AgnesNitt
07-03-2009, 08:30 PM
I have a number of ancient (1800s) skating books at hand, I thought I'd post occasionally about interesting tidbits I find in them.
Here's the first. I believe this is an interesting discussion of the invention of the parabolic blade.
From "Skating" by Heathcote and Tebbutt 1892
Some years ago Captain Dowler, a member of the Skating Club, took out a patent for a skate having concave sides. His idea was that when the skate was inclined from the vertical, as in running on a curve, the concave side would bring a greater portion of the length of the blade in actual contact with the ice, thus increasing the bearing surface and consequently diminishing friction without interfering with the vertical curvature at the lower edge, by which the necessary amount of pivoting is obtained. The Dowler blade has been, and is, used by many thousands of skaters. With a 7-foot radius the side concavity should be a radius of 16 feet. At first the blades were made with the thinnest part in the middle, but I found that if the thinnest part were put back an inch or an inch and a half, the working of the skate was much improved ; and I also found that, in consequence of the end of the blade being thicker at the lower side than in the middle, and being ground to the same thickness along the entire length of its upper side, the cutting edge of the toe and heel was much more acute than in the middle, in fact so acute that the cutting in while taking a vigorous stroke sent up a shower of splintered ice. To obviate this I suggested the grooving away of the blade about half an inch from the edge at the toe and heel, so as to enable the cutting edge to be made the same angle along the whole length of the blade, and since 1881 Dowler blades have been constructed with the above improvements. I always skate with Dowler blades having right-angled edges, as I find I can skate every movement on them as well as on a straight-sided blade, and with much less fatigue. The angle at which a skate is inclined in the act of striking is much greater than when travelling on a curve, consequently with the Dowler blade a large portion of the edge comes into actual contact with the ice at the moment of striking and a vigorous push-off is the result; and this, combined with the minimum of friction, is the reason why figure-skating on Dowler blades is less fatiguing than on straight-sided blades. I have seen men, who from having rather weak ankles could only skate well enough to be classed as second-rate skaters, spring at once into the first rank through the use of Dowler blades : but, as against these examples, I have known skaters who could not skate nearly as well with them as with the ordinary straight-sided blade.
Here's the first. I believe this is an interesting discussion of the invention of the parabolic blade.
From "Skating" by Heathcote and Tebbutt 1892
Some years ago Captain Dowler, a member of the Skating Club, took out a patent for a skate having concave sides. His idea was that when the skate was inclined from the vertical, as in running on a curve, the concave side would bring a greater portion of the length of the blade in actual contact with the ice, thus increasing the bearing surface and consequently diminishing friction without interfering with the vertical curvature at the lower edge, by which the necessary amount of pivoting is obtained. The Dowler blade has been, and is, used by many thousands of skaters. With a 7-foot radius the side concavity should be a radius of 16 feet. At first the blades were made with the thinnest part in the middle, but I found that if the thinnest part were put back an inch or an inch and a half, the working of the skate was much improved ; and I also found that, in consequence of the end of the blade being thicker at the lower side than in the middle, and being ground to the same thickness along the entire length of its upper side, the cutting edge of the toe and heel was much more acute than in the middle, in fact so acute that the cutting in while taking a vigorous stroke sent up a shower of splintered ice. To obviate this I suggested the grooving away of the blade about half an inch from the edge at the toe and heel, so as to enable the cutting edge to be made the same angle along the whole length of the blade, and since 1881 Dowler blades have been constructed with the above improvements. I always skate with Dowler blades having right-angled edges, as I find I can skate every movement on them as well as on a straight-sided blade, and with much less fatigue. The angle at which a skate is inclined in the act of striking is much greater than when travelling on a curve, consequently with the Dowler blade a large portion of the edge comes into actual contact with the ice at the moment of striking and a vigorous push-off is the result; and this, combined with the minimum of friction, is the reason why figure-skating on Dowler blades is less fatiguing than on straight-sided blades. I have seen men, who from having rather weak ankles could only skate well enough to be classed as second-rate skaters, spring at once into the first rank through the use of Dowler blades : but, as against these examples, I have known skaters who could not skate nearly as well with them as with the ordinary straight-sided blade.