Anchorage blocks

It is my goal to make short-track speedskate boots myself from scratch. And the goal of this blog, for the time being, is to document my progress. The thinking is if I let others in on it then I will be less prone to abandon the project. Now before anyone thinks that this is going to be a money making venture let me point out that there are really quite a few companies making speedskating boots. From big guys like Bont that claim to have invented the modern speed boot and manufacture at a Chinese factory, down to apparently one man operations such as SS Boot. That last business is actually for sale, according their website: for $150K you can own the business that made the boots that Apolo Ohno used to earn his last two Olympic metals. Update: The business no longer appears for sale, but has entered a period of limited production - two pairs per month.

So to start I made the anchorage blocks. I never heard them called that before, until I discovered the new SEB skate boot website. Apparently that is what the French call them. I usually refer to them as mounting blocks and they are used to affix the blades to the boots. Shown here are the ones I made this weekend from 6061 aluminum bar stock (1.5 by 1/4 inch). I drilled and tapped the holes for 1/4 inch bolts. Most boot makers use 6 mm bolts, but I could only find SAE taps at Lowes. I have since learned that automotive part stores have metric selections available. I made the first cut with a hacksaw with a fresh blade and was happy with it. The other three cuts I used a hand held jigsaw and a metal cutting blade. That was tricky and not so easy to get a straight cut. I then ground the edges smooth and rounded the corners with a bench grinder. They look okay and should do for now. You can see more photos on my Flickr account.