Sharpening garden tools

JonathanRyan

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I have some edging shears that are really really blunt. One of the gardening mags recommended a Darlac diamond sharpener and for the big shears I need the coarse one. It's out of stock in the whole interworld and the other coarse diamond sharpeners seem either small and flimsy or expensive and flimsy.

What else would be a good choice? I have no idea what I'm doing so something easy to use would be nice. Also something that works. A new set of shears would be about 40 quid or so and I have 2 pairs for different angles so I guess I'd pay a reasonable amount for something that worked.
 
Find an old fashioned hardware store that will sharpen them for you. Still several about. Or round here there's a bloke comes round with a selection of bench grinders in the back of his car. Does knives, shears, chisels, etc. Very good, he does all the edge repairs for the local butchers.
 
shops thatr sell/repair garden macinery will offer the same service as well
 
Really, really blunt is going to ideally need a grinder but a sharp file (i.e. one that has not sat rusting in the garage for 20 years) and some patience will do to get an edge back and then finish with a sharpening stone.
 
I use shears of various kinds in my ever reducing daily workload. When they go blunt it really isn't worth messing about yourself. You are unlikely to make anything other than a temporary difference. Find a garden equipment man - there are plenty around. Don't even think about going to a shed on an industrial estate, find a guy who knows what he is doing. A good rule of thumb is how untidy his workshop is. Find a scruffy one - they are usually the best!!!
 
As with so many things, a little prevention is easier than a major cure. Keep the edges reasonably sharp by dressing regularly with a suitable stone or other tool and put a couple of drops of oil on the pivot - maybe even 3 or 4 drops of a vegetable oil and let it run down the cutting edges as well.

http://www.toolstation.com/search?searchstr=sharpener
 
A quick google brings up four possibilities between 6 and 11 miles from you. Too far away?
 
Well....your profile says that you are in Canterbury. Granted that I don't know the town or whereabouts you are in it, but I simply typed in "Tool sharpening in Canterbury" into Google.

It came up with
Dooley in Faversham, 8.5 miles away.
Alca Tools in Herne Bay, 6.6 miles away.
C J Sinclair Ltd in Ramsgate, 11.4 miles away.
T R & C Carpenter in Sandwich, 11.2 miles away.

Linky.....http://www.yell.com/s/tool+sharpening-canterbury.html

Last time I was in Canterbury was in 1982 so apologies if my geography is somewhat out of date, but these could be useful to you.
 
Thanks - for some reason that wasn't coming up for me. I was just getting Screwfix etc.
 
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