|
 Outdoor
Trimming – Two Simple
Ways to Make it Faster
and Easier
By Dan Fenstemaker,
Inventor of the Original
INTELETOOL
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.
---
Dan Fenstemaker is an
outdoor trimming expert. For more great
information on
outdoor trimming, visit
http://www.inteletool.com. |
