When most people think of what needs sharpening around the house, they think of their kitchen and hunting knives, cleavers or axes. That’s a good start, but your ice skates also need to be sharp, your woodworking tools, and yes, even your lawn tools.

Sharpen that shovel

Have you ever tried digging a hole with a dull shovel? Chances are you used your body weight to slam the shovel into the ground, and may have even jumped up and down on the sides a little to jam the shovel in farther.

All that work is unnecessary. A few minutes with a lawn and garden sharpener now and then will keep your shovel from becoming dull and painful to use.

 

Hedge Clippers

Your hedge clippers take a lot of abuse and using this tool when it’s dull is no fun at all. The branches start bending under the weight of the dull blades, and you start twisting and turning, trying to pull the branches off now – it just doesn’t work. Often it results in blisters. Keep this tool sharp though and you’ll never twist and pull again.

 

Hand Trowel

Resembling a small, hand-held shovel, the hand trowel is used predominantly for breaking up dirt, planting, transplanting, weeding and more. Keep this tool sharp with occasional use of The Puck, a Dual-Grit, Multi-Purpose Sharpener, perfect for shovels, spades, and a variety of cutting tools.

 

Garden Hoe

The garden hoe has an important job: help a gardener get rid of weeds, break ground, and spread dirt, mulch, and similar materials. It’s a hardworking tool that performs best when kept sharp. Like with any other garden tool, regular maintenance will keep you from having to bring neglected hoes back to a point of restoration. Sharpen briefly now and then, and your tool will stay sharp throughout the course of its lifetime.

In the end, it comes down to this; if your tool helps you cut, trim, or dig, it will need occasional sharpening.

 

To learn more about how to sharpen, visit our various posts on the topic.