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Garden

Tools with an edge

Sharp gardeners have sharp tools. It's the cutting edge that makes implements easier to use and friendlier to plants.

By YVONNE SWANSON, Special to the Times
Published January 27, 2007

When kitchen knives become dull, you sharpen them. Otherwise, you're sawing through food instead of making clean cuts and slices.

The same is true for your gardening tools, especially the ones used for pruning. The very act of pruning injures plant tissue, and when it's done with a dull blade, you end up tearing and shredding your plants. You're not only putting your plants at risk for disease and decay, but you're making the job a lot more difficult for yourself and shortening the life span of your tools.

This is a good time of year to take inventory of your tools, sharpen them and make needed repairs. If handles or gears are broken, have them repaired or replace the tool. Do-it-yourself repairs with duct tape and glue are not options.

Next, make a shopping list for the basic items you'll need to sharpen tools. At the very least, you'll need a file (to sharpen digging tools and very dull cutting tools) and a sharpening stone (to hone and maintain sharp edges on cutting tools). Don't forget a small container of oil to use during the sharpening process and for lubricating gears. Honing solution, which is a non-petroleum sharpening oil, is usually on display with sharpening items, or look for light motor oil, such as 3-IN-ONE (manufactured by the same company that makes WD-40).

Hardware stores stock a wide variety of sharpening supplies near the tools. Files come in different shapes, lengths and degrees of coarseness. The same is true for honing stones, which are identified by grit (similar to sandpaper). You can buy a sharpening kit with a variety of files and stones for about $20. On a recent shopping trip for basic supplies, I spent about $35 for Smith's Diamond Sharpening Stone on a pad, an 8-inch Nicholson general-purpose file and a 4-ounce bottle of Smith's Honing Solution.

If you don't have a pair of sturdy gloves or goggles to protect your eyes, add them to your list. Sharpening metal blades can be dangerous work, so protecting your hands and eyes is a must.

If you cringe at the thought of filing a sharp metal blade, you can hire a professional for the job. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Sharpening equipment and stones" or "Sharpening service" for local companies that will sharpen your gardening tools. Expect to pay several dollars per blade for pruning tools and more for larger tools such as lawn mowers and chainsaws.

The Pinellas County chapter of the Landscape Maintenance Association sharpens hundreds of tools for $2 per blade at the City of St. Petersburg's annual Green Thumb Festival (this year's event is April 28-29 at Walter Fuller Park), but the group encourages gardeners to regularly sharpen their tools at home. At the very least, lawn mower blades should be sharpened quarterly, while other tools can be sharpened less frequently, depending on use, says Greg Holle, owner of Environmental Landscape Services of Tampa Bay Inc. in St. Petersburg and a director of the association. "Keeping your blades sharp is the most important thing, and you can do it yourself," he says.

The golden rule of sharpening is to preserve the original factory bevel or angle. Some tools are beveled on one side only and the other side is flat. Sharpen the beveled edge. Just file the flat side to remove burrs or nicks. Always start with clean tools that are braced against a solid surface or clamped in a vise.

From the National Gardening Association and home repair Web site DoItYourself.com, here are simple guidelines for sharpening the most common garden tools:

CUTTING TOOLS: For hand pruners, wet a medium-grit sharpening or honing stone with water, or lubricate with a few drops of oil to help keep tiny metal particles from flying. Rub the sharp edge of the blade (beveled side only, from the base to the tip) toward the stone in a curved motion, as if you're slicing the stone. If there are nicks on the blade, use a fine-grit file to remove them.

For larger tools, such as hedge shears and loppers, sharpen with a medium-grit file, then finish with a fine-mill file. Use smooth, even strokes of the file, and be careful not to remove too much metal or you'll alter the shape of the blade.

DIGGING TOOLS (SHOVEL, SPADE, HOE): Sandy soil such as ours is abrasive and can quickly dull digging tools. To sharpen, use a medium-grit or coarse file on the working edge to create a 45-degree bevel, and remove nicks and chips, always making one-direction strokes away from your body.

As the edge becomes sharper, it will develop a slight shine, but a fine edge is not necessary. Finish with a fine-grit file or sharpening stone.

HEAVY-DUTY TOOLS (LAWNMOWERS, ELECTRIC HEDGE TRIMMERS AND CHAINSAWS): These are more complicated projects that require some disassembly and additional sharpening tools. If you're industrious, check the manufacturer's product literature for instructions or visit DoItYourself.com for guidance. Otherwise, have them sharpened by a pro.

Another option is purchasing an electric grinder or sharpening drill attachment, which are faster but more dangerous. Both will remove steel quickly under intense heat and can generate sparks and flying splinters. Unless you're really handy and you sharpen tools frequently, these methods are best left to the professionals.

Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer in St. Petersburg and a master gardener for Pinellas County.

FAST FACTS

More tips for your tools

Take good care of your tools and they should last a lifetime, experts say. In addition to sharpening, here are some tips for keeping tools at their best:

- Clean tools after each use with a wire brush, steel wool pad or a wadded piece of aluminum foil, experts at Lowe's Home Improvement suggest. At the very least, spray tools with a garden hose and dry before storing.

- If sap or other stubborn substances are present, you can remove them with turpentine solvent.

- To remove rust from tools, fill a 5-gallon bucket with coarse sand mixed lightly with vegetable oil, author William Bryant Logan suggests in Smith and Hawken's The Tool Book (Workman, $19.95 paperback). After you've cleaned your tools, dip them into the sand mixture, then wipe off with an oiled rag.

- Disinfect tools after each use to prevent the spread of disease from one plant to another and eliminate soil-borne diseases. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service recommends a solution of 1 part alcohol and 9 parts water. Dip tools into the liquid and wipe dry. Or fill a spray bottle and the solution and thoroughly saturate tools.

- Store garden tools in a dry place, away from heat, direct sun and moisture. Hanging them is ideal to eliminate moisture. If you store them in airtight plastic containers, make sure they are completely dry. Never leave tools outdoors.

About this series

Resolution Review

An occasional look back to see how well we're keeping our new year's resolutions in the garden.

[Last modified January 26, 2007, 11:14:06]