Which side to sharpen the bayonet shovel. Tips from masters on how to sharpen a shovel, qualitatively and for a long time

V. FOKIN

The earth crumpled. In winter, firewood was brought from the garden: they dragged, sawed, pricked - so they compacted the beds even through the snow cover.

I remember my childhood.
- Sons, do not start business today - we will dig a garden.

…After breakfast, we reluctantly take apart the shovels. My father takes the largest, “Stakhanovka”: one and a half times more than my mother’s ... My brother and I get the lightest ones, with short cuttings ...

The earth crumpled. In winter, firewood was brought from the garden: they dragged, sawed, pricked - so they compacted the beds even through the snow cover.

... By lunchtime, there are calluses on my hands. More and more often we sit down to rest.

“And the shovels need to be sharpened ...” the neighbor commented, turning one of the shovels in his hands. Originally from the village, he knows a lot about gardening.

He took the first one that came across, put it on a block of wood with the back to himself and asked for a file ... Work with a sharpened shovel went better with him than with us ...

We were embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Their 4-5 acres (albeit with calluses) were almost always mastered without sharpening shovels. It was madness for him to work with a blunt instrument: he has a larger plot. We quickly sharpened other shovels and pretty soon finished the job. So I learned the first rule: you need to work with a sharpened tool.

... Three years later, I came across a small article from the magazine "Technology - Youth" ... It was called: "Do you sharpen your shovel correctly?" - By the way, I think...

What a competent and meticulous article ... It turned out that our neighbor, and even more so we, sharpened the shovel incorrectly. He put it with its front surface on a block of wood (it’s more convenient - it doesn’t swing), and with a file he chamfered on the back surface. It is necessary to sharpen, as it was written in the note, only from the front side.

By that time, I graduated from a technical school with a degree in tool production - I examined the note and the drawing placed in it from the point of view of science ... Indeed, if a shovel were stuck into the ground strictly vertically, it could be sharpened from any side. And since the gardener plunges the shovel into the ground with a certain inclination of the handle towards him, the sharpening of the back surface becomes a brake when the blade moves in the soil. So you need to sharpen the shovel only from the front side. That's when, it was written in the article, it will become easier to dig.

In the spring sharpened as it should. Digging easily and quickly - the soul rejoiced ... Here is the second commandment: you need to work with a properly sharpened tool.

However, I will say: neither before nor after reading the note, I have not seen a properly sharpened shovel in anyone. All sharpen from the back. Probably, because it is more convenient: the shovel lies on a block of wood - it does not move. If it is properly sharpened, it is necessary to hold it additionally, as it rests on the block of wood with a bulge and sways from side to side. By the way, I still haven’t seen a properly made shovel in stores (taking into account the recommended sharpening). Neither ours, nor foreign. That's technical progress for you...

The shovel is a thousand years old and still has the wrong sharpening.

When I was designing a flat cutter, I remembered the recommendations of the note I read in the magazine, and the theory of cutting, and the features of tool production, and much more that I studied at the technical school, and then at the institute.

How to sharpen a shovel?

Now there is no doubt: with the use of a manual flat cutter, the torment of gardeners will end. The flat cutter turned out to be both light and productive, although it had a peculiar shape. And with an unusual handle. Letters are still coming in. Is it possible to make the handle round?

- It's impossible, - I answer - It's the same as presenting a hockey stick with a round section: with great effort, you can't hold it in your hands. But with a flat cutter, you have to loosen, and make grooves for seeds, and hill up, and cultivate the land quite deeply - for example, under potatoes ... And also chop off strawberry whiskers, mow weeds and extra raspberry bushes ... You can’t hold a round-section stalk in your hands ...

Tried.

- Something your flat cutter tortured my neighbor, nothing works for him.
– Has he read the pamphlet?.. Does he know how to work?
“He didn’t buy the pamphlet…”
- ... And what, it doesn’t work out?
- The third handle adapts from a shovel ...
- All clear. Round handle - not for a flat cutter.

V. FOKIN, inventor

Other articles of the issue under the heading Mother Earth:

Discuss the article. (Discussions: 2)

Sharpening a shovel with a grinder

How to sharpen a bayonet shovel?

You can sharpen a shovel in various ways: on a conventional electric emery, a grinder, or the old-fashioned method - a file.

Each of these methods has its pros and cons. But first, let's get acquainted with the general principles of proper sharpening of shovels.

firstly, the shovel must be cleaned of dried earth before sharpening;

secondly, you need to sharpen the shovel only from the inside. From the outside, you can only remove the burrs that appeared during operation;

in the third, overheating of the sharpened section of the shovel is in no case unacceptable.

fourthly, it should be taken into account that during sharpening a shovel, a lot of force is applied to it, so it is necessary to securely fasten it;

and, finally, sharpening must be done from the outer edge to the middle.

Sharpening a shovel with a file is carried out in two stages:

at the first stage, they are passed with a file with a rough notch until the point is given the necessary sharpness, maintaining a sharpening angle of about 20 degrees.

At the second stage, they work with a file with a fine notch, grinding and leveling the cutting edge to a thickness of at least 0.5 mm.

The advantages of this method are that when working with a file, the sharpening angle and edge thickness are controlled, and it’s impossible to create overheating. In addition, it is always possible to take a file with you to touch up the cutting edge in case of unexpected contact with a hard object.

