Tool Sharpening Basics

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The burr is created when the edge gets so thin it won't stand the pressure of the file, so it bends over to the other side (Fig. 5). It's so small you can't see it. And it may be hard to feel, almost like running your hand over a piece of transparent tape. (If you have trouble, try drawing your fingernail at a 45° angle toward the burr.) Keep filing until you can feel that burr—all the way along the edge. It's critical to good sharpening. Besides, getting a sense of this large, relatively easy-to-sense burr will help you know what to feel for on the finer tools we'll cover later. Now all that's left is to remove this fragile feather. To do so, lightly run your file flush with the unbeveled surface of the spade. I know, I told you not to sharpen that side.

You're not, because you're not filing into the blade at an angle, just filing along it. You might then want to turn the shovel over and lightly file into your first side again to remove any burr that got pushed back over to it, and you'll be ready to dig like the dickens. OK, that job was easy enough. Let's move on to another commonly used but rarely sharpened tool—the garden hoe Again, you simply won't believe how much better that weed chopper will work once it's got a good edge on it. And why make weeding any more work than it is already? Use the same techniques described above: Your hoe (plain or fancy) has a single-bevel cutting edge, so you're going to sharpen only that one side. If you can't tell by looking, the cutting edge is at the bottom of the tool, running right along the ground when you're using the hoe. (A hoe's flat upper edge pushes dirt out of the way while its bottom face cuts roots.) Sharpen the beveled side well with your file. At what angle do you sharpen? Follow the existing angle or try Dennis Burkholder's old-timey trick: Scrape the tool along some cement, standing just like you were using it to weed (Fig. 6). Then sharpen where you see scratch marks. That way you'll be setting the cutting edge at the perfect angle to suit your height and posture.

File until you've drawn out a burr. Then trim that wire off the other side, and give the first side a couple of extra light licks. And from now on, whenever your garden weeds start to feel a bit stubborn (which may happen a couple of times a day), take a short break and give your hoe a quick keening. You'll save time and energy.

Your lawn mower blade, more of the same. Disconnect the spark plug (just in case the cantankerous thing gets any ideas), then unbolt the blade and clamp it in a vise. Tip: If you set it (and other tools) so you can look "into" the end of the blade, you can better see if you're maintaining the proper angle. File the cutting side only, creating a shiny bevel about 1/8 inch or so wide (Fig. 7). You may want to use a half-round file in the bowed portion of the blade. Sharpen both ends of the blade to match, using the single-bevel techniques already described. All done? Whoa, don't put the blade back on yet.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print