Maintaining Your Hand Tools

March 20, 2008 on 4:02 am | In Hand Tools | No Comments

Maintaining tools is one of those tasks it’s very tempting to ignore. But there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to use a chisel that won’t cut - and nothing more tiring than cutting through a large board with a blunt saw. All too often, perfectly good tools get thrown away and replaced with expensive new ones. This guide tells you when it’s practical to reclaim them, what you can do yourself, and where to get it done when you can’t.

Sharp tools save you effort, and doing your own sharpening saves you money. The one essen¬tial piece of equipment for sharpening cutting tools is an oil¬stone. A suitable one won’t cost a fortune and with care it should last a lifetime.

One of the most popular items to invest in is an oilstone. As the name implies, oilstones were originally just pieces of natural stone - often named after the district in which they occurred, such as Washita or Arkansas.

Although such stones are still available, they are extremely expensive. Most modern oil¬stones are artificial composites. They are made in different grades but unless you have a lot of sharpening to do the most useful is a combination stone, coarse on one side, fine on the other.

Stones must be used with a lubricant to stop the blade over¬heating and the stone from clogging. Except with coarse natural stone, where water is the lubricant, use a fine oil, such as a light machine oil. If it is necessary to thin the oil down, use paraffin.

After buying a new stone, steep it in a bath of lubricant and leave it until it absorbs no more oil. And always keep it moist when not in use.

An oilstone won’t produce a true edge unless it is flat: avoid localized wear by using the whole surface of the stone, even when you are sharpening narrow bladed tools.

To check whether your stone is flat, lay a steel rule along, then across it. If you see any hollows it needs regrinding or replacing.

To regrind it you need a thick sheet of flat glass - an old car side screen from a breaker’s yard is fine - and some carbor¬undum powder. Lay the glass flat and spread it with a paste of the powder and water.

Rub the stone around, check¬ing the surface frequently. Con¬tinue until the paste clings evenly to the whole surface, then check again with the steel rule.

To maintain the stone in good order, it’s best to keep it in a wooden oilstone box. This will stop dust from contaminating the surface and prevent it from being chipped.

The same applies to taking take of your work wear. Look after and care for your personal protection equipment and it will hopefully look after you.

In summary I believe it is always worth keeping your tools in tip top condition. Spending a little time maintaining your work tools and workwear can save you so much time. Remember people, like my grandfather always used to say measure twice cut once.

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