How to Sharpen the Blades on a Wood Chipper
Lawn and garden chipper-shredders are becoming more popular than ever. Increasingly, homeowners are looking for more eco-friendly ways to dispose of twigs, leaves and other organic yard debris that tends to build up during the summer months. By utilizing a chipper, homeowners can now supplement their gardens with extra organic nutrients, delivered straight from the mouth of the chipper. Aside from normal routine maintenance required on an internal combustion engine, the only moving parts on chippers are the blades, and these can be sharpened or replaced by the average homeowner in under 10 minutes. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Replacement chipper blades
- Work gloves
- Allen wrench set
- Phillips screwdriver
- Pliers
- Adjustable wrench
- Socket set
- Grinding wheel
- Eye protection
Instructions
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1
Set the chipper on a flat level surface. Disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug to prevent an accidental startup. It will usually pull free with just a slight tug. Tilt the intake chute (the plastic or metal chute where you insert branches and debris) upwards to the full up position.
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2
Remove the chipper intake chute support braces from the chipper frame by removing the attaching bolts or screws, depending on manufacturer, that hold it in place. There are usually two or more 1/4-inch bolts.
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3
Remove the chipper chute from the chipper by removing the bolts that secure the chute to the blade mechanism housing. There are usually several hex nuts and washers that secure it in place. Remove them all.
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4
Put on your work gloves, then slowly rotate the chipper blade mechanism, also called an impeller, by hand until one of the two or more chipper blades become visible through the impeller housing opening. Stop rotating the impeller. Remove the Allen screws that secure the small chipper blade to the impeller. Continue to rotate the impeller until you have removed all the chipper blades.
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5
Replace the worn chipper blades or sharpen them using a grinding wheel. When sharpening them using a grinding wheel, put on eye protection then follow the original factory angle on the blades and grind them until there is a uniform appearance of new metal across the entire blade cutting surface. Remove as little metal as possible to accomplish this.
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6
Reassemble the chipper in the reverse order of dissassembly. Be sure to get all nuts, bolts and Allen screws tight. Test the chipper for normal operation.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure the Allen screws that hold the chipper blades to the impeller are tightly fastened.
