Sharpening a shovel in various ways. How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder Is it necessary to sharpen a bayonet shovel

The search engine has at least one shovel, for example I have two, but I'm thinking of buying a third one, no, I'm not greedy, it's just that different places require both individual settings for the metal detector, and preferably different shovels!

Search engine Dmitry Shostak demonstrated his brand new freshly sharpened Fiskars and shared his thoughts on what and how to sharpen a shovel for detecting, then I quote Dmitry with photos

“... any tool needs sharpening, even if not immediately, but still, sooner or later YOU will be forced to do this very sharpening. So, let's begin. I bought a Fiskars shovel, I understood before buying, and I saw that the shovel was not sharpened, apparently the manufacturer decided to leave this question to the buyer. Before starting to sharpen anything, more than one article was read about HOW TO SHARPEN A SHOVEL EVERYTHING? From the back or from the inside? Well, so I thought about it, remembered the shortcomings of the old shovel and what would I like to get from the new one? And I decided to sharpen from the inside of the shovel, making the edge at an angle and about 6-7 mm wide. Why did I decide to do so? Yes, because with such a sharpening it will be convenient to cut the grass and the upper layers of the soil - this was one of the main goals. On trips to the fields, experience has shown that it is necessary to cut or mow the top layer of 3-4 mm with grass and its roots, the old shovel, alas, did not cope with this task, and it took a long and tedious time to break through this layer and uproot it, but this is not so and easy to do. It is much easier and faster to make and more accurately cut the layer and then continue to dig in softer soil. I sharpened with a file, not because there was no tool, but because I didn’t want to overheat the material at the very edge of the bayonet.

A shovel is an indispensable tool in garden work, so it is important that it remains sharp and comfortable to dig with.

We sharpen a shovel with a file

Using a file has only a few drawbacks - it is a rather long and tedious process. But the benefits are much greater. The file has a small size, which allows you to always have it at hand. Manual sharpening makes it possible to control the thickness of the metal layer being removed and sharpen the shovel exactly as much as necessary. With strong heating, the physical and mechanical properties of the metal change, as a result of which it becomes softer and more brittle. And when working with a file, such strong heating does not occur.

How to sharpen a bayonet shovel with a file? First of all, it must be cleaned of adhering clods of dirt, plant residues, etc. and fix it motionless so that at the most inopportune moment it does not fall and cause injury.

Sharpening occurs along the front part of the cutting area of ​​the shovel in the direction from the blade to the handle of the shovel. First, coarse sharpening is done with a large-cut file, then a fine-cut tool is used to finish the blade.

When working, you must try to prevent the appearance of too thin sections on the edge of the shovel - they will quickly become dull.

We use power tools

How to sharpen a shovel quickly and effortlessly? To do this, you can use a grinder or grinder.

It is necessary to work with the grinder carefully. There are many reasons for this:

• A rotating tool wheel can cause serious injury.
• With excessively intensive sharpening, the metal overheats, as a result of which it significantly loses its strength.
• At a high speed of disk rotation, it is very difficult to control the uniform sharpening of the shovel tip. With a high degree of probability, the cut will be uneven, with burrs, chips.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder? This must be done from the bottom up, being careful not to press the tool too hard so as not to thin the edge. For safety reasons, be sure to protect your eyes with goggles and wear gloves.

Much more efficient in the work of a special emery machine. It allows you to adjust the speed of rotation of the disk and makes it possible to choose the optimal mode. In addition, modern machines, as a rule, are equipped with clamps that allow you to firmly fix the tool being sharpened and prevent it from fluctuating during the sharpening process. For uniform surface treatment of the shovel, it is recommended to use heavy abrasive wheels.

But no matter how hard a person tries to sharpen a shovel correctly on a machine, it is still a rough tool that will surely leave minor flaws, and they will have to be corrected with a fine notch file. At the same time, it should be understood that even the most accurate sharpening will not save a poor-quality shovel from quick breakage. Therefore, when choosing a tool for working in the country, you should not save.

