How To Sharpen Your Ax? Easy Steps To Follow

Axes are an important tool to have around, especially if you are working outdoor. They are used to chop down trees, for kindling, etc. They are basically like a small machine.  The axes use the pressure from the blade to cut through different woods.

To have better results the blade needs to be sharp. If the blade is sharp the chopping process will be faster since the blade cuts through easier. But, if you don’t use the ax very often and if you have a low-quality blade then the blade can become dull and it will be a lot of times cut using that blade. 

The blade can become dull from rust and dust too, that’s why it’s important to maintain your blade and always keep it on safe places. 

If your blade has already become dull and you can’t split easy woods then it’s time to sharpen it.  When that time arrives, you have three choices.

The first one is to send your ax to a local shop and they will sharpen it for you or you can buy a new blade, or you can sharpen it yourself at your home.

I’d suggest you use the third option because you can’t buy a new blade every time your blade gets dulls and sending it to a local shop to sharpen it can cost you money too. Sharpening the blade by yourself is not that hard and you won’t spend a lot of money.

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How to sharpen your ax?

Even though sharpening your own blade isn’t hard, you still need a guide to show you exactly what to do and what tools to use. Luckily for you, we have made an easy guide that you can follow plus we have listed a few tips to help you complete the task better.

To help you sharpen your blade you need to use a sharpening stone. Before starting the process make sure to place the stone on a wet towel, this will make the stone ready for use plus it will prevent the stone from slipping while you are sharpening.

I don’t have any favorite stone or any recommendation when it comes to sharpening stones, you can use different types of stones for this process. The important thing is that you need to use the rough side of the stone first to get better results.  You can move to finer stones later, to get a fine finish.

To get better results, you should draw the blade across the stone. You should start at the heel of the blade and end at the tip. It is recommended to use a 20-degree angle when sharpening.

Once you are done drawing the blade across the stone at one side, you should do the same thing at the other side of the blade, which helps to get a better balance.

When you complete both sides of the blade then the only thing you need to do is to clean up the metal filings at your garage. After that, the blade is ready to use. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can re-do the whole process again until you get the results you want.

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2 Tips To Get Better Results

If you want to complete the process faster and better then here are a few tips to help you get better results.

1. Get the tools you need

If you want to know how to sharpen your ax, then the first step is to get all the tools you need. This will make the process easier. Except for the sharpening stone that we have mentioned, you can get better results if you combine the sharpening ax and 10-inch bastard mill file.

You can find the mill file almost everywhere. The mill file is mostly used after you are done sharpening the ax with the sharpening stone, so you can get a better finish.

If your blade gets dull, that probably means that the blade has a lost of dust and rust, that happens mainly because you store the ax at dirty places. If your blade is covered by dust then you should clean it beforehand. To take it to another level, you should also wear safety gear.

Safety gear is a must when you are working with sharp things like a blade. Except for gloves to protect your hands, you should also wear goggles and a dust mask to protect your eyes and face.

2. You need to be patient

Patience is key when it comes to sharpening your blade.

This is not a fast process, you will have to spend a lot of time sharpening your ax. Since sharpening requires you to do the same exact thing over and over again that means that a lot of people will get frustrated and try to complete the task as fast as possible.

This usually leads to bad results and you will have to re-do the whole process again. I always recommend to set some time ahead and really get into details and get the best results you can. If you get the results you want that means that you don’t have to sharpen your ax every few weeks.

Patience is also important because it will prevent you from cutting yourself. As you know, both the ax and the sharpening tools have sharp edges that can cut you if you are not careful enough.

Learn Here: How to Make Sharpen Your Own Ax Handle?

Final Words

If you are an outdoor worker, then sharpening is something that you need to know. If you work with axes, then a sharp blade will make your life easier because you will be able to cut through wood easier.

On the other hand, a dull blade will make your life hard because you will need to spend a lot more energy to cut through wood.

Always keep in mind that you need to be patient when it comes to sharpening because you will be doing the same thing over and over again, but once you are done, your blade will be sharp and you will be able to complete your outdoor tasks better and easier.