Who's blades stay sharp longest?

[JSK76]

Strikemaster chipper vs Jiffy Ripper, who's blade stay sharper longer? I never once sharpened my 8" Jiffy in the 12+ years I used it and I think it cut as well the last time out as it did new. I drill around 30-50 holes a year only, so maybe thats why.

I seem to be reading some post about SM chipper blades needing to be sharpened once or twice a year and since I just switched from Jiffy to SM and a chipper blade I was just curious on what to expect.

[Northlander]

Those Jiffy coated Chipper blades stay sharp a long long time. I think they have a teflon coating. A good stone keeps any chipper blade sharp for a long time.

[Ed Carlson]

The mistake many make is they use a grinder or a sander and heat up the blade causing it to loose it's temper...then it dulls more quickly.

I will share some tips that makes resharpening chippers easy and efficient.

Remove the dulled blade or blades from the chipper.

Start by blacking out the top surface of the chipper blade with a wide marker. (The top surface is the only one you need to mill, but you may need to de-burr the bottom edge if it is rolled.)

Now inspect the bottom of the blade to see if it has any burs. If it does gently mill the surface with a stone to remove the burr, keep it flat and keep the angle as it was.

Now...take the stone and lay it flat on a table and take the chipper blade and lay it, blackened side down, on top of the wet stone, keep the angle and keep the cutting surface perfectly flat to the stone.

Just gently mill the blade in a circular motion on the stone tell all the black is gone and a clean new shiny surface is complete across the entire length of the cutting edge surface.

I do not worry about the inside of the Ripper serrations as the ice will clean them off. If a large portion of one of the serrations is broken and missing, it will effect the cut and you may need to eventually replace it. But I do not take the time to do the individual serrations with a rat tail chain saw file...but if you wish to, do that first before you mill the top edge.

It is now milled out like new again, and it has all it's temper intact and full strength as designed.

The center point is a critical part of the cutting system on an ice auger, and also needs to be well maintained. A fine file will do well here, and again, be sure to keep the appropriate angle and do not alter it...keep the file perfectly flat.

As for shaver blades..I don't even attempt to do them. I just buy new, or send them in to the factory for them to do. I have no luck at all doing them correctly.

[leech~~]

Ed

Should you de-bur the other side at the very end or do that before you stone the black side? Any suggestions on stone grit sizes? Do you start with a heavy and then finish with a fine? Thanks good stuff.

[Ed Carlson]

Most often you will not have much of a burr at the end on the bottom side, and in about 2 holes in the ice, it will smooth that right off anyway. It is more critical to keep the angle and produce a even flat cutting edge across the length of the blade.

If you have a two sided course/fine grit stone, like an India Stone, you can finish it off with the fine grit side, ice also does a preaty quick and smooth job of this.

A few strokes across a leather belt on the rough back side of the belt will fine it out too...like a barber would with a straight razor belt.... most any belt hanging in your closet will do fine too...if it is rough leather on the back side. This also fines out a freshly sharpened fillet knife very well too.

I just try to keep away from any heating of the steel to soften it in any way. The hardness keeps the edge in the long run. Cold steel cuts sharpest is a good rule to remember.

[Surface Tension]

Good description Ed.

Chipper blades are sharpened much like a chisel. Without going into all those details you can find a video on youtube on how to correctly sharpen a chisel with a stone.

You might have seen it free hand or with a jig to hold the angle. The jig will prevent you from rocking the blade and goofing up or rounding what should a flat surface.

After you've done that you might wonder how you'll adapt using a stone to a wider blade like chipper blade.

A perfectly flat surface, sand paper and contact adhesive.

Start with 220 grit and adhere that to your flat surface.

Just like the video you push the blade edge as if you were cutting a thin slice while keeping the exact angle. If you want a jig make a sled for the blade that spans the sandpaper.

Then you have the power option.

A disc sander with table will work. You'll often find those in a combo belt and disc sander.

You'll use a tool holder set up with the correct angle and of coarse you'll adapt a tool holder to a chipper blade with angle or make your own.

The table will keep you flat and guide your tool holder.

As Ed said, you'll have to watch the heat or you'll ruin the steel.

[Surface Tension]

Blades with a radius are a lot harder to do.

