Sharpening a hedge trimmer

[gregmcateer]

Not sure where this should be, as it is wood-related, but not really workshop stuff...

Anyone know how to sharpen a hedge trimmer?

I kinda guess you separate the two blade sections, then use a stone flat across them ?

Any help much appreciated.

Greg

 

[paulm]

That's an interesting question Greg, I need to touch up my stihl one too sometime soon.

Not sure about doing the flats though, other than removing any obvious burrs, as they would need to be kept uniformly flat along the whole of the mating surfaces I guess ? I was thinking I would take a round diamond hone, or suitable grinding stone in the proxxon, and tidy up any nicks/burrs on the internal sloping surfaces of the ground teeth on the top bar.

Not sure though, so will watch for other answers with interest !

Cheers, Paul

 

[jhwbigley]

Work the bevels of the teeth with a small Grinder or a mill file for the less confident worker. A little and often as with anything.

JH

 

[AES]

+1 for separating the pieces (don't forget the spacers if it's like my B&D) then small stone/grinder.

I have a Dremel "drill" with an angled attachment and a small (pink) stone. Works great on hand shears, etc, etc, but wouldn't fit into the small teeth of the B&D. So full of trepidation I used an even smaller dia stone (pink again) in the Dremel - free hand. Worked quite well and saved the cost of buying a new one 'cos after about 10 years it was really blunt and I always thought it'd be impossible to sharpen. After using the rotating stone in the Dremel, I finished off with a small slip stone by hand. And don't forget to flatten the burr off the reverse (flat) side of the blade - a bit like sharpening a chisel or a plane iron. Like I said, I thought it would be next to impossible and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was and and how effective the result. Have a go.

Krgds
AES

 

[bugbear]

Jacob notwithstanding, it's crucial to keep the back of the blades flat.

Dremel or similar on the bevel side. It's a fiddly and tedious process, but doable.

However, having struggled with a rather expensive Ryobi, which was getting blunter and less effective over the years, I am ecstatic with the performance and ergonomics of my new Makita trimmer.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-UH6570-e ... r-mr-title

BugBear

 

[treeturner123]

It must be my dyslexia, but when I first saw this I read ‘Sharpening a SLEDGE HAMMER!’ I was just wondering how much better a nice sharp sledge hammer might be, when I re read the question!

Advice given is fine, especially about watching out for any washers etc. Do it over a large sheet of white paper, most things will show up there. If they were white before, they will certainly be black with age!

Phil

 

[gregmcateer]

Thanks Paul, JH, AES, BB and Phil for the helpful advice.
Will give it a go.
Cheers
Greg