Regular maintenance of your hedge trimmer is essential to ensure clean and safe cuts. Find out in this article how to effectively sharpen the blades of your hedge trimmer, whether you use an electric, battery or gasoline model.
Here are two signs that your blades need sharpening:
Branches get stuck between the blades or the cut is not clean.
Why is sharpening hedge trimmer blades important?
Make cutting work easier:Â A well-sharpened material offers a more pleasant, faster cut and much more effective healing.
Carry out a quality cut:Â A hedge cut with sharp blades will be clean and straight, thus avoiding the establishment of parasites or fungi.
Take care of your hedge trimmer:Â Regular maintenance extends the life of your hedge trimmer by avoiding excessive wear.
Here are the 8 commandments of good maintenance:
1. Safety first:Â Contact a professional Before starting sharpening but if you know you have the necessary skills, first of all make sure that the hedge trimmer is turned off and unplugged from any possible current. Wear protective glasses and gloves to avoid injury.
2. Identifying the blades:Â Locate the blades on the hedge trimmer. If possible, remove some blades for more convenient sharpening.
3. Cleaning:Â Use a solvent product to remove the sap resin and use a wire brush to remove vegetation residue from the blades. Prior cleaning guarantees more effective sharpening. (In my opinion Stihl products are the best)
4. Holding the blades:Â Securely secure the hedge trimmer using a vice to maintain stability during sharpening.
5. Sharpening with a file or whetstone:Â You must use the file or the whetstone to sharpen each blade. Respect the original angle of the blade and make regular movements on each tooth. Please sharpen each tooth equally to maintain the balance of the blades.
6. Check:Â After sharpening, lightly touch the blades with your fingertip to make sure they are sharp. Be careful to avoid cuts.
7. Reassembly:Â If you have removed blades, reassemble them correctly, respecting spacing and direction of installation.
8. Lu< /strong>blade assembly: Must be done regularly
Sharpening techniques:
a. Using a file:
Place the hedge trimmer on a flat surface.
Use a flat file or a special sharpening file.
Sharpen each tooth respecting the cutting direction and following an angle of 45°.
Perform the same operation on the other side of the blade.
b. Using a grinder or Dremel:
Disassemble the blades and secure them using a vice.
Set the grinder or Dremel to a low rotation speed.
Apply light pressure to each tooth, respecting the cutting direction and an angle of 45°.
Perform the same operation on the other side of the blade.
Extra tip: If the blade is excessively worn or crooked, it is recommended to replace it. Check out the gardening tools blog posts to learn more about how your device works.
Need further assistance? Please contact your seller or manufacturer.