Of the shortcomings, perhaps, only one can be cited - the duration of the process.

Using a modern technological tool - for example, a grinder and emery, the sharpening time is significantly reduced, but the quality can be lost, since at high speeds of the cutting tool it is difficult to keep track of the uniformity of the edge being ground over the entire length of the surface to be treated, and local overheating is also possible, which leads to a decrease in the hardness of the metal.

Personally, I prefer to use a special attachment with Velcro for a drill to sharpen a shovel, but instead of a drill, I use a screwdriver. Firstly, it has less speed, and secondly, it does not need an outlet. As with a file, I carry out the initial processing with coarse-grained sandpaper, and for final refinement I change it to a finer one. But still, you have to work carefully, because even here you can heat the edge of the edge to redness.

Why shovels are sharpened sharply and how to do it

Surely someone wondered: “why are shovels sharpened sharply”? It should be noted here that the sharper the iron cutting part of the shovel, the easier it will be to use the tool for its intended purpose. Therefore, it is necessary to sharpen at regular intervals so that work in the garden or in the garden is more comfortable and convenient.

In addition, you need to know that tool sharpening has certain features. They lie in the physics of the process, which is determined by the quality of the material of the product. Shovels today are made from iron of varying quality. More expensive models are made of high-quality alloy steel, which keeps its sharpness longer, but cheap products blunt much more often. The physics of sharpening, as well as the chemical composition of the alloy used to produce the iron part of the shovel, also determine the sharpening method that is most effective in each particular case.

The quality and physics of sharpening is determined not only by the quality of the product and the experience of a person, but also by the chosen technique. To date, in order to give the shovel the desired sharpness, the following tools are used:

• file;
• grinder or angle grinder;
• sandpaper with a grinder.

Let's consider each method in detail in terms of the features and physics of the grinding process.

file

The use of a file is the most traditional and standard method. The advantages of using this tool include:

• the file is always at hand;
• it is small;
• affordable cost;
• ease of use;
• excellent sharpening quality.

As a result of the use of a file, it is possible to obtain an excellent quality working edge of a shovel. In addition, during the sharpening process, it is possible to constantly control the thickness of the metal layer that is removed. Thus, we will obtain a uniform thickness of the metal in the lateral and frontal planes. In this case, you can get the most optimal physics in the operation of a garden tool.

Separately, it should be noted that during the use of the file, the metal does not heat up, as a result of which its physical and mechanical properties do not change. In the situation of using other methods of sharpening, these parameters cannot always be kept unchanged and, as a result, the shovel may begin to become dull much more often.

Sharpening with a file occurs according to the following scheme:

• blade fixation. It should be firmly fixed and not move. Many use a vise for fixing. But here, be careful with the fixation force, otherwise you can damage the stamped blade;
• choose a file with a large notch;
• we process the front part of the edge with the tool.

As a result, you will carry out the first, rough processing of the shovel. Remember that this process should be carried out only on the front side of the cutting part. The file is moved towards the handle from the edge of the blade.

After rough work with a file with a large notch, we arm ourselves with a file with a fine mesh and carry out fine sharpening. At this stage, the blade thickness is adjusted to 0.5-0.6 mm. The angle of the grinding movements should be approximately 40-45 degrees. Keeping this angle will help you avoid premature abrasion of the blade. Remember that the width of the processed edge should not be more than 5 mm. Make sure that the thickness of the blade is uniform along its entire length. Otherwise, thinner sections will dull faster, which will have a bad effect, so to speak, on the working potential of the shovel.

Video "Sharpening by folk methods"

Bulgarian

In today's world, many people prefer power tools.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder

This allows you to automate and simplify many work processes, including sharpening blunt tools. The Bulgarian has gained the greatest popularity in this matter.

The advantages of using a grinder include the following points:

• the speed of the process;
• ease and convenience of using the grinder.

If you spend some time with a file to bring the shovel into working condition, then you can do it with a grinder in just a couple of minutes. But here, extreme caution and accuracy should be observed in order to prevent the blade metal from heating up and changing its physicochemical properties. As a result of heating, the metal softens, and this, in turn, can lead to blunting of the cutting edge, as well as to breakage of the main part of the tool.

In addition, the assumption of overheating of the metal will make the sharpening procedure more frequent. As a result, the edge will wear out much faster and you will need a new shovel for the next season.

But there are still more minuses in using a grinder than pluses. The negative aspects of its use include:

• high cost of the tool;
• complexity of control;
• the need for experience with a grinder;
• the possibility of overheating of the edge metal;
• the impossibility of clear control over the resulting edge thickness;
• the appearance of chips and burrs on the metal. And this is traumatic;
• the possibility of deterioration of the physico-chemical properties of the metal;
• difficulties in the further operation of the shovel in case of violation of the grinding process.

Thus, using the grinder, you must very carefully monitor the speed of the grinder. Here you should also fix the shovel well. Edge processing in this case is carried out from the bottom up. Moreover, sharpening the rear part is needed only for shovels. Remember, you need to press the grinder on the edge only slightly.

sandpaper

Another method of sharpening a bayonet is to use sandpaper along with an emery machine. This method allows you to get the optimal processing speed, as well as high quality and sharpness of the cutting part of the tool. Adjusting the speed of the machine will help you achieve the required thickness in the shortest possible time.

