Pruning your shrubs and trees doesn't end well with dull pruning shears. Frayed cuts provide welcome areas for diseases and pests to attack trees. To prevent this from happening, prudent home gardeners sharpen the pruning shears before each use. This guide explains how to do it correctly.
How do I properly sharpen my pruning shears?
To sharpen blunt pruning shears, you need a combination sharpening stone with a coarse and fine grain. Disassemble the scissors, clean the blades, sharpen them on a coarse stone side and remove burrs with the fine side. Then grease the joint and reassemble it.
Tool requirements and preparation work
As a sharpening aid for your pruning shears, we recommend a European combination sharpening stone (€33.00 on Amazon), which is used with water or grinding oil. This whetstone has two sides with different grits for coarse and fine grinding. Grinding stones soaked in water also cool the blades and do not wear out as quickly as abrasives soaked in oil. In contrast, the grinding process with oil has a gentler effect on the cutting of garden tools. This preparatory work guarantees a smooth process:
- Soak the grindstone with grinding oil or place it in water for a few hours
- Meanwhile, disassemble the pruning shears into their individual parts using a screwdriver and wrench
- Clean the removed blades thoroughly with water or cleaning spray
Please note that an oil-soaked whetstone cannot later be used as a water whetstone. To determine the best method for your needs, first test the effectiveness of a water-soaked whetstone.
Instructions – How to sharpen your pruning shears perfectly
Wipe the cleaned blades of your pruning shears dry with a cloth before you start the actual sharpening process. How to do it right:
- Clamp the soaked whetstone in a holder or place it on a wooden board
- Press the ground side of the blade at a slight angle onto the coarse-grained stone side
- Push in cutting direction with a minimal rotational movement along its bend
- Repeat this process several times with each side of the scissors
Then turn the grindstone over. Slide each blade over the fine-grained stone side in circular movements. All grinding burrs are thoroughly removed. Before you put your freshly sharpened pruning shears back together, carefully grease the joints. The oil penetrates the hinges better if you move the joints back and forth several times.
Tip
If the blades of your pruning shears are covered in deep nicks, even a Japanese water whetstone can't do much. To ensure that an extremely stressed pruning shear cuts like it did on the first day, we recommend investing in a wet grinding machine. This precision device makes even sensitive grass shears as sharp as a razor.
