Outdoor Trimming - Two Simple Ways to Make it Faster and Easier
Though you may think to yourself, "duh, isn't that awfully simple," there are two ways to make outdoor trimming easier and faster that many of us forget about.
The result is more work, more time spent, and more frustration.
Follow these two easy basics and getting your outdoor trimming done will be faster and easier.
1.
Always Keep Your Trimming Tools Sharp If you regularly sharpen the cutting edges of your various outdoor trimmers (ie.
bypass shears, anvil shears, lopping shears and hedge shears), completing your trimming work will be substantially faster and easier.
To Sharpen Your Hedge Shears: Simply hold your clippers in an open position, above your vise with blades spread apart and cutting edges up, and sharpen the blade that has its' beveled edge facing you.
Use a grinding bit (a Dremel #932 Grinding Stone works well), and grind from one end of the blade to the other.
You do not need to apply a lot of pressure as you grind.
Be careful not to change the bevel angle as you sharpen, and if you sharpen your blades regularly (usually once a season is enough unless you do quite a bit of trimming), trimming your hedges will be a lot easier.
To Sharpen Your Bypass Shears: You can use a grinding wheel on bypass shears, but a more precise method that may allow you to have a cleaner, sharper edge is to use small diamond-embedded files.
One coarse file and one that is fine.
Practice drawing the entire length of the file along the edge of the cutting blade, and again, make sure to follow the same bevel angle that already exists on the blade's edge.
Sharpening the cutting edges of anvil shears and lopping shears can be done basically in the same fashion as discussed above.
One trick to help you know you are grinding at the same bevel angle is to first color the entire beveled edge with black marker.
If your grinding is leaving portions of black remaining on the edge, you know you need to adjust the angle of your grinding or filing.
2.
Always Clean Your Tools Removing dirt and other debris from your outdoor trimming tools helps prevent rusting, helps keep them sharp, and allows the cutting movements to flow easily.
Dirt and dust can attract and hold moisture, so letting them sit on steel surfaces will eventually lead to rusting.
Also, if there is dirt or granules of sand or other material on the cutting blades, each time the blade moves along the surface of the other, the cutting edge will become duller.
You can clean your tools by using kerosene or WD-40 and a Scotch Pad.
If there is build up of rust or other gunk, first soak the blades with the lubricant for about one minute and then scrub them with steel wool.
After the buildup is removed, use the finer Scotch Pad to finish rubbing the blade surfaces.
Also, after every use, make sure your tools are dirt free and completely dry.
A quick spray of WD-40 over the steel and the handle will help remove dirt and also leave a thin protective layer.
Linseed oil is also great for a wooden handles.
Just rub a little in when you're done.
So, if you take a few extra minutes to practice these two outdoor trimming tool basics, you will keep your tools in great operating condition, allow them to last you a long time, and you will save a lot of time and effort each time you trim.
The result is more work, more time spent, and more frustration.
Follow these two easy basics and getting your outdoor trimming done will be faster and easier.
1.
Always Keep Your Trimming Tools Sharp If you regularly sharpen the cutting edges of your various outdoor trimmers (ie.
bypass shears, anvil shears, lopping shears and hedge shears), completing your trimming work will be substantially faster and easier.
To Sharpen Your Hedge Shears: Simply hold your clippers in an open position, above your vise with blades spread apart and cutting edges up, and sharpen the blade that has its' beveled edge facing you.
Use a grinding bit (a Dremel #932 Grinding Stone works well), and grind from one end of the blade to the other.
You do not need to apply a lot of pressure as you grind.
Be careful not to change the bevel angle as you sharpen, and if you sharpen your blades regularly (usually once a season is enough unless you do quite a bit of trimming), trimming your hedges will be a lot easier.
To Sharpen Your Bypass Shears: You can use a grinding wheel on bypass shears, but a more precise method that may allow you to have a cleaner, sharper edge is to use small diamond-embedded files.
One coarse file and one that is fine.
Practice drawing the entire length of the file along the edge of the cutting blade, and again, make sure to follow the same bevel angle that already exists on the blade's edge.
Sharpening the cutting edges of anvil shears and lopping shears can be done basically in the same fashion as discussed above.
One trick to help you know you are grinding at the same bevel angle is to first color the entire beveled edge with black marker.
If your grinding is leaving portions of black remaining on the edge, you know you need to adjust the angle of your grinding or filing.
2.
Always Clean Your Tools Removing dirt and other debris from your outdoor trimming tools helps prevent rusting, helps keep them sharp, and allows the cutting movements to flow easily.
Dirt and dust can attract and hold moisture, so letting them sit on steel surfaces will eventually lead to rusting.
Also, if there is dirt or granules of sand or other material on the cutting blades, each time the blade moves along the surface of the other, the cutting edge will become duller.
You can clean your tools by using kerosene or WD-40 and a Scotch Pad.
If there is build up of rust or other gunk, first soak the blades with the lubricant for about one minute and then scrub them with steel wool.
After the buildup is removed, use the finer Scotch Pad to finish rubbing the blade surfaces.
Also, after every use, make sure your tools are dirt free and completely dry.
A quick spray of WD-40 over the steel and the handle will help remove dirt and also leave a thin protective layer.
Linseed oil is also great for a wooden handles.
Just rub a little in when you're done.
So, if you take a few extra minutes to practice these two outdoor trimming tool basics, you will keep your tools in great operating condition, allow them to last you a long time, and you will save a lot of time and effort each time you trim.