TIL my granddad's method of sharpening pruners with a flat file is actually better than my expensive diamond stone

My neighbor Tom caught me struggling with a gummy blade and said 'your granddad would be ashamed, a flat file cuts cleaner' so I tried his $8 file from Ace Hardware and now my cuts are smoother than after 20 minutes with the DMT stone, has anyone else ditched fancy gear for old tricks?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia39829d ago

Did you have to adjust how you hold the file compared to the diamond stone? I found with a flat file you gotta keep it steady and go one direction, not that scrubbing back and forth I was doing with my fancy stones. The burr comes off way cleaner too, almost like the file leaves a better tooth on the edge.

kim_johnson5129d ago

Totally agree @olivia398, one smooth pass with a file beats any scrubbing motion.

jamesroberts28d ago

Whoa wait, so you were actually scrubbing back and forth with a diamond stone? That hurts to even think about, haha. I had the exact same dumb moment when my uncle walked in and watched me do the sawing motion with a diamond plate, he just shook his head and handed me a $3 Nicholson file from his truck. The burr thing is wild too, I always thought you wanted a burr to show up but with the file it barely even forms and the edge just comes out clean, no stropping needed. Now I keep my DMT stone in the drawer for kitchen knives only, pruners get the file every time.