When using a machine tool and sandpaper to get a sharp edge, the main thing is to fix the shovel with high quality and firmly. Vices won't work here. In this situation, it is necessary to use a special stop. First, a rough sharpening is carried out, and then a finishing one.

Whatever type of tool you choose to improve the sharpness of a shovel, always follow safety precautions and operating rules. Only in this way will you achieve a positive effect.

Video "Sharpening a bayonet shovel"

If your farming process has noticeably deteriorated, use the cutting sharpening tips that you will find in the video.

How to sharpen a shovel?

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.

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

How to sharpen a shovel

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 distinguished by 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 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 locksmith-type vice, 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 devices 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 give any effect.

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home » Tools for working in the country.

How to sharpen a shovel?

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.

Tips from masters on how to sharpen a shovel, qualitatively and for a long time

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.

A shovel is an indispensable tool for solving a large number of tasks, especially in agriculture. But with its frequent use, it can become dull, and therefore the process of work will significantly slow down and become more complicated. It is still possible to solve this problem, but for this it is necessary to sharpen the shovel. And how to do it right, we will consider in this article.

Shovel sharpening options

Before proceeding with the sharpening process itself, it is also necessary to clean the surface of the shovel from the earth adhering to it, as this can complicate further sharpening.

To sharpen a shovel, you can use one of the following tools:

1. File;
2. Bulgarian;
3. Emery machine;

How to sharpen a shovel with a file?

The oldest and most traditional method of surface treatment of a shovel is file sharpening. The undeniable advantages of a file are its small size and low cost, and therefore it can be found in almost every home. In addition, the working edge of the tool processed with a file is of excellent quality.

Sharpening a shovel with a file must be done along the front of the edge

In the process of working with a file, you can also control the thickness of the metal layer being removed, and this, in turn, will allow you to maintain the thickness along the frontal and side planes.

Another advantage is that when sharpening with a file, the surface does not overheat, which could change the physical and chemical properties of the metal. And because of this, the shovel will become blunt much more often.

How to sharpen?

When sharpening a shovel with a file, in order to ensure its immobility, we need to fix its blade. For these purposes, you can use a locksmith vice. But at the same time, it is also not recommended to tighten them too much, as this can damage the stamped blade.

Next, we take a file with a large notch and begin to process the front of the edge. In this way we carry out the first rough processing of the product. It is recommended to sharpen a shovel only on the front side of the cutting part. But we carry out movements with a file from the edge of the blade towards the handle.

Next, we need a file with a fine notch, with which we perform fine sharpening. With such a file, we adjust the surface to be treated to a thickness of 0.5 - 0.6 mm. At the same time, to save the metal from premature abrasion, it is recommended to work at an angle of 40 - 45 degrees. The width of the processed edge should not exceed 5 mm.

In the process of work, it is also necessary to ensure that there are no thin sections, since such sections become dull rather quickly, due to which the shovel will fail ahead of time.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder?

Thanks to modern power tools, the process of sharpening agricultural tools has been greatly simplified. For these purposes, you can use a grinder or an ordinary grinder.

With the help of such devices, you can sharpen the blade of a shovel in 1-2 minutes. But at the same time, this must be done very carefully, since if the metal is sharpened incorrectly, it can overheat. And this, in turn, will lead to a change in the structure of the metal, that is, the metal becomes soft.

When sharpening a shovel with a grinder, you need to monitor the temperature - it is unacceptable for the metal to overheat.

For a cutting edge, this quality is unacceptable, as it will bend and quickly become dull.

In this case, it will be necessary to treat the surface of the shovel quite often, which can lead to its rapid abrasion. It is possible that you will not be able to work with such a shovel even for one season.

Since the disc rotation speed is quite high on the angle grinder, it will be quite difficult to achieve a uniform edge thickness. Consequently, the cut of the shovel will be of poor quality, which will lead to the weighting of further work.

In addition, burrs and chips that are created due to the high speed of processing can lead to injury.

How to sharpen?

But in cases where you still decide to sharpen a shovel with a grinder, you need to do it very carefully. We fasten the shovel in a vice, and hold the grinding tool in such a way that the disk rotates towards the handle. Only the front part is processed, while the direction of processing should be from bottom to top. We sharpen the back of the working element only on shovels.

In order not to get too thin an edge part of the surface to be treated, we do not press too hard on the grinder.

How to sharpen a shovel with an emery machine?

With an electric emery machine, the processing speed is the most optimal, which allows you to process the cutting part with sufficient quality. Modern emery machines have smooth adjustment of the stroke, in connection with which it is possible to obtain the optimal rotation speed of the emery wheel.

To obtain a more uniform surface of the cutting part, heavy abrasive wheels should be used. Circles of this type are less prone to vibrations and fluctuations during operation. Therefore, a more accurate amount of the layer to be removed can be obtained.

For better sharpening, the workpiece must also be firmly fixed. In this case, the vise will no longer fit. But as a rule, modern emery has special stops that allow you to minimize fluctuations in the workpiece.

How to sharpen?

First of all, roughing of the edge of the part is carried out. To do this, we remove the top layer of metal for a thickness of 0.3 - 0.4 mm. Thanks to this operation, it is possible to eliminate all mechanical damage that may occur during the operation of the tool.

