Blade sharpening questions

[Timber]

I can put an edge on anything including a pocket knife with a flat file. there is no better way to do an edge than by hand

 

[john_bud]

I can put an edge on anything including a pocket knife with a flat file. there is no better way to do an edge than by hand

Neighbor does taxidermi and he hand lapps razor blades as they are not sharp enough for him out of the box. Talk about an edge...

jb

 

[Baby Grand]

I'm with Timber.
I like a beefy 14 or 16 inch double cut flat bastard; Nicholson or similar quality. Not cheap, but good for all sorts of big blades, axes included.
No risk of burning the steel - good tactile feedback and if you get a big, heavy one you can remove metal at a surprising clip with much more control than with a hand grinder - at least in my experience. Get and use the special wire brush for cleaning it and you will have a friend for life. They're also great for free forming or fitting steel if you do a lot of fabrication work. Plus, you can take it where there's not power outlets.

Jim

 

[Timber]

Nicholson is all I ever use, You have to know when it is junk. Like any tool it needs to be sharp. Once it starts to slip in the sweet spot just toss it away like a dull drill bit. I started as a boy with wedges, cycles, Bow saws, Draw saws & draw blades, spoke shavers, chain saws you name it. I can set teeth on just about anything. Grow up on a farm and work in the field or the woods you got to have a decent rat tail. Put an edge on a Machete that will slice paper.Any one can pick up a power tool and make a mess. Do it with a cold file and it will hold the edge 5 times longer.

 

[johnnylight]

am considering this one :
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

what do ya think..


Timber,

I have to go with a power tool due to physical demands.

 

[RalphVa]

I have two bench grinders. The big Craftsman will grind the blade away if you want to do so. It'll barely start (and sometimes won't) in the winter time because it pulls so much juice starting up.

A bastard file with the blade in a vice would work but would be a bunch more work. I've used one on lawn mower blades. They're not quite as hard as brush hog blades, probably.

Ralph

 

[Bird]

Another tool that I no longer have but found pretty handy for sharpening things was my bench top belt sander.

 

[Baby Grand]

Actually, the HF grinder with the wet stone looks like it might be very handy. Having the water to lube the stone, clear swarf and keep the steel cool would be a real plus. The price is right - my concern would be about quality, having never bought a power tool from HF myself.

 

[pennwalk]

I've got to agree with Bird. I like my bench belt sander for sharpening mower blades. In fact it may be because of Bird that I bought it. I do have a hard time doing my Gator blades on it and have resorted to a jig to hold them and an angle grinder.

Chris

 

[BigE_]

am considering this one :
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

what do ya think..

Don't fall for it. The wheel is unbalanced and vibrates like crazy. The bearings are crap as well.

Maybe you'll get lucky, but the ones I looked at were crap.
-Steve