One of the most common tools in the garden is a shovel. Over time, the working edges can become dull, this phenomenon will lead to the unusability of the device. Therefore, gardeners often wonder how to sharpen a shovel, and what tools are needed for this.

Shovel sharpening

According to their purpose, shovels are divided into:

1. Bayonet. They are used for digging soil (garden, trenches, pits). During operation, the working surface may become dull. Requires timely sharpening.
2. Sovkovye. They are used to move materials subject to flowability, as well as work related to loading and unloading. Sharpened in rare cases.
3. Sappers. Such a tool has found a narrow application for performing special tasks in combat situations.

Bayonet-type products differ from analogues in their shape. The working part is made in the form of a rectangle, or tapers at a certain angle. For sharpening edges of various shapes, the same methods are used, depending on the type of work. They do not have instructions in which the manufacturer specifies the base material. For the manufacture of tools can be used:

• steel with a high carbon content;
• steel with the addition of stainless elements;
• alloy steels;
• titanium and alloys of various metals.

The handle is made from any type of wood, as well as some light metals. The working part is made by hot stamping, while it is necessary to further process the metal surface by hardening. During inspection, the presence of cracks, burrs and chipping is not allowed. The handle is securely fixed with metal. When the shovel is bent as a result of pressing, it is considered defective.

What is the purpose of sharpening shovels?

If during the digging of the soil you have to apply maximum effort, this means that you need to sharpen the shovel. Such manipulation will allow in the future to carry out work on trimming the small roots of plants, digging soddy soil. Correcting the working edge is recommended for new shovels, since the edges are not sharp when made with a hot stamp.

The bayonet type, made of steel from old rails, must be constantly corrected. However, some devices do not require sharpening for the entire service life.

sharpening tool

Sharpening a shovel involves the use of high-quality tools. However, the speed of dressing the cutting edge depends on the skill of the worker. For quick sharpening, the following devices are used:

• hand file with a fine notch;
• angle grinder;
• manual machine for grinding with sandpaper;
• industrial or desktop grinder.

Distribution was found by a machine with two circles located on the same axis. However, they differ in the size of the abrasive material. With the help of such a device, it is possible to perform coarse and fine dressing of the cutting edge. However, when using a tool of complex shape, it is recommended to use portable machines with manual control.

In the absence of electrically driven devices, you can edit the working edge with files and sandpaper, but the process will take a long time. The use of a grinder is possible if there is a disc for metal processing.

Sharpening a shovel with a file

Sharpening methods

There are three main ways to process the working edge of a metal bayonet shovel:

• hand file with a fine notch;
• angle grinder;
• industrial grinding machine.

Preparatory stage

Before starting manipulations with the processing of the edge of the tool, it is necessary to make sure that the handle is securely fastened. If only the metal part is available, then it can be clamped in a metal vise. To prevent injuries, it is necessary to provide the master with personal protective equipment, which includes glasses and gloves, as well as overalls.

The power tool should be inspected for defects, wires and power cables should be intact without damage or creases. It is forbidden to use grinding wheels with chips and chipping of the working surface.

The metal part of the shovel must first be cleaned of earth and dirt. Rinse the working edge with running water and wipe with a dry cloth. It is recommended to beat off the edges of the tool. Such manipulations will further accelerate the process of sharpening the shovel. However, beating requires high skills of the master.

How to sharpen a shovel

In the process of work, it is necessary to maintain a sharpening angle of up to 20 °, while achieving a cutting edge thickness of not more than 0.5 mm. When using a power tool, do not apply excessive force, as this may lead to a defect in the metal, or breakage of the grinding wheel.

To check the quality of work, you can use a sheet of paper or a wooden block. Cut off the edges with the edge of a shovel, if you have to apply effort, then the editing process is repeated. The working surface should be free of dents, chips and burrs. Metal of poor quality, even after sharpening, cannot be restored to its original sharpness.

