Sharpening auger, which tool?

[sib]

time to put a new edge on my jiffy hand auger. i'll take the blades off, but i was wondering which is the best tool to sharpen them? is a grinder over kill? a dremel seems like it would be difficult to get an even edge. i'm leaning toward a good ole file and vise.

what do you good folks use to sharpen your auger blades?
thanks for any replies.

"go outside and play"
sib

[ccarlson]

I use a small hand file. A fine toothed, diamond has worked best. Use very light pressure, the goal is not to file them down but to just put back the razor sharp edge. I've been running the same blades for years with occasional self sharpenings. have good lighting and follow the same angle as from the factory and your ready to go.

ccarlson

[Eyez]

I use a good file and a vise. It doesn't take much to put a nice edge on an auger blade if you have a sharp file. Just make sure to file the metal off at the same angle that it was originally ground, and don't file anywhere that wasn't originally.


Dusty

[Backwater Eddy]

I like to use a diamond impregnated flat stone unless there are serious chips to deal with than I start with a diamond file.

The handiest stone I have found for this is a flat stone commonly used by bow hunters to sharpen field points. It is a butterfly knife style stone that flips open to form a handle and when closed stores itself in the handle. A $7-10 item I found at Wall-Mart.

I lay the stone flat across the blade and am careful to keep the factory angle while making circular pass's over the entire cutting edge. This will slow mill the edge to a nice flat consistent razor sharp finish. You will see the edge develop across the blade tell you see a fine factory style finish much like a milling machine would produce.

I do this with the blade's still on the auger and touch them up with a few pass's once in a while when the fishing is slow. It only takes a few minutes. Just keep the angle right and apply steady easy pressure on the top of the stone, no work to it.




BE.....><ND>

[Mattman]

I send mine with the companies saw blades to a professional shop. Under $5 and perfectly done.

[REW]

Sib,
You don't mention what style blade that you have.

If you have a chipper style blade that is perfectly flat (not curved) a very quick and easy way to sharpen them is with a disk sander.

With my old chipper style blade on my single bladed strikemaster, I would use my 8 inch disk sander to put a perfect edge on the blade.

Simply apply light pressure on the blade, while maintaining the angle of cut for the blade. With 240 grit sandpaper on your disk sander, you can put a perfect edge on your blade in about 20 seconds. The key is "light pressure" you really don't want to take off any metal, just touch up the nicks and restore the razor edge.


Take care
REW

[BD]

I agree with BE (no relation thankfully). Any machine work can build up heat which will ruin the temper at the edge of the blade.

[EAGLE EYES]

I agree with Rew, The sander technique works like a champ. If you have curved blades, I would strongly suggest the hand stone technique that BE mentioned. I use a grinder on my old Mora blades, but it has a very fine stone and low rpm. If you use a grinder, it must have these two variables or you will end up with scrapmetal. Good luck!