How to Sharpen a Lawn Shear

You want your shears to slice through the stems of your plants quickly and easily, not rip them in half roughly. If you have a sharp and easy motion with your shears, it will save you pressure on your hands as well. Keep your shears sharper when you use the right tools and techniques for your own tools.

If you have larger shears like a grass or hedge shear, you will need to sharpen your blade similar to how you would with a rotary lawnmower blade. You will want to clean out any junk or debris left in the shears before you start filing.

Clamp the blades with a bench vise in order to keep them steady while you are filing. The last thing you want is to not have control over your blades while filing! Find a fine machine oil and lightly coat the blade for easier filing.

Take a medium or fine file and apply a consistent stroke across the blade edges. Make sure that all nicks are removed from the blade. You will then get the blade sharp again for a better cut.

If you have an electric bench grinder, you can take care of sharpening your blade in moments. You can ruin a pair of shears this way in a few moments as well if you don’t do it right. If you shave too much off of the blade, it will put too much space between the blades and make them completely ineffective to cut with.

If you clamp at the right angle, you have a better chance of getting the right cut. You should use only short grinds because if you use long grinds, you could build up too much heat and make the blade too brittle. You should go slowly and very carefully while sharpening the blades, using an on-board clamp tool.

If you have a small pair of shears, you should clamp the tool to a bench vice and use a very fine file. Again, put a light amount of oil on the shears. You will want to be sure that you use the same angle all around the blade. You can get help from assistance tools to ensure you get the right angle each time.

If you use some steel wool on your blade, you can remove rust and other small pits from the blades, putting a great edge on the blade. You should only work on the curved or beveled edge of the blade, never the flat part. Make sure you don’t create a gap in between the blades and eliminate the problem. You should also be sure to file in only one direction.

If you have anvil shears, you will do the same basic thing with one slight modification. You will have a single blade that hits a flat surface, like an anvil. You will have to sharpen both sides of the blade, but it is still important that you use a clamp and only file in one direction.

         

More Lawn Equipments Care Tips Articles