Proper blade sharpening

Advantages of the method:

1. High quality cutting edge. When using a tool with an electric drive, it is not possible to achieve a similar result. The file regulates the thickness of the metal both on the working edge and on the side faces.
2. There is no heating of the metal surface. When using a grinder and emery, overheating occurs, which leads to a change in the properties of the metal part of the shovel.
3. Ease of carrying. Possibility of editing the tool in any place without the need to find a source of energy.

When sharpening it is necessary:

1. Fix the metal part securely. It is recommended to use a vise. It is forbidden to exceed the force when tightening the lips, this may lead to deformation.
2. Rough handling. First of all, editing is carried out with a file with a large notch. They move from the front side to the back, the reverse order is prohibited.
3. Precise processing. Editing is carried out with a file with a fine notch, while achieving an edge thickness of not more than 0.5 mm.
4. Removing sharp edges. A square profile file is used, with its help, edges sharpened with a smaller angle are removed.

Editing a shovel with a grinder

The disadvantage of the method is:

1. The need for a power source.
2. As a result of the critical heating of the metal, the technical characteristics of the edge decrease. This phenomenon leads to the fact that the edge quickly blunts in the future.
3. The difference in the thickness of the edge of the shovel. High rotation speeds do not allow to maintain a thickness of 0.5 mm along the entire length of the tool edge.
4. The metal after processing must be additionally edited with a file with a fine notch. This will help to avoid injury when transporting the shovel.

The advantages include only the speed of editing. When processing, the grinding wheel must be guided towards the holder. Sharpen only the front side of the tool.

Sharpening a shovel with a grinder

Sharpening with an emery machine

For high quality edges, it is necessary to use machines with adjustable speed of rotation of the emery wheel, as well as a large abrasive weight. This will avoid vibration during processing. You can sharpen a shovel by following the instructions below:

1. Fix the workpiece securely. In this case, the master needs to press the working part of the shovel to the stop on the machine.
2. Initially, it is recommended to remove a metal layer no more than 0.3 mm thick. Thus, cracks and dents on the edge of the shovel are leveled. Further change the angle of the workpiece relative to the surface of the grinding wheel. In the process of work, for cooling, the edges must be watered with water. Dark spots will appear on the edge, which, however, do not harm the characteristics of the metal.
3. Finishing is done with a hand file. Burrs and microcracks are removed. Areas with excessive edge sharpness are removed.

How to sharpen a sapper shovel

You can sharpen a sapper shovel, like a regular bayonet, in any of three main ways. It is previously recommended to beat off the edges of the metal part, which in the future will help reduce the loss of time for editing the edge with a tool. Movements are carried out on the front side, burrs are only removed from the back.

Compliance with the instructions and safety requirements will help keep the tool in working order for a long time, reduce the effort when digging the soil in the garden.

It is simply impossible to work in the garden or garden without a well-sharpened shovel. Although in appearance these tools practically do not differ from each other, the materials from which they are made can be completely different. Well-known manufacturing companies often produce such products, which do not require sharpening at all. These properties of an improvised tool are due to the high quality of the steel used, which also leads to a high cost of goods.

Tool selection

In their purpose, shovels are of several types. Simple gardeners are accustomed to dividing them into two varieties:

• bayonet (for digging soil, digging landing holes, ditches);
• scoop (for loading and unloading, carrying those materials that have flowability).

It should be remembered that it is necessary to sharpen, first of all, the tools that will be used to dig up the earth on the site. They usually have blades that are rectangular or slightly tapering towards the top. In this case, sharpening is carried out using approximately the same technology.

The most difficult thing is to decide on the selection of the material of manufacture, since these tools do not have parametric technical instructions.

You should know that they are made from carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, titanium, as well as a variety of alloys.

The handle is made from a variety of materials, ranging from birch poles to a special aluminum alloy.

