Years ago, I drove by a store-front with
a hand-painted plywood sign. It read “Tool Sharpening.” Curious, I
gathered a boxful of dull old handsaws and circular saw blades in my garage and
carried them up to the store with the hope of getting them sharpened. Inside I
saw a lean old fellow with wisps of gray hair curling from the backside of an
old hunting cap. He was hunched over his vise illuminated by a single 150-watt
bulb hanging from the 12-ft. ceiling. There were tools everywhere in the shop
and boxes with layers of dust several years in the making. I interrupted him in
midstroke of filing an ax by saying I had some blades to drop off to get
sharpened. He told me to leave them by the door, write my name on the box, and
come back in a week. I felt uneasy about his apparent lack of concern for my
stuff, but I thought I’d chance it and see what happened.
A week later when I walked into the
store, he asked me what my name was and started rummaging through a pile of
bags and boxes. Magically, he found my box in the midst of the clutter and
handed it to me along with a modest bill. I paid him and took the tools home.
The handsaw cut through a 2x4 as if it were butter, and the circular saws were
equally impressive!
The next day I gathered my garden
tools and brought them down to the same shop. As I entered the store, he said,
“I can’t do those for you.” I asked him why and he explained
that the building was just sold to a coffee shop and he’d be closing his
doors for good. “I’m retiring, going fishing,” he said. I
asked him where I could take the tools, but he had no suggestions. A moment
passed, then he looked me in the eye and said, “Why don’t you do it
yourself?” I shrugged my shoulders as he motioned me to come around the
counter with my box of garden tools. He proceeded to pull each tool from the
box and explain how to sharpen them. For the next two hours he stood over my
shoulder as I ground and filed each tool.
That afternoon changed forever how I
look at tools. As small shops like his disappear from the urban landscape,
I’m thankful for the confidence this guy instilled in me, and I try to
emulate the skill he used in handling the edges of tools. Don’t get me
wrong—I still send out my handsaws and circular saws to a big sharpening
business in the next town—but lawn tools take less time to sharpen than
the drive there. You can also apply the same techniques to hoes, hatchets and
mauls.
Do It All With 3 Simple Tools: A Grinding Wheel, a Mill File And A Sharpening Stone
You can sharpen most garden tools with a simple 10-in. mill bastard file (Photo 5). A synthetic finishing stone will further smooth the blade edge, which is important, especially on an ax or hatchet. You can get one at any hardware store for about
$8. You don’t need a fancy Arkansas stone for garden tools.
A grinding wheel (shown in Photo 4; about $50) is good only for removing
larger amounts of steel. Grinding is a better choice than filing if you have to
get rid of nicks in the blade, or you’re trying to restore an especially
worn blade. One strike against the grinder is that it may get the blade so hot
that the temper (built-in hardness) of the steel could be ruined. If the steel
turns a straw color, it’s done for. If you must use a grinder, keep a
bucket of water handy to douse and cool the blade after every pass across the
wheel. With practice, you’ll know how much grinding an edge can take
before it gets too hot. For most of the grinding shown here, a coarse wheel
will work fine.
You can buy all these sharpening tools at home centers and
hardware stores.
Click image to enlarge.
Lawn Mower Blades: Sharpen And Balance
The last time I tipped my mower on its side to remove the blade, I couldn’t
get it started again. A piece of dirt got lodged in the carburetor needle
valve, and I had to remove the whole carburetor and clean it to get it going.
Another reason not to tip it on its side is you won’t have to deal with
spilled gasoline. The best way to do it? Set your lawn mower on top of
sawhorses to get at the blade.
Although it’s unlikely, the engine could start if you rotate the blade, so
pull the spark plug wire before touching the blade. Once you remove the blade
(Photos 1 and 2 ), you’ll notice an edge about 3 in. long on each end of the blade. These are the edges you’ll be
sharpening.
CAUTION:
Never wear gloves, neckties or shirts with loose sleeves around a spinning grinder. Also, keep
long hair tied up or tucked under a hat. Although the heat of the sparks
isn’t intense, keep your hands clear of the direct spray of sparks from
the grinder.