After that (relative to the abrasive wheel and at an angle of 40 degrees), we turn the workpiece and make uniform translational movements up and down. Processing is carried out until we reach the thickness of the remaining layer of 0.5 mm. In order to exclude the possibility of overheating of the metal during processing, its surface should be watered.

In this case, the colors of “tarnish” will appear on the processed material, which should not be frightened. This is due to the physicochemical effect on the metal.

After finishing work on the machine, we begin to customize the part, which can be done with an ordinary file with a fine notch. Thanks to this procedure, it will be possible to remove the defects that appeared as a result of processing (burrs, chips, nadir, etc.). Otherwise, garden tools will quickly fail.

Working handle of a shovel

A properly sharpened shovel is not the only factor that will facilitate the process of work performed. An important role is also played by the handle of the tool. Its length should correspond to the height of the worker. A shorter lever can cause rapid fatigue. It is convenient only when digging narrow holes and wells. Ideally, the total length of the shovel and handle should be up to the worker's shoulder.

It is recommended to make it from hardwoods (birch, oak, etc.), from even stem trees of the 5th-7th age. You can, of course, use soft rocks (aspen, alder) for these purposes, but such a cutting will not last long.

Storage

A shovel is an indispensable tool that helps in solving a large number of tasks, especially in agriculture. But with frequent use, the shovel can become dull, which complicates its further use. Correct sharpening of the shovel will help to solve this problem.

To sharpen a shovel, the first step is to clean its surface from the earth adhering to it. This land will complicate further sharpening.

You can sharpen a shovel with the following tools:

• file;
• grinder;
• emery machine.

Sharpening with a file

The oldest and most traditional method of finishing the surface of a shovel is sharpening with a file. The indisputable advantage of the file is its small size and low price, which allows you to always have it at hand. In addition, its use allows you to get the working edge of the tool of excellent quality. In the process of working with a file, you can always control the thickness of the metal layer being removed, which will help maintain its uniform thickness along the frontal and side planes.

When using a file, there is no overheating of the metal surface, which can change its physical and mechanical properties. This, in turn, can cause the shovel to dull frequently.

Sharpening a shovel with a file must be done along the front of the edge.

In order to sharpen a shovel with a file, it is necessary to fix the blade so as to ensure its immobility. It is best to use a bench vise for these purposes. But you should not tighten the vise too much, otherwise you can damage the stamped blade.

After that, you need to take a file with a large notch and process the front of the edge. Thus, the first rough processing of the product is performed. Shovel sharpening should be done only on the front side of the cutting part. Movements with a file should be made from the edge of the blade towards the handle.

The next step is to arm yourself with a file that has a fine notch. It will help you get a clean cut. With the help of such a file, it is necessary to adjust the treated surface to a thickness of 0.5-0.6 mm. In this case, work should be performed at an angle of 40-45 degrees, which will save the metal from premature abrasion. The width of the processed edge should not exceed 5 mm.

During this process, the appearance of thin sections is not allowed, which then quickly become dull and lead to a quick failure of the shovel.

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Sharpening with a grinder

When sharpening a shovel with a grinder, you need to monitor the temperature - it is unacceptable for the metal to overheat.

The use of modern power tools allows you to simplify and automate the procedure for sharpening agricultural tools as much as possible. The easiest way to do this will allow a grinder or an ordinary grinder.

With the help of these devices, it is possible to prepare a shovel blade for work within 1-2 minutes. But at the same time, turning by such methods must be done very carefully so as not to cause overheating of the metal.

Overheating leads to the fact that the structure of the metal changes, it becomes soft. This quality is unacceptable for the cutting edge, as it will bend and dull quickly.

In this case, you will have to very often resort to the procedure for treating the surface of the shovel, which will lead to its rapid abrasion and disable it within 1 season of operation.

Since the angle grinder has a high disk rotation speed, it is impossible to achieve uniform edge thickness. As a result, the cut of the shovel will be of poor quality, which will make further work more difficult.

Moreover, at a high speed of processing, a large number of burrs and chips will be created, which can lead to injury during operation.

But in the event that a decision is made to use the grinder, in the process it is necessary to carefully monitor the speed of its work. The shovel must be fixed in a vise and the sharpening tool must be held so that its disk rotates towards the handle. Only the front part needs to be processed, while the processing direction should be from bottom to top. Sharpening the back of the working element should be done only with shovels.

The pressure of the grinder on the part to be processed should be small so as not to get too thin an edge part.

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Using a sander

The electric emery machine has the most optimal processing speed, which allows you to get high quality processing of the cutting part. Modern emery machines have smooth stroke adjustment, which allows you to achieve the optimal speed of rotation of the emery wheel.

In order to achieve the most uniform processing of the cutting part, heavy abrasive wheels should be used. Such a circle will be less prone to vibrations and fluctuations during operation. This quality of the circle will allow you to achieve the exact size of the layer to be removed.

To achieve high-quality performance of the sharpening process, it is necessary to firmly fix the workpiece. A vice in this case will not be suitable for use. All modern emery should have a special stop, which allows you to minimize the fluctuations of the workpiece.

The first step is to rough the edge of the part. To do this, it is necessary to remove the upper layer of metal to a thickness of 0.3-0.4 mm. This operation is necessary in order to eliminate all mechanical damage that occurs during the operation of the tool.

