How to Sharpen Hedge Trimmers
A hedge trimmer is a useful tool in our homes. How else will you maintain your beautiful hedge without it? And like any other tool, it’s subject to wear and tear and needs maintenance. One way is to sharpen hedge trimmer.
If you have used your hedge trimmer for a while, you soon notice that:
- Branches and twigs frequently get jammed in the trimmer.
- The trimmer leaves behind frayed and unevenly cut branches.
- With a manual hedge trimmer, you need to use more energy to cut branches you could easily cut before.
If this sounds like you, then you need to look at your trimmer closely. Check the blade spacer and its sharpness. Prolonged usage will cause bluntness and spacer wear out.
If the spacer is okay but is blunt, this is what you need to do: you can either sharpen trimmer blades yourself or take it to a dealer.
However, it is beneficial. If you know how to sharpen hedge trimmers – whether petrol, electric, manual or battery-powered – back to their peak condition at home. All that is needed is your effort, tools of the trade, and a little skill. Of course, if you do not have the confidence to sharpen hedge trimmers at home, it’s best to hire a professional.
Step-by-Step Guide To Sharpen Hedge Trimmer
This guide answers all your concerns whether you want to know how to sharpen electric hedge trimmers or sharpen petrol hedge trimmers.
Tools Needed To Sharpen Trimmers
To effectively sharpen your electric hedge trimmer or petrol hedge trimmer, you require the following tools and materials:
- Flat file
- Resin solvent
- Whetstone
- Water
- Soft cloth
- Protective gear such as safety clothes, gloves, and safety glasses or face protection.
Safety Precautions When Sharpening Trimmers Blades
Important – before you start sharpening hedge trimmer blades, it’s critical you carefully read and understand our Step-by-Step Guide to sharpen hedge trimmer. This guide will enlighten you on how to sharpen hedge trimmers effectively while taking care of your safety.
It is also essential to take care of your safety. Ensure that you have protective gear, work on a flat surface, and know how to use the sharpening tools correctly.
Most importantly, always ensure that you disconnect the power source of hedge trimmers to prevent accidental start-up. For a gas-powered trimmer, empty the petrol tank, remove the battery-powered trimmer’s battery and unplug the electrical cable for the electric hedge trimmer.
When To Sharpen Trimmers Blades
Preferably, it would be best if you sharpened the blades before they wear off. According to manufacturers, you should sharpen the hedge trimmer after about 50 hours of usage. It may not be easy to keep track of the hours, especially in a small compound; hence always check the blades’ condition.
Why Is It Important To Sharpen Trimmers Blades
Sharpening hedge trimmers ensures your trimmer operates efficiently. Sharpening also ensures that your hedge trimmer lasts for a longer time.
Steps To Sharpen Hedge Trimmers
Sharpening hedge trimmers takes four easy steps. Each step is critical, and for best results, you should not skip any.
First Step: Start By Cleaning The Teeth Of The Trimmer
While using hedge trimmers, resin and plant sap accumulate and stick, especially on the teeth. These specks of dirt render a file ineffective. Therefore, before you sharpen the trimmer blade, use a soft cloth to wipe away the dirt. For sticky slime, use a wire brush and cleaning solution.
Second Step: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer With A Flat-File
After cleaning the teeth of the trimmer, the next step is how to sharpen hedge trimmer blades. But first, align the lower and upper blades for easy cleaning.
Here you will need a flat-file, and with a little effort, you will be able to sharpen hedge trimmer by hand:
- Always file towards the edges. A file works best when applied in a forward stroke and at an angle with a little pressure.
- Do not file back and forth. After every forward stroke, lift it from the blade’s surface while moving backward. Filing back and forth will only make the trimmer cutting blades more blunt than before and wear out faster. Besides, back-and-forth filing damages the file itself.
- Minimize abrasion to below 5mm. When filing, do not remove a lot of material. Excessive filing will compromise the effectiveness, durability, and quality of the hedge trimmer.
- Maintain uniformity. For the trimmer to work effectively, all blades should be of uniform size. When filing, uniformity is achieved by using the same file strokes and pressure at each cutting blade.
Take Note: You should not file the cut protection cover but focus on each tooth’s cutting edges.
Third Step: Smoothen The Cutting Edges
Now that you have sharpened the hedge trimmer, you need to give it a smooth finish. At this step, you need water and whetstone to remove the rough burrs which form at the underside of the cutting blade as you file.
Here is how to remove the burrs and smoothen rough surfaces:
- Turn your hedge trimmer over so that you can efficiently work on the underside of the cutting blades.
- Moisten the burrs.
- Working towards the cutting blade tip, swipe the whetstone along the cutting blades.
Fourth Step: Apply Corrosion And Rust Protection
After the above three steps, we still need to do the last step, which is crucial for your trimmer’s maintenance and longevity. The first three steps above, removes protection previously applied on the trimmer.
So the ultimate step is to restore the protection by using resin solvent. Spray the resin solvent on the cutting blades. The solvent will guarantee the trimming apparatus’s protection and that it serves you for a long time.
Key Points
It is crucial to sharpen hedge trimmers as a routine maintenance procedure and for effective functioning and longevity. While it is simple to tell when your trimmer needs sharpening, you must understand how to keep hedge trimmers sharp.
First, clean the cutting blades and sharpen them correctly with a flat-file and smooth finish with a whetstone. Finally, apply resin solvent to protect against corrosion.
FAQs
1. How much does it cost to sharpen hedge trimmers?
On average, it will cost you between $15 to $30 to sharpen electric or petrol hedge trimmers. For the small manual hedge trimmers, it will cost you about $6 to $10.
2. How to sharpen hedge trimmers at home?
Sharpening hedge trimmers at home is simple. First, ensure that you have the correct sharpening tools. Next, clean the cutting trimmer, sharpen with a flat-file, remove rough blurs using a whetstone, and then apply resin solvent to restore corrosion protection.
3. How do I know when to sharpen hedge trimmers?
The manufacturers recommend sharpening after about 50 hours of usage, but there is a telltale sign – a blunt hedge trimmer does not leave a clean cut. It will leave behind frayed and uneven edges during use.
Must Read: 7 Best Cordless Hedge Trimmer 2021
