How to sharpen an ax to a blade in 5 minutes - you'll be surprised how easy it is! ? ? ?

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In my life I have sharpened far more than one axe I can probably do it even with my eyes closed. Looking back, I can summarize the intermediate results and share my experience.
Today I will tell you how to sharpen an ax to a sharp blade in 5 minutes.

Content:

We sharpen an ax
Checking the sharpening result
- - VIDEO: How to sharpen an ax
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We sharpen an ax

Five minutes and it will be like a straight razor

If you do not delve into the nuances, then when sharpening an ax you need to know the following:

When sharpening an ax mechanically, it cannot be overheated
When processing with abrasives, it is necessary to lubricate their surface
Finishing is done by polishing the cutting edge of the tool

Professional pneumatic angle grinder with a set of high quality discs

For sharpening an ax I use grinder with petal circle. The latter differ from each other, sometimes significantly - there is a dependence: price-quality. One of the main differences is the property not to heat the metal during its processing.

However, the price of such a consumable is very high, therefore, having budget petal discs at your disposal, you need to monitor the heating of the tool being sharpened and periodically cool it with water.

Step #1 - Roughing the cutting edge

Fast roughing

Keeping a container of water at hand, we process the blade of the ax with a petal disc. The intensity of sharpening depends on the condition of the tool being sharpened.

We use discs with P40-60 grit, which corresponds to a grain size from 250 to 425. I prefer P40.

The main thing at this stage is to remove all visible defects and chips from the cutting part of the tool.

Despite the fact that this is considered roughing, the ax is already in working order. And it took only 1-2 minutes to sharpen.

Already a good result.

However, our goal is ax like a straight razor.

Step number 2 - removing notches and small burrs

Stone selection

At this stage of work, you need to remove minor defects from the blade. To do this, you need to use abrasives with a finer fraction - it is called the grit of the stone. For effective sharpening, you need to choose the right stone grain size.

If at the previous stage P40 petals were used (355-425 grains), then the next optimal amount of grain will be an abrasive containing 2 times more grains.

In a circular motion, firmly pressing the cutting edge

We drip a few drops of an oil-containing liquid onto the abrasive: solvent or kerosene, and in a circular motion processes the cutting edge of the ax. We hold the corner.

Step 3 - Finishing

The blade is still dull

If you examine the blade of the ax in the light, you can see minor defects. The ax is already very sharp, but there are still small serrations on the cutting edge that will tear the tree when it is cut.

Razor sharpness is achieved by polishing the blade - it's not for nothing that dangerous razors are sharpened on a leather belt with Goya paste applied to it. To be more precise, they do not sharpen, but polish, i.e. remove the smallest dents.

The same method can be used to polish an axe. Goya paste is applied either to a strip of leather or to a planed board. Movements for polishing are done in one direction with pressure - from the cutting edge.

Blade polishing

10-20 movements on each side of the blade and the ax becomes incredibly sharp.

Checking the sharpening result

You do not need to repeat so as not to return to step number 1

After polishing, the ax blade acquires a mirror shine - this is an indicator.However, you need to check in practice - we will cut the metal riveting. As can be seen in Figure 9, it could not resist - it was cut in half and at the same time practically did not hesitate.

VIDEO: How to sharpen an ax