Field reporter Joe Lovitt visits with Mike Ferrara, a handyman, to learn how to sharpen some common garden tools.
- Many tools can benefit from a good sharpening. Shovels, trowels, hoes, pruning shears and hedge clippers will all work better if sharpened regularly.
- Before starting, clean all rust off the tools to be sharpened.
- Always wear safety goggles and leather gloves when filing or sharpening metal.
- Cut up some sandpaper to sharpen pruning shears. Use a 320-grit wet or dry sandpaper, and cut three to four strips of sandpaper. Do this once a week for shears that are used frequently, and put a drop of lubricant on the pivot screw to keep the shears working smoothly. This method also works for sharpening scissors.
- To clean the blades on a hedge clipper, begin by cleaning them with a piece of steel wool and make sure none of the blades are bent. If a blade is bent, loosen the pivot nut and separate the blades, put the bent blade in a vise and tweak it until it is straight.
- Once the blades are straight, clamp one blade in the vise with the blade side facing up. Examine the factory edge, hold the file with both hands and mimic the direction of the bevel. Move the file in one broad stroke, moving away, along the entire cutting area. Apply moderate pressure on the downward side of the coarse, metal file, going across the blade.
- Repeat this motion several times until the whole edge shows an even line of exposed, clean metal. This usually takes at least 10 strokes. Repeat the process on the other blade.
- Remove burrs from the blade by placing a sheet of 300-grit wet or dry sandpaper on a smooth flat piece of plywood. Lightly sand the backside of the blade using a circular motion. After several circles, check to see if the burrs are gone. Re-assemble the hedge clippers and cut away.
- Use a file to remove nicks and smooth the edges of shovels and trowels. Before beginning, clean the trowel or shovel thoroughly with steel wool. Coat with a silicone spray for a finishing touch. This prevents rust and keeps soil from sticking to the tool.
- Sharpen a garden hoe by filing the inside edge first, working away from the handle. Then take the feathered edge off the outside surface. A sharp hoe cuts through the ground with ease.
Guests Mike Ferrara
The Lazy Homeowner / Lawn-Care Expert, Axiom Productions
Toll-free: 888-917-3716
E-mail:
lazyhomeowner@axiomcom.com
Website:
www.lazyhomeowner.com
Also in this Episode
)
