How To Sharpen An Axe ?
Axe is an important gardening tool primarily used for chopping. In order to chop wood or fell trees, the axe blade should be sharp. Otherwise, you cannot achieve the purpose easily. |
If your axe blade is dull or deformed, it is dangerous to use it. You can easily sharpen the blade again yourself rather than buying a new axe. However, if you observe a dent in the axe blade or if it is chipped, it is better to replace it with a new blade.
First, remove the debris, rust and dust and clean the axe blade thoroughly. Never try to sharpen a dirty blade as it would only cause more damage. Wet the whetstone using motor oil or water. Now, keep the blade at an appropriate angle at the medium-grain size of the whetstone and sharpen it with smooth and long strokes keeping it away from the body. To get a good edge, give a stroke or two on the other side of the blade also.
Once the truing process is over, you need to continue in the same manner on the fine grain side of the whetstone. This would make the axe blade sharp. Using a metal file, give a smooth finish to the sharpened blade to remove abrasions or nicks.
In order to check whether the axe blade is well sharpened you need to hold it below a bright light source. If you see that the light is reflected, then you need to sharpen some more.
To prevent rusting of the axe blade, apply a coat of oil on the blade.
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