The metal blade itself can be made in different ways. High-quality work, when a good metal is strongly heated, but not melted, and in a softened form it is stamped with a special press. Poor quality - simple stamping from a tin.
Sometimes it is indicated directly on the metal that the shovel is made of a rail, although in reality this does not at all guarantee the high strength of the tool.

Thanks to the use of modern technologies, the products of the manufacturer Fiskars, which are of good quality and wear resistance, are very popular.

It is necessary to immediately put aside the shovel, on the surface of which cracks, scratches are visible, and even more so various kinds of shells, creases, bruises.
In terms of its thickness, the metal used should not be less than two millimeters, and the edge knife itself should not be less than half a millimeter.
It is very important that the smooth surface of the entire tool is properly hardened, not damaged, not bent with slight pressure, and the handle is not loosened. The weight of a high-quality metal blank should not exceed one kilogram.

Choice of sharpening tool

It would seem that everyone knows how to sharpen a shovel, but it is impossible to do it efficiently without having special tools at hand.

Note: how well this work will be done is determined not only by the sharpening material, but also by the skill of the performer.

Among the suitable tools are: various kinds of files, whetstones, grinding machines such as grinders, grinding machines.

The most suitable in this case is a grinding machine equipped with two discs for coarse and finer grinding.
Files and sticks should be used. if the household does not have suitable electrical appliances.

And yet - how to sharpen a shovel?

Before doing this work, you need to make sure that the cutting is planted firmly enough. Indeed, in this case, the handle will allow you to well fix the blade itself. In another case, it is possible to clamp the tool panel in a bench-type vise, and put the cutting itself in a special nest after the end of sharpening.
It is not difficult to determine the choice of the sharpening angle using factory processing, strictly observing its parameters.

Before starting this process, which threatens with the possibility of injury, protective equipment should be prepared and, above all, special glasses, as well as canvas gloves. Check the electrical wires supplying the electric current to ensure that there are no defects in the insulating materials.
Then it is good to clean the metal sheet and the handle from adhering earth, or wash it with water, wiping it with a dry rag.

Some precede the process by beating the blade of the shovel by tapping it with an ordinary hammer, which makes it easier to sharpen the working edge of the shovel. This is easily done by grabbing the tool by the handle and resting the blade on a small anvil.
It should be noted that a certain experience is required here, otherwise you can only spoil everything.

In the case of using a sharpening machine, the shovel and handle must be properly fixed. Pressing with the help of the foot rest is ineffective and, moreover, quite dangerous.

In this case, it is necessary to maintain a sharpening angle equal to approximately twenty degrees for the blade itself. Do not forget that the metal is only five millimeters thick, and with inept handling, you can simply grind off the blade without improving its sharpness.
When working with a file, you need to know that you will have to spend a lot of time, although, in principle, this is the only negative.

Whereas the pluses are much more significant: this tool is small in size and can easily fit in a pocket of overalls; it is easy to check how much the metal layer has been removed and to carry out sharpening in full accordance with the need; there is no overheating of the metal surface, from which it may lose its properties.
The sharpening process itself consists of several stages: cleaning the surface from the ground, plant fibers; strong fastening to avoid injury; sharpen from the front side of the blade - from the edge to the wooden handle.

The beginning of sharpening is best done with a coarse-grained tool, and then a good walk with a fine-grained one.
At the same time, you need to monitor the uniformity of sharpening so that there are no very thin places, otherwise they quickly become dull.
Whether you have achieved the desired sharpness, you can check by taking a shovel by the handle and trying to cut an ordinary paper sheet with a blade or sharpen a wooden stick. If this does not work, then the sharpening of the shovel is not completed. In this case, it is better to contact the master.

You should know: when the metal panel of a shovel is made of low-quality materials, it dulls rather quickly and bends instantly - in this situation, sharpening will not have any effect.

An important accessory of any digger and treasure hunter is a shovel. In fact, there can be no digger at all without a shovel, because then he will have nothing to dig with. Therefore, the issue of preparing this tool is always - and especially at the beginning of the next search season - very acute. One of the main questions that search engines discuss is whether it is necessary to sharpen a shovel and how to sharpen it correctly.

