixed or adjustable relative to the base and may be manually or mechanically positioned. It would therefore be evident to one skilled in the art that the profile applied from first grinder  700 B to left blade  740 A may be the same or different to that applied by second grinder  700 C to right blade  740 B. 
         [0054]    Referring to  FIG. 8  there is shown a first schematic  810  of a prior art approach to dressing a grinding disc and profiling a skate blade. A template  810  is initially provided that has a profile formed with a hard surface, e.g. CVD diamond that has in the middle a FBV profile. This template  810  is used to dress a grinding wheel  820  by grinding the grinding wheel  820  against the template  810 . Once dressed the grinding wheel  820  can then be used to grind the FBV profile onto a blade  830 . Accordingly in order to adjust a blade profile either the grinding wheel  820  should be replaced, and dressed with another template  810 , or the same grinding wheel  820  redressed with the new template  810 . As such changing the profile for each user and as such each sequential pair of skates is a time consuming process. Also adjusting the profile between the different parts of the blade  830 , such as toe  512 , front  514 , middle  516 , and heel  518  as shown in  FIG. 5 , would be extremely difficult even though it is beneficial for professional skaters and amateurs in competitions etc. 
         [0055]    An alternative approach is presented in second and third schematics  850 A and  850 B respectively wherein rather than a large grinding disc a small thin grinding element is employed. Accordingly as depicted in second schematic  850 A the profiling is achieved through a combination of moving the grinding element  840  both along the length of the blade  830  and across the width. As such the small thin grinding element  840  in conjunction with automated stages such as presented supra in respect of skate sharpening system  700  in  FIG. 7  and shake sharpening system  900  in  FIG. 9  provides for an operator of the system to program a new blade profile into the system and have it executed automatically. Hence, when a new pair of skates are loaded all the operator has to do is execute a new program or if the skates are for the same users as the previous pair repeat the currently loaded program. It would be evident to one of skill in the art that such a combination of thin grinding element  840  and automated skate sharpening systems  700  and  900  allows for a flexibility in profiling skate blades that cannot be achieved with the existing systems of the prior art. 
         [0056]    Third schematic  850 B depicts a FCA/FBV combination blade  890  along with first through third blades  860  to  880  respectively. These blades providing different grinding profiles which may be employed along with thin profile blade  840  alone or in combination with a skate sharpening system such as described supra in respect of skate sharpening systems  600 ,  700  and  900  in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  9  respectively. It would be apparent to one skilled in the art that first and second stages  620  and  665  may be controlled through the use of a microprocessor to execute the complex sequence of movements required to control the blade in order to provide the profiles for ice skate blades according to embodiments of the invention. As such a skate sharpening system according to an embodiment of the invention allows for an operator of the system to program a new blade profile into the system and have it executed automatically. Hence, when a new pair of skates are loaded all the operator has to do is execute a new program or if the skates are for the same users as the previous pair repeat the currently loaded program. It would be evident to one of skill in the art that such a combination of thin grinding elements and automated skate sharpening system allows for a flexibility in profiling skate blades that cannot be achieved with the existing systems of the prior art. 
         [0057]    Now referring to  FIG. 9  there is depicted a skate sharpening system  900  according to an embodiment of the invention wherein a pair of sharpening sub-systems, for example skate sharpening system  600  of  FIG. 6  are assembled to a base, not shown for clarity. As such a skate mount  900 A engages first and second grinders  900 B and  900 C. Each of the first and second grinders consists of a grinding wheel  930  that is driven through a belt system  945  from a motor, not shown for clarity, which provides the rotational power for the grinding wheel  930 . This drive and wheel sub-assembly is mounted to a body  920  that is in turn mounted to a stage  910 . 
         [0058]    The skate mount  900 A provides for mounting of left skate  950 A and right skate  950 B with corresponding left blade  940 A and right blade  940 B with each being clamped via a levered mechanism engaged via first and second handles  960 A and  960 B respectively. Skate mount  900 A further comprising skate stage  970 . As with skate sharpening system  600  in  FIG. 6  each stage  910  and skate stage  970  may be fixed or adjustable relative to the base and may be manually or mechanically positioned. It would therefore be evident to one skilled in the art that the profile applied from first grinder  900 B to left blade  940 A may be the same or different to that applied by second grinder  900 C to right blade  940 B. 
         [0059]    It would be evident to one skilled in the art that whilst the simplest design is the stacking of a pair of skate sharpening systems  600  to form skate sharpening system  900  that under appropriate computer control the relative motions of first and second grinders  900 B and  900 C may be controlled such that they operate without requiring a minimum complete clear separation between them such that the vertical height of the skate sharpening system  900  may be reduced. Accordingly skate sharpening system  900  can provide complex blade profiles to each of the left and right skates of a user with accurate cross-referencing of the profile of one blade to the other. 
         [0060]    It would be evident to one skilled in the art that the ice skate blade may be formed from a variety of materials according to the cost, strength, weight, rigidity, and performance tradeoffs that the skate manufacturer is working within. Such blades may for example be formed from carbon steel, high strength low alloy steel, low alloy steel, stainless steel, as well as metals such as titanium. Alternatively blades may be formed from a variety of composite materials which are engineered materials that comprise two or more components including for example polymer composites that combine reinforcing fibers such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, basalt fibers, or other reinforcing fibers with a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer resin such as epoxy, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, or other resins wherein the reinforcing fibers provide stiffness and strength in the direction of the fiber length, and the resin provides shape and toughness and transfers load between and among the fibers. Optionally, the blades may be formed from one or more ceramic materials including for example oxides such as alumina, beryllia, ceria, and zirconia; non-oxides such as carbides, borides, nitrides, and silicides; as well as ceramic composite materials including for example particulate reinforced, fiber reinforced, and combinations of oxides and non-oxides. 
         [0061]    It would be evident to one skilled in the art that the discussions supra in respect of  FIGS. 6 through 9  of a multiple blade sharpening system have been described with the system vertically mounting one skate and sharpening mechanism above the other. It would be evident to one skilled in the art that the system may alternatively be rotated such that the skates are disposed laterally with respect to one another in a side-to-side or front-to-back configuration with respect to the user of the system. 
         [0062]    The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.