You can get the cheap hand sharpeners that MIGHT save the day in a pinch by taking off a burr. They look like a knife sharpener but if you look closely at the sharpener there is one cutting edge. DON'T use a knife sharpener on a any type auger blade.

[leech~~]

Ed, Surf, where were you two guys when I asked this Q, on the How do you sharpen auger blades post? Thanks for the ideas, I have been trying to get a good idea how to do this for two years now! I think people thought that I was going to setup a shop or something. I just wanted a good idea how to touch up my own blades before going out once in a while. Thanks

[Ed Carlson]

Your very welcome. If it's simple..I will eventually figure it out. LOL!

That fine sandpaper method is a good portable method too. Just stick the pad on a table and go to it in the same manner I described...just keep that angle true. I have a couple of fine grit pads in my glove box just for that reason.

[Surface Tension]

Leech, didn't see your other post.

You can do the Mora blades the same way. They have a much larger flat area to hold the blade true and flat. Unlike the chipper blades a shaver has to be hair splitting sharp across the entire edge. One small blem and it won't cut.

I love my Nils Master.

BUT I have history with the old spoon augers and still have that auger. Next was the Mora I bought when I was 19 years old. I'm now 51 years old and I still have the Mora and the original blades that I sharpen myself. Next auger was and OPE/Strike Master Mag III, still has the original blade that I sharpen.

Then came the Nils. The above augers I keep maintained but the Nils is what gets used. I've had it for 4 years now and have the original blade that I of coarse sharpen. I have no doubt I'll have that blade a long time too. You would think being setup to sharpen the Nils I'd be touching it up all the time. Not the case, I've only had to sharpen it once and that was from hitting junk buried under the snow.

[leech~~]

Surf, it wasn't my post I only asked a Q's on it. It was Auger Blade sharping, in the Brainered area forum. But since you and I are only one year apart we follow about the same auger path. Scoop-spoon hand, Mora hand, the old red and blue S/M, Mag III, and this year picked up a 10" S/M. I have made my share of sharping screw ups in the past and don't like being out with dull blades. The first time I tried to put a new edge on my Mora hand auger a millon years ago. I was up by Marcel at my buddies dads cabin and we were headed out to a little trout lake for the day but before we went. I just wanted to touch up my blades a bit. Yep, that day I learned that you only sharpen one side!!! We went out to the lake and we did get two holes to fish in, but it took both of us holding down on the handle and drilling as fast as we could for about 1/2hr each hole! So, I learned something that day, never go out with dull blades and make sure you know how to sharpen them. So, every time I get a new type, I need to learn how to do it Right! Thanks again. Leech~~

[Surface Tension]

Leech, good to hear from someone that used an old spoon auger. When your young and its that or chisel the spoon ain't so bad. I remember drilling though 3' of ice many times. You had to scoop the ice chips out by hand. Coarse to stop drilling to scoop chips was a break and those chips meant you were getting deeper. When you had your two holes that was it. It was a good thing they drilled out old holes pretty good because to find an old hole was a huge bonus.

Portables, HA! You sat on a box with the wind to your back.

Everyone wore their orange hunting jackets too.

[BrdHunter01]

I have the SM chipper 10" and I sharpen it once a year,but I should really do it twice a year. Not sure if I bang it on things or if it just dulls that fast... I just take mine to my old buddy, hope he's still alive for this years sharpening He puts it on the belt, 2 mins later she's sharp as a razor!

[leech~~]

Leech, good to hear from someone that used an old spoon auger.

Surf, I forgot about the old spud days! Actually my first ever Ice fishing outing we used a hatchet! I lived in South Mpls and a buddy and I took a bus down to lake Nokmus, we had two of the old sticks with the heavy black braded line I got from my uncle, can't rememeber what we had for bait, gum, corn? It was about 10- below and we chopped for about an hour just to get one little hole through 2 feet of ice. Could hardly get the frozen heavy line down the hole, gave up after about an hour of nothing! Found out that back then the busses stopped running in the evenings on a Sunday, and we ended up walking about two miles home! You would think with Great memories of ice fishing like that you would not even see me out on the ice today. But, here I sit, years later getting my snowmobile ready, working on the porty, sorting rods and gear, with no ice insight, WAITING for 10- below so I can go again!