At treasure-hunting and gardening forums, the topic of sharpening a shovel is covered very widely and is discussed very vigorously. The first point of discussion concerns whether the shovel should be sharpened at all.

As for the usual samples of Soviet design thought - traditional bayonet shovels with a wooden handle (and, by the way, many search engines prefer them), then it is necessary to sharpen it. Regarding the "fiscars" and similar "branded" samples, the answer is not so unambiguous. The expert we contacted with this question answered that the factory laser sharpening of the “Fiskar” should be enough for the entire service life of the shovel and its sharpening is not required.

Most likely, it is, if we talk about the traditional use of a shovel - digging beds. The soft and prepared land of home gardens really cannot significantly blunt the fiskar. However, use in metal detecting conditions, where the soil may be saturated with metal and bricks, or may simply be frozen, is extreme for a shovel. Therefore, if the "fiskar" and the like are used in such conditions, the need for sharpening grows many times.

If we are talking about a Soviet-style shovel, then it is advisable to beat it off before sharpening. Farmers with experience, of course, know the expression "beat off the scythe." With a shovel it is necessary to carry out similar operations. As a rule, no one provides commercial services for retracting (or pulling) shovels in Russian cities, so you will have to pull the shovel yourself.

In order to beat off a shovel or a scythe, in the household they used to have a special anvil, the so-called headstock, usually fixed on a massive deck, and a good hammer with a tapered end, with which the blade is pulled. Now, with this equipment, most diggers have strained, therefore, most likely, they will have to delay the shovel in artisanal conditions or even abandon this operation.

The shovel is beaten off towards the cutting and digging part with light blows of the hammer on the bayonet. The drawn surface of the shovel sharpens much better, experts say.

However, as for the already mentioned “fiscars”, there is no need to fight them off. The metal here has a completely different structure, and hammering a shovel will only make it worse.

Regarding the methods of sharpening - how many people, so many opinions. For example, the search engine Boris Volkov, already known to us from previous publications, installed a grinding machine in his garage specifically for this purpose. However, on the forums, some diggers, comparing grinding machines and an ordinary grinder, prefer the second option.

No less famous search engine Valery Kiselev sharpens a shovel with an ordinary file and is sure that this is the best way. The most important thing, he believes, is to sharpen it from the right side.

Many are sure that there is no difference on which side of the shovel to chamfer - and they do it incorrectly. Indeed, the easiest way is to put the shovel upside down so that it does not make unnecessary "gestures" and start working. But with this direction of sharpening, the search engine will subsequently have two difficulties at once.

First: during digging, the bayonet of the shovel will move forward, which is not very convenient in principle, plus there is a real threat to hit the target.

Second: sharpening the back surface becomes a brake when the bayonet moves in the soil. If you dig strictly vertically, these problems disappear, but we all dig at an angle, a little forward.

Therefore, Valery Kiselev is sure, the shovel must be sharpened from the front side. This is not very convenient, because the shovel starts to spin and it needs to be additionally fixed, but when digging, the bayonet will not go forward, but, as it were, under the digger himself. This is a more correct algorithm of work, which will exclude an accidental hit on a coin and, in general, will make working with a shovel more ergonomic.

In telescopic shovels, search engines advise installing a rubber gasket on the hinge - this way the shovel will last longer. The shovel needs to be disassembled, put the gasket, reassemble.

Sharply sharpened "fiskar" mows the grass well. This is another argument in favor of the mandatory sharpening of the shovel. But then you need to sharpen not only the blade itself, but also the side sectors of the bayonet - at least partially.

Initially, you need to buy a thicker shovel. Some small blades, easy to transport, but not very convenient to dig, the thickness of the bayonet does not even reach two millimeters. There is a very high risk of bending the shovel in the opposite direction.

Evgeny Lazarev. , February 2012.