the invention comprises an improved ice skate grinding , sharpening and contouring machine . the machine includes novel means to accurately center an ice skate between the heel and sole struts in a movable holding fixture and means to select the best contour position 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 . means to adjust the blade position relative to the blade holding fixture for pitching are disclosed in one embodiment . in an alternative embodiment means for pitching the entire fixture as desired are disclosed . 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 .