Sheep shearing is a laborious and responsible process. It requires not only experience and knowledge of the matter, but also the ability to choose the right tool for the job. Scissors or an electric machine is the choice of the farmer himself. But the most important thing in this business is the sharpness of the cutting object and the quality of the haircut.
Sharpening knives for shearing sheep
Even on the best clipper, the blade tends to dull. As a rule, the knife is made of stainless steel.. Some of them have a layer of diamond or titanium coating.
But even this does not make the cutting object sharp forever. Blades must be sharpened regularly, as the quality of wool shearing deteriorates significantly.
Did you know? With one adult sheep, with good feeding, you can cut up to 10 kg of wool.
Signs of the need for sharpening
In order to timely eliminate the blunting of knives, it is necessary to pay attention to the following signs:
- the blade does not capture the woolen cover;
- irritation or cuts remain on the skin of the animal after shearing;
- remain unshorn areas of wool.
Knife sharpening methods
In the workshops, knife sharpening specialists use professional equipment and various machines in their work. Specialized equipment will come in handy for shearing sheep on large farms. At home, you can manage on your own.
Professional sharpening kit
This kit is a very convenient and quick solution to dull knives and blades. Working with the set is easy and understandable.
The set includes the following items:
- laser pointer;
- machine with a cover;
- special lubricants;
- magnet;
- aluminum disc;
- cleaning composition.
Consider the sequence of actions with the kit:
- To remove the knives from the machine, you must use a screwdriver;
- The aluminum disk is cleaned of dust before work. Next, the aluminum disc is coated with a special oil, after which it is sprinkled with abrasive powder.
- Magnetic clip designed to fix the knife and laser pointer.
- It is necessary to set the correct disk rotation speed, after which the machine turns on.
- The blade must be tightened by pressing it against the rotating disk.
- Sharpening occurs as a result of moving the knife or blade from the center to the edge (the process lasts about 2 minutes).
- After completion of work, the kit must be cleaned of small pieces of metal and assembled before the next use.
Important!
After using the kit for the first time, take pictures of it during disassembly. This will help you in its further operation.
On a grinder
This device is often used to sharpen various cutting tools. This method is dangerous, so it is very important to follow safety precautions.
The algorithm of actions will be as follows:
- The product must be disassembled and the knives removed.
- Turn on the machine.
- During the sharpening period, the blade must be pressed against the working part of the grinder.
- The machine is dismantled and cleaned of contaminants.
Video: knife sharpening
On a lathe
If you have a lathe in your home, you won’t have to work with blunt cutting tools. The sharpening process will not take much time, but the skills for this will not interfere with you. First you need to prepare an aluminum disc and abrasive paste.
The workflow then consists of the following steps:
- Knives must be secured to the work surface.
- Turn on the machine.
- Sharpening takes place.
- Clean the blade and wipe off the paste.
- The assembly process is completed.
Important!
Working on lathes and grinders is not safe. During sharpening, protect your hands and eyes with special gloves and goggles.
On an emery machine
The principle of operation on this device resembles a lathe. The algorithm of work is identical. All actions require care and accuracy. Emery is dangerous because it can very quickly erase the top layer of the cutting device, thereby shortening its useful life. Adhere to safety precautions, because this can save you from dangerous injuries.
With a block and sandpaper
The method of sharpening with these devices is suitable for farmers who do not often use a sheep clipper. These are the safest methods for sharpening cutting tools.
The result of working with a bar depends on the experience and skill of the hands.
The blade must be pressed against the surface of the bar and moved along it until you achieve the desired result.
When working with sandpaper, it is necessary to fix it as