Next, you need to rotate the workpiece at an angle of 40 degrees relative to the abrasive wheel and make it uniform translational movements up and down. Processing should be carried out until the thickness of the remaining layer is 0.5 mm. To avoid overheating of the shovel, water should be poured onto its surface during processing. In this case, the colors of “tarnish” should appear on the material. There is no need to be afraid of this: this is due to the physical and mechanical effect on the metal.

Having finished work on the machine, you should proceed to fitting the part. It is carried out using a regular file with a fine notch. This procedure will eliminate the resulting processing defects (chips, burrs, nadir, etc.). If this is not done, garden tools will fail after a few days of work.

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.

Do you need to sharpen?

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.

How to retract the shovel?

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, the household used to have a special anvil, the so-called headstock, usually fixed on a massive deck, and a good hammer with a tapered end, which is used to pull the blade. 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.

How to sharpen correctly?

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.

Helpful Hints

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.

The shovel is considered to be the most popular and commonly used garden tool. Caring for her is not difficult, but requires certain skills. Not every gardener knows how to sharpen a shovel correctly. And meanwhile business this simple and not labor-intensive. It is enough just to familiarize yourself with the rules and features of the process. The issue of preparing and sharpening garden tools is especially relevant at the beginning of the spring season. But even during the operation of the shovel, it has to be repeatedly corrected (sharpened).

Shovel sharpening options.

This can be done with:

• file;
• angle grinder (angle grinder);
• grinding machine.

Types of shovels and features of their choice

The effectiveness of straightening garden tools largely depends on the material from which they are made. There are 3 classes of shovels: gardening, construction, loading and unloading. All of them, according to the shape of the blade, are divided into 2 main types: bayonet and shovel.

Gardening:

• digging;
• excavation;
• universal.

Construction:

Variety of shovels.

• digging pointed;
• digging rectangular;
• selective;
• pick faceted;
• mortar.

Loading and unloading:

• scoop sand;
• scoop grains;
• coal;
• metallurgical;
• snowplows.

A special type of shovels - sappers. They look like a garden bayonet, but have a peculiar blade shape that allows you to use this tool as a bayonet and shovel. This inventory has standard blade and handle dimensions, which are strictly observed during the production of the product. Therefore, a sapper shovel can be used as a tool for measuring distances.

Sharpening is required only for those tools that are equipped with a bayonet-shaped blade. Scoop shovels are used primarily for moving bulk materials, so the sharpness of the edge of the metal sheet is not so important for them. The success of sharpening a blade largely depends on what material it is made of.

What are shovels made from?

The manufacturer of garden and construction equipment does not always indicate what material it is made of. On the shovels, it is most often noted that they are made of rail steel (that is, from a rail that has served its time).

Table of steel alloys for shovel blades.

This material is not bad, but does not give any guarantee of the quality of the canvas. In most cases, it is used for the production of bayonet-type pointed digging shovels.

When choosing a tool, you need to pay attention to the thickness of the canvas: it must be at least 2 mm. The optimum thickness of the cutting edge is 0.5 mm.

It is extremely important that there are no flaws on this part of the blade. It is recommended to choose shovels made from the following materials:

• carbon steel;
• stainless steel;
• alloy steel;
• alloys.

Preparatory stage

It is important to remember one rule: sharpening a shovel should only begin if the blade is securely connected to the handle. This will avoid injury to the hands during work and perform it efficiently, which is especially important when using power tools. If it is decided to sharpen with a grinder, it is recommended to prepare a bench vise, disconnect the metal sheet from the handle and securely fasten it between the jaws of the tool. It is not necessary to hold the shovel blade with your foot during sharpening, pressing it against a bar or stone: this method of fixation is traumatic.

Protective equipment should not be neglected either. When working with metalworking tools, goggles and gloves are required. It is recommended to check the integrity of the electrical cords of the grinder or grinder. The blade of the shovel is thoroughly cleaned of dirt and wiped with a dry rag, after which the edge is carefully inspected and the side of sharpening is chosen. It is best to process metal from the side on which it was made at the factory.

Spade blade chipping

Scheme of a sharpening emery machine.

Before sharpening, it is desirable to beat off the metal sheet (riveted, pulled). This process is similar to beating a scythe, but in the case of a shovel, it is not performed so finely.

For this work, they used to have special tools on the farm: an anvil (“headstock”) mounted on a massive block, and a hammer, one side of the head of which was made in the form of a cone.

Today, many craftsmen use improvised tools for beating or completely abandon this preparatory process.

However, it is he who largely determines the correctness and quality of sharpening a shovel. Experts assure that the “drawn” blade is much easier and more convenient to process.

In modern conditions, you can use a regular hammer to beat. The process is as follows: the metal sheet is “pulled off” with light hammer blows towards the cutting edge. If you plan to sharpen the side edges of the shovel, they should also be beaten off.

How to sharpen a shovel with a file

The simplest and most commonly used method of sharpening a shovel is to file the cutting edge. Since this method is the most accessible, you should familiarize yourself with all its nuances. Among its advantages are the low cost and small size of the tool, which allows it to be used in the field. In addition, when working with a file, it is much easier to control the thickness and uniformity of the metal layer being removed.

Shovel sharpening should be done with the side of the file.

