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Florida Gardening

How do you sharpen your pruning shears?

12 years ago

How do you sharpen your pruning shears? Mine need it badly. When I worked at a nursery my boss used to sharpen them with a file. I never knew what kind of file it was and I don't want to ruin my shears. I tried one of those blue plastic handle sharpeners that the feed store sells and that did nothing.

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Comments (10)

corar4gw
12 years ago
If you have a Dremel, you can buy an attachment with several types of 'stones' for sharpening tools, even your chainsaw blade(s)
Cora
fawnridge (Ricky)
12 years ago
If they are very old cutters, you'd do best to simply replace them. Most cutting tools, if not cared for properly, will eventually reach a point where a new edge just won't be possible. Next, if they are not bypass cutters - one blade passes the other during the cut - throw them in the trash and get the proper tool. Any trimmer that crushes - anvil-type trimmers - is the wrong tool for the garden.

You'll need a flat file. Never use a round one! Cora, that includes the Dremel. Sharpen the cutting edge first - long strokes, one direction. Then the opposite edge to remove any burrs. Don't wait until the tool needs sharpening, do this at least once a month, and oil the trimmers with vegetable oil not 3-in-one or WD40.
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my youngest spent 2 years working in a rathergood tool shop......with a 45% discount, we absolutely rinsed the store.....and could order from pretty much anywhere. We went a little insane (generators, welders, mowers, chippers.....even gardening gloves and string). Thankfully, he has moved into the welding shop..as my son was also spending around a quarter of his wages on tools......but there is no doubt we are fully equipped.. Our families have always been skilled craftspeople - we are landscapers - so we have a bit of a fetishistic view of tools anyway.....they are our major investment - whether petrol, battery and hand tools (my favourites).........collecting our own, plus what we inherited from our parents and grandparents..........requires several sheds, spare rooms, greenhouse, garage and every stairwell in our very small Engish house. I fear it is all getting out of hand. Grats on the grinder, Kevin - sharp tool addiction coming your way............Certainly, the pleasure of using sharp clean tools more than makes up for the effort of looking after them.....although, I admit to leaving mine out all night, losing small tools for the entire season, throwing them in the incinerator, general abuse/misuse.....and behaving in a careless fashion completely at odds with my professed love of such items. Must be that familiarity and contempt thing?
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I sanitize my pruning tools and budding knife with household cleaners that have Quats (quaternary ammonium salts) as the active ingredient. That would be Lysol 3 in 1 Cleaner (full strength or diluted 10:1 water to Lysol), or Clorox Disinfectant Floor & Surface Cleaner (diluted 8:1 water to Clorox Dis.). The tool must soak for 10 minutes to sanitize. I use alternating sets of pruners when I have big pruning job, one soaking, one in use. Because alcohol does not kill all garden pathogens in lab tests, it is not recommended as a tool disinfectant.
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The initial Question was " how do you sharpen your knives." I think a lot have posted, to give some helpful and tech.info. Even if you want to keep doing the same way, which you might think is wrong, I would copy some of the info for future, just in case you might want to upgrade your knives. ????? - - - - - - - - - - - - - Has anyone seen the Kitchen Knives at Lowe's. They are made by " Kitchen Aid " and look pretty good. I lost my Paring Knife about a month ago, so while at Lowe's I bought one for $9.95. I liked the Design. There was a nice varity of other knives. Has anyone else seen them. ??? They were back near the Kitchen Cabinets. Here is the Paring Knife. It holds a good edge. I just touch it up with the steel. The blade is 3 1/2 inches long. It fits my hand well.
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Comments (19)
Cheers RockPine! Great minds think alike. Just one clarification for those of you using a "sharpening" steel - your knives will cut better when you're done using it but it doesn't sharpen the blade, it realigns the cutting edge and makes it straight. It can't reshape a dull blade that's worn down. A dull blade requires a sharpener that can cut away metal and restore the 20-degree angle of each side of the edge. If all you're using is a steel, you're in for an epiphany if you actually sharpen your blades some day. My mother used to tell me "there's nothing more dangerous in a kitchen than a dull blade," and by that she wasn't referring to a dim chef :)
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zzackey
Original Author
12 years ago
It was a flat file that he used. I just don't know how coarse it was. What number is the file that you use?
johnjsr
12 years ago
Get a second cut mill bastrd flat file and a handle to protect your fingers. File toward the cutting edge. Ace HW. Don't let it rust and it will last forever.

Here is a link that might be useful: flat file
corar4gw
12 years ago
uh oh. guess Dremel was just promoting a tool for us dummies! To be honest, I never saw my grandfather use anything but a file or a foot pedal-driven round stone to sharpen any of his tools. I remember he oiled them but couldn't say what type of oil.
cora
fawnridge (Ricky)
12 years ago
The safest oil to use is vegetable oil since you're going to be cutting plants with them.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
12 years ago
Most knife-sharpening websites and videos say to wet your stone with mineral oil or water.
writersblock (9b/10a)
12 years ago
Yes, I think you could wind up with a sticky mess later on if you use vegetable oil for something like that.

Incidentally, the blue-handled one isn't for garden tools. They make special sharpeners for scissors (yellow handle) and one just for garden tools (green handle, I think), although I have no idea of what kind of job they do.
fawnridge (Ricky)
12 years ago
Mineral oil is good, too. But either one should be used very, very sparingly; you don't want to gum up the joint.
User
12 years ago
buy felco 912.............:)

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