subject: How To Sharpen Your Hedge Trimmers Properly [print this page] Anyone who has dealt with hedge trimmers knows one thing: they need to be sharpened continuously to ensure that they are at their best condition possible. People who have not worked with them for long may sometimes find this procedure difficult and time consuming. On the other hand, those who have done it before know that it is something that one can do quickly and effectively without spending so much time and effort on it. But what steps should one take if he or she is preparing to sharpen the trimmers?
Dress For The Job
Oh Yes! You have to ensure that you are properly dressed for the job so that you do not end up hurting yourself in the process of sharpening and cleaning the tool. To protect your eyes, you will need to put on a pair of goggles. This will ensure that metal filings do not fly into your eyes when you are busy sharpening the blades. You will also need to put on some heavy gloves to ensure that you do not end up filing your fingers when indeed you were meant to sharpen the blades. These are precautions which might seem petty, but which, if ignored, can cause very serious harm to you.
Part By Part
After you have dressed for the job and are now ready to work on it, the next job involves the process of disassembling the whole tool. Separate the two blades of the trimmer by loosening the bolt that brings the two blades together. It is important to realize that for effective cleaning and filing, all the blades should be separated and filed separately. As you separate the blades, ensure that you do it on a flat surface so that you do not end up losing the bolt that joins the blade together.
The Filing
The filing process needs to be done when the file and the blade face away from you, and not towards you. This will help you reduce the chances of injuring yourself with the blade. File the blade until it gets sharp enough and then start the process all over again until the second blade becomes sharp too. Once you are totally convinced that both blades are as sharp as you would want them to be, put the blades back together. Ensure that you tighten the bolt so that the blades are not loose.
All in all, the most important thing that you need to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning and filing your blades is safety. If you do it right, then you will not encounter injuries; but if you happen to do it the wrong way, then you will have so many injuries that will make the whole process very unfruitful.
