Sharpening Chipper Blades: Step-by-Step Guide

At the end of the day, anyone who has worked with this kind of tool in the field will agree that proper maintenance of equipment is paramount in the line of duty. There is hardly a tool that has more potential for problems than the chipper – a very powerful piece of equipment to cut branches, twigs, and other woody materials into valuable mulch or compost. Embedded at the core of a chipping operation are the chipper blades, which require extreme levels of sharpness to enable efficiency and consistency in chipping. In this blog post, we present you useful tips for chipper blade sharpening and a detailed guide on how to maintain the blades of a drum wood chipper machine properly and use it most effectively for your yard tasks.

Why Sharpen Chipper Blades?

Improved Efficiency: A nice sharp edge will effectively chip away even large pieces and harder appreciable woody matter leaving your debris behind.

Reduced Wear and Tear: Easily worn-out knives increase the workload and stress on the chipper’s engine as well as other components. Sharp blades are also vital as they increase the chipper’s total durability, thanks to proper maintenance.

Better Chipping Quality: The finer calibration is achievable due to the sharp edges of the blades and can be useful for applications such as mulching the end product.

Enhanced Safety: Blunt blades tend to clog or kickback, a situation that might be hazardous to the handler. Some of the key benefits that come with sharp blades include enhanced overall safety while operating the wood chipper.

Step-by-Step Sharpening Process

Remove the Chipper Blades: You can get information on how to remove the blades from your chipper grinder, especially for safety concerns from the user manual. This usually entails the nuts or some kind of locking mechanism to allow the blade to be uncoupled from the rotor stage.

Inspect the Blades: It is also important to carefully check the condition of the blades and their efficiency by looking for any signs of chips and cracks as well as any differences in the wear and tear of the blades. If the damage is so serious as such then it could require the complete replacement of these blades.

Sharpen the Blades: It is recommended to Clamp the blades between a vise or a clamp and you may use an angle grinder or bench grinder for sharpening the cutting edge. Angle: Keep a steady position (ranging between 30-35 degrees) in the wood while passing across the metal surface gently to avoid making the metal too hot.

Balance the Blades: After sharpening, use a balancing tool known as a blade balancer, or else, using your hand and holding the blade near the middle, make sure it is straight. In this case, the vibrations and wear and tear are hastened on the chipper due to the unbalanced blade.

Reinstall the Blades: Safely reinstall the sharpened blades and, in the process, ensure that they are tightly fastened into the correct positions as recommended by the manufacturer in terms of the bolts or locking mechanisms.

Test the Chipper: After putting back the blades, the performance of the wood briquetting chipper should be tested by turning it on. Look for any changes of sounds or shake, and quality of chipped material. Correct any issues related to the positioning of the blade or the tension with which it is set.

Conclusion

It is crucial to pay attention to safety when using any power instrument and the safety of people around you and yourself. It should be remembered that protective gear and clothing need to be worn at all times as stated by the manufacturers of the particular equipment, and no repair work should be done on the equipment when it is still hot or in operation. By taking your time to maintain your chipper blades, you’ll be able to handle your chipping and mulching projects visually around your yard with a lot of ease. 

What Is a Wood Log Chipper?

Before moving ahead in this article, first, you need to know about a wood chipper. A chipper is a large power machine that is used to greatly decrease the amount of waste material that you have in your yard. These are useful for landscapers and gardeners who live in such a region where it is prohibited to have the garbage and burn the waste material. The chips that are formed can be used for pathways, put in your flower beds, or make use of it as compost. Let’s read more about the wood log chipper:

Why Do You Need A Wood Chipper?

A long time ago, people simply burn off any yard remains in their backyard. These days, most people will line their restrictions with those brown paper lawn bags full of waste material for the debris man to pick up. However, you cannot do this in some places since it is banned. So, what do you do with the material in your yard like pruning debris, leaves and branches, and fallen limbs? That is where a leaf shredder chipper, a wood chipper, or even a tree grinder can assist you. These machines are perfect for turning the leftover clippings from your forsythia bushes and the pile of leaves into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Besides, you can line your pathways with costumed chipped wood that you can’t purchase at the garden store. With the help of this tool, you can turn this material and unused kitchen waste like fruits, vegetables, and eggshells, into compost. You can complete this in a very short time with minimal effort with one of these large machines. Some people think that wood chippers and wood shredders are similar but, they both are different from each other. Let’s read more:

Wood chipper functioning:

A wood chipper comes in several styles and sizes, but the operating function is the same. Initially, a piece of wood is put into a chute; break that organic material down into chips with the help of sharp blades that are inside the machine. The range of these chips is between 1 to 3 inches in length. The chips are prepared and transferred from the wood chipper machine into a bin or bag if that specific model comes with it. Unlike a shredder, it can chip up fresh and dry wood. The wood that you feed in the wood chipper machine will depend on the kind of blades inside and the size of the chipper.

Wood shredder functioning:

A wood shredder will appear like a small wood chipper but works similar to the wood shredder. They have a chute where you feed the material into the machine, and the waste comes out through another spot. There are several flails inside the machine. These semi-blunt blades break down the leaves, wood pieces, and other waste material into small pieces. Several modern shredders will provide you the option to select which size of the shredded pieces you can use. It is not going to have the ability to break down larger branches because a wood shredder utilizes blunt flails and a smaller engine. It means these machines are best suited for home gardeners and smaller yards. 

Final words

After reading the above-written points, all the questions related to wood log chipper must have cleared in your mind. However, there are other various machines in the market, which makes briquette using waste material. If you want to read about those machines, leave a comment in the comment section. In the future, we will publish more blogs and articles related to briquetting machines.