Stages of work:

1. It is advisable to detach the shovel blade from the handle, but this is not absolutely necessary.
2. Next, you need to fix the blade in a fixed position. For this purpose fit bench vise. In the field, you can use heavy stones or hold the canvas with your foot, pressing it against a solid support.
3. Primary processing of metal is carried out on the front side of the cutting edge using a file with a rough notch. The direction of hand movements is from the edge of the blade towards the handle.
4. Fine sharpening is done with a file with a fine notch. At this stage, the thickness of the treated surface is adjusted to 0.5-0.6 mm. It is important to maintain the optimal sharpening angle: 40-45 °.
5. The height of the cutting edge should not exceed 5 mm.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder

When using a power tool, the safety requirements described above must be observed. The main difficulty of this sharpening method is the high probability of overheating of the metal, which leads to a change in its physical and chemical properties.

The blade becomes more flexible and the cutting edge becomes dull quickly. The advantage of this method is that the preparation of the shovel for further work is carried out quickly - within 1-2 minutes.

When sharpening a shovel with a grinder, you need to make sure that the material does not overheat.

Working as a grinder, it is difficult to achieve a uniform removal of the thickness of the metal.

Moreover, burrs and chips will inevitably form on the edge, which will have to be removed with a file.

Using an angle grinder is the most traumatic way to sharpen a shovel, so you should be extremely careful during operation.

Basic rules for the sharpening process:

• the blade is securely fixed in a vice;
• the disk of the grinder should rotate towards the handle;
• pressure should be weak and uniform;
• sharpening the reverse side of the blade is carried out only for shovels of the shovel type.

Sharpening a shovel with a grinder

This method is more acceptable than the previous one, as it allows you to get a high quality cutting edge. Modern machines are equipped with a disc rotation regulator, which helps to fully control the process of sharpening metal.

The most uniform cut is obtained when using massive abrasive wheels. Work should begin with a coarser, and finish with a finer notch. The main difficulty of this sharpening method is in fixing the shovel blade. The use of a bench vise in this case is unacceptable, but modern models of machine tools are equipped with a special stop that allows you to dampen vibration as much as possible.

During roughing, a layer of metal 0.3-0.4 mm thick is removed. The shovel blade is held at an angle of 40° relative to the rotating emery wheel. Hands make smooth movements in the direction of the edge (up and down). Finishing is carried out until the thickness of the tip reaches 0.5 mm. At the end of the sharpening process on the machine, the edge is finished with a file with a fine notch.

How to sharpen a shovel at home no worse than factory sharpening?

Foreword

A dull shovel is not only an inconvenience for the worker and a lot of time spent processing the site, but also a poor cut quality. Learn how to sharpen a shovel so that it pleases you in the garden for a long time and makes your work much easier.

Traditional file sharpening and its features

Many do not trust the traditional "grandfather's" method of sharpening, which has been around for hundreds of years. However, a hand file has a lot of "pluses" in the process of processing garden tools. Let's consider in more detail why it is more profitable to use it.

1. Excellent edge quality. You will not be able to achieve exactly the same evenness when using a power tool, especially if it has an increased wheel speed. You can adjust the thickness of metal removal and make uniform processing not only of the cutting front part, but also of the side planes.
2. There is no overheating of the metal. Perhaps this is one of the most important advantages, since an ordinary grinder or electric emery heats a metal surface to a temperature of +200 degrees and above, changing the physical and mechanical properties of the material. At the slightest resistance, it will wear out or dull, which will make it impossible to cultivate hard soil.
3. You can take it with you on the road. You can touch up the shovel directly at the workplace if large-scale work is planned far from a source of electricity or a vise.

And the most important thing is that the file can be found in the workshop of any owner, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on purchasing an electric emery or any other device. Consider step by step how to properly sharpen a shovel.

Step 1Fix the work surface.

The first step is to fix the blade so that it does not move with a solid physical impact. It is best to use tees, but without fanaticism - do not tighten too much so as not to deform the stamping - they are quite fragile.

Step 2 We process with a “rough” file.

Now you need to take a coarse-grained file and walk it along the inside of the edge. You can not sharpen the back of the shovel (the one on which the holder comes out), we process only the front. It is preferable to sharpen towards the holder, that is, the file stroke starts in the direction from the edge to the holder.

Step 3 Jewelry fit.

Now you need to work with an ordinary, small file, with which to adjust the blade to a thickness of at least 0.5 mm, and at an angle of no more than 40 degrees, so that the metal does not wear out quickly. The sharpening of the shovel should be carried out until the entire blade is no more than 0.5 mm thick along the very edge, and before that it must be processed with a fine-grained file.

Step 4 Removing sharp areas.

Now we take a square file and run it several times along the very tip to remove thin sections that will become dull at the first contact with the ground. 5-10 wires will be enough, after that, run several times at an angle of 40 degrees to remove possible chips.

We figured out how to sharpen a shovel with a file, now you can go and test the knowledge gained in practice. But there are other ways to process a garden tool, which have their advantages and disadvantages, we will consider them in more detail.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder and is it worth it?

A modern tool allows you to automate the "grandfather" method as much as possible, but is it worth using it and is everything as smooth as it seems? The most suitable and fastest option is to process with a grinder. Using a standard cutting disc, you can adjust the entire blade to the required thickness in 1 minute. This is perhaps the biggest and only "plus" of this tool. There are many more disadvantages:

1. Metal overheating. It becomes very soft and blunts easily during garden work, you will have to adjust it again and again, every week or even every 2-3 days. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the abrasion of the shovel itself will be very fast and with a high intensity of its use it is possible to destroy the tool in 1 season. It is not recommended to apply to garden tools, in the first place - to garden m hoes.
2. Uneven edge thickness. It is almost impossible to fit everything to the same thickness, especially at high speeds. Thus, the cut will be of poor quality, the holder will “pull” somewhere in one direction. The work is much harder and more uncomfortable.
3. A large number of chips and burrs will need to be adjusted with a file to avoid injury during transportation of the tool and subsequent work.

If you decide to give preference to this method and rely on the speed of sharpening, and not on its quality and durability, then you need to securely fasten the shovel in the string and start sharpening. The rotation of the grinder disk should only be towards the holder during frontal processing of the blade. Only the front side (the front part of the shovel) is processed, the direction is from the bottom up (the back part is sharpened only at the scoops of the shovel). This way it will be possible to reduce the effort (as far as possible when processing with a grinder) when working in the garden and cutting large weeds and dense earth .

How to sharpen a shovel with emery and what you need to know

Electric emery is the optimal ratio of speed and quality of sharpening. The best option is with the ability to adjust the rotation speed. It would be even better if the abrasive wheel is heavy so that work can be carried out evenly without taking into account fluctuations in the abrasive (as is the case with a grinder, when it is practically impossible to predict the thickness of the removed metal layer). In order to qualitatively sharpen the edge of a shovel on the advice of experienced craftsmen, you need to follow this step-by-step instruction.

Step 1 Fix the tool.

Since tees cannot be used in this case, it is necessary to limit the oscillation of the shovel as much as possible during this operation. This can be done using a special metal bar, which is installed on almost all electric grinders. If there is none, find an emphasis for the holder.

Step 2 Draft.

It is necessary to remove 0.2-0.5 mm in order to remove all impurities, eliminate possible mechanical defects. Next, we sharpen everything as usual, only we change the angle by moving the tool itself up / down, and not the abrasive, as it was before. The minimum blade thickness is 0.5 mm. It is recommended to periodically pour water on the metal to cool it. An ugly color may appear during sharpening, but the physical and mechanical characteristics of the metal will not change.

Step 3Fit.

Everyone who knows how to sharpen a shovel will say that there will be no business without fitting. No matter how you sharpen the edge, you will need to finish it with an ordinary file, eliminate possible chips and too sharpened areas so that the shovel will serve faithfully for a solid period of time. If this is not done, it will have to be sent to the "service" in a few days when working on difficult soils.

We have considered several sharpening methods, now you can choose the one that suits you and go to the workshop for practical experience!

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grounde.ru

A shovel is an indispensable tool for solving a large number of tasks, especially in agriculture. But with its frequent use, it can become dull, and therefore the process of work will significantly slow down and become more complicated. It is still possible to solve this problem, but for this it is necessary to sharpen the shovel. And how to do it right, we will consider in this article.

Shovel sharpening options

Before proceeding with the sharpening process itself, it is also necessary to clean the surface of the shovel from the earth adhering to it, as this can complicate further sharpening.

To sharpen a shovel, you can use one of the following tools:

1. File;
2. Bulgarian;
3. Emery machine;

How to sharpen a shovel with a file?

The oldest and most traditional method of surface treatment of a shovel is file sharpening. The undeniable advantages of a file are its small size and low cost, and therefore it can be found in almost every home. In addition, the working edge of the tool processed with a file is of excellent quality.

Sharpening a shovel with a file must be done along the front of the edge

In the process of working with a file, you can also control the thickness of the metal layer being removed, and this, in turn, will allow you to maintain the thickness along the frontal and side planes.

Another advantage is that when sharpening with a file, the surface does not overheat, which could change the physical and chemical properties of the metal. And because of this, the shovel will become blunt much more often.

How to sharpen?

When sharpening a shovel with a file, in order to ensure its immobility, we need to fix its blade. For these purposes, you can use a locksmith vice. But at the same time, it is also not recommended to tighten them too much, as this can damage the stamped blade.

Next, we take a file with a large notch and begin to process the front of the edge. In this way we carry out the first rough processing of the product. It is recommended to sharpen a shovel only on the front side of the cutting part. But we carry out movements with a file from the edge of the blade towards the handle.

Next, we need a file with a fine notch, with which we perform fine sharpening. With such a file, we adjust the surface to be treated to a thickness of 0.5 - 0.6 mm. At the same time, to save the metal from premature abrasion, it is recommended to work at an angle of 40 - 45 degrees. The width of the processed edge should not exceed 5 mm.

In the process of work, it is also necessary to ensure that there are no thin sections, since such sections become dull rather quickly, due to which the shovel will fail ahead of time.

How to sharpen a shovel with a grinder?

Thanks to modern power tools, the process of sharpening agricultural tools has been greatly simplified. For these purposes, you can use a grinder or an ordinary grinder.

With the help of such devices, you can sharpen the blade of a shovel in 1-2 minutes. But at the same time, this must be done very carefully, since if the metal is sharpened incorrectly, it can overheat. And this, in turn, will lead to a change in the structure of the metal, that is, the metal becomes soft.

When sharpening a shovel with a grinder, you need to monitor the temperature - it is unacceptable for the metal to overheat.

For a cutting edge, this quality is unacceptable, as it will bend and quickly become dull.

In this case, it will be necessary to treat the surface of the shovel quite often, which can lead to its rapid abrasion. It is possible that you will not be able to work with such a shovel even for one season.

Since the disc rotation speed is quite high on the angle grinder, it will be quite difficult to achieve a uniform edge thickness. Consequently, the cut of the shovel will be of poor quality, which will lead to the weighting of further work.

In addition, burrs and chips that are created due to the high speed of processing can lead to injury.

How to sharpen?

But in cases where you still decide to sharpen a shovel with a grinder, you need to do it very carefully. We fasten the shovel in a vice, and hold the grinding tool in such a way that the disk rotates towards the handle. Only the front part is processed, while the direction of processing should be from bottom to top. We sharpen the back of the working element only on shovels.

In order not to get too thin an edge part of the surface to be treated, we do not press too hard on the grinder.

How to sharpen a shovel with an emery machine?

With an electric emery machine, the processing speed is the most optimal, which allows you to process the cutting part with sufficient quality. Modern emery machines have smooth adjustment of the stroke, in connection with which it is possible to obtain the optimal rotation speed of the emery wheel.

To obtain a more uniform surface of the cutting part, heavy abrasive wheels should be used. Circles of this type are less prone to vibrations and fluctuations during operation. Therefore, a more accurate amount of the layer to be removed can be obtained.

Scheme of a sharpening emery machine

For better sharpening, the workpiece must also be firmly fixed. In this case, the vise will no longer fit. But as a rule, modern emery has special stops that allow you to minimize fluctuations in the workpiece.

How to sharpen?

First of all, roughing of the edge of the part is carried out. To do this, we remove the top layer of metal for a thickness of 0.3 - 0.4 mm. Thanks to this operation, it is possible to eliminate all mechanical damage that may occur during the operation of the tool.

After that (relative to the abrasive wheel and at an angle of 40 degrees), we turn the workpiece and make uniform translational movements up and down. Processing is carried out until we reach the thickness of the remaining layer of 0.5 mm. In order to exclude the possibility of overheating of the metal during processing, its surface should be watered.

In this case, the colors of “tarnish” will appear on the processed material, which should not be frightened. This is due to the physicochemical effect on the metal.

After finishing work on the machine, we begin to customize the part, which can be done with an ordinary file with a fine notch. Thanks to this procedure, it will be possible to remove the defects that appeared as a result of processing (burrs, chips, nadir, etc.). Otherwise, garden tools will quickly fail.

Working handle of a shovel

A properly sharpened shovel is not the only factor that will facilitate the process of work performed. An important role is also played by the handle of the tool. Its length should correspond to the height of the worker. A shorter lever can cause rapid fatigue. It is convenient only when digging narrow holes and wells. Ideally, the total length of the shovel and handle should be up to the worker's shoulder.

It is recommended to make it from hardwoods (birch, oak, etc.), from even stem trees of the 5th-7th age. You can, of course, use soft rocks (aspen, alder) for these purposes, but such a cutting will not last long.

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chudoogorod.ru

How can you sharpen a shovel?

• Features of choice
• Shovel sharpening tool
• How to sharpen a shovel?

Many people need to know how to sharpen a shovel. The work of experienced gardeners and gardeners without this tool is simply unthinkable. Externally, shovels do not differ much, but their quality may vary. There are expensive tools of well-known brands, they really do not need sharpening. They are made of high quality alloy steel that can withstand operation without any external intervention. Such a shovel is an expensive pleasure.

Shovel sharpening options.

Features of choice

Tools are different: shovel, bayonet, etc. (depending on the purpose). Bayonet are used for digging the earth (trenches, vegetable gardens). Scoops are a tool for loading and unloading and moving bulk substances. There are sapper shovels, but they are unlikely to be used in everyday life. Sharpening is needed only for bayonet tools, shovels will not need it.

Bayonet shovels differ in the shape of the blade. It can be rectangular or tapering at a certain degree. They taper about the same. The question of choice is determined by the scope of the tool. The hardest part is choosing the material. This tool is not accompanied by instructions that indicate the parameters of the metal from which it is made. Usually for the manufacture of shovels are used:

Figure 1. Shovel sharpening should be done with the side of the file.

• carbon steel;
• stainless steel;
• alloy steel;
• titanium;
• various alloys.

In order to understand the difference between shovels materials, it is necessary to take a brief look at the manufacturing process. The shovel handle can be made from any material, from birch to hardened aluminum. The metal part of the shovel is made in different ways. The correct process is heating (not melting) high-quality metal to a soft state, and then stamping on a special press. Incorrect - stamping tin of a certain thickness.

Often the shovels indicate that they are made of rail steel. This is not quite the correct name, steel has a different designation. This means that the tool is made from an old, outdated rail. This is a good material, but such an inscription does not give any guarantee of quality. Such a tool is called a digging pointed shovel.

Cracks, burrs, delaminations, scratches, shells, dents and other damage are unacceptable. Metal thickness - 2 mm, cutting edge thickness - 0.5 mm. The surface of the shovel must be hardened, although hardening is not necessary with some grades of steel. An important condition is that the cutting edge should not have visible damage. The shovel blade should not bend from light pressure, and the connection with the handle should not stagger. A properly made shovel blade weighs about 1 kg.