Years ago the carbide tip circular saw blade was born — expensive but I had to have one. Before I could use it I loaned my saw to a friend. Once returned I put it to work only to have smoke billow out with no cutting. When I examined it I found five teeth missing. When questioned, he advised how well it cut nails!
Maintenance
Cold chisel, axe, hoe and trimmers: all should be kept sharp and are sharpened in different ways and can be done by different means. We’ve covered most mechanical cutters previously so to get ready for the summer’s work load, I’ll do these.
Tools for sharpening
There are several ways of sharpening garden tools, a garden and tool file, palm sander, pad
Clockwise from the top, hedge trimmers, hand anvil, hand side shear, pruner and a hoe. The yellow line shows where they are to be sharpened
sander, hand held belt sander, floor belt sander, rotary sander, hand grinder and bench grinder. With the proper grit of paper, the sander is a formidable one for dressing metal, my favourite being the rotary tool. Box stores sell the rotary tool sanding drums at about $8 for six! Ouch. I got mine on eBay by the bag for about $2.
The rotary tool at work: hold the garden tool in one hand and the rotary tool in the other, a couple of swipes and you’re done. Too easy
Cold chisel
Not a garden tool but the only tool in the wrench box with an edge so I thought I’d throw it in. An abused tool if any, this one gets put to the test regularly. This is a handy tool to have, and a good selection of well maintained ones, help the jobs get done safely.
For this tool I start my maintenance at the blunt end (BE) and begin by grinding the chisel back to
Blunt End of the cold chisel shows a peeled portion. Note the light grey above and below; these are peeled portions that have broken away
its original shape as the constant strikes by a hammer not only compresses the BE but also will peen or roll the end over the shank. This rolling causes the metal to split and it can eventually separate, becoming airborne shrapnel and a health hazard.
On the bench grinder with ear, eye and hand protection, I lightly grind off the ‘rolling’ not causing too much heat to the steel in any one spot (doing so will change the metallurgy and exacerbate the issue). A cup of water to cool the tool while grinding will help maintain a constant temperature. Once the BE is re shaped the sharp end can be dressed on the edge of the grinding wheel for both sides. A good edge for cold chisels should be at about a total angle (30/side)
Axe
Dressing one side of the axe on the floor belt sander. These are the same belts that are used to ‘square’ an engine head
Here’s a tool that can find its way into trouble. I start my maintenance by checking the handle for splits, if it’s split that’s where the maintenance begins, changing the handle. If the handle is intact and tight to the head I go at the handle using an 80 grit piece of sand paper to just rough it a little. It cleans off debris, nicks off any slivers and opens the pores for a coat of neatsfoot oil preservative. I use a rag doused in the oil and wear my work gloves to apply it.
Next I clean any debris off the head and then, using my floor sander, I lightly grind both sides to an angled about 20 degrees (each side). Do not generate too much heat for the same reasons as the cold chisel. If it’s been used for hammering then I assess the (BE) for redressing the same as the cold chisel, keeping in mind the heat issue.
Hoe
I own quite a selection of these and every year they get dressed at the end of the season so they’re ready to go come spring. I start by cleaning off any debris then a light grinding on the bench grinder to get about a 30 degree angle edge. The boss has a habit of losing tools so I’ve got into the routine of painting part of them orange so I find them prior to the mower. For the wood handle I do the same routine as for the axe.
Pruners
With fruit trees and grapes on the farm these become the tools of the trade around here so sharp is foremost. I’ve got two different types of hand pruners (side sheer and anvil), I also have large and small size limb pruners (both side sheer). I prefer the anvil type especially for small cuttings, they are easier to maintain and far less apt to fail. When dull but especially if overloaded, side sheer can twist in your hands and bend the blade out of line with the hook.
Once out of line it is all but impossible to re-align so replacement is the only action. Using the rotary tool with a sanding drum, I hold the pruners in one hand and simply dress the knife’s cutting edge, keeping it moving back and forth to an angle of between 10-20 degrees. The wood handles are checked and treated the same as the axe, the neatsfoot oil also acts as a lubricant for the mechanism.
Hedge trimmers
Handy to have for light overgrowth, they often nick rocks and soil, dulling them. After I clean off any debris, I dress the edge the same as the pruners with the rotary tool to a 10-20 degree angle. These things can hide in the grass better than a cat so the boss ties a piece of coloured plastic marking tape to the handle to make them stand out. Again, the wood handles are treated as the axe.
It sounds like a lot and kind of remedial and certainly not machinery, but the entire sharpening process with the rotary tool took me about 3 minutes, and will significantly reduce the effort needed to put them to use and prevent any damage to the tool.
A final note: I don’t sharpen saw blades and I no longer loan my tools.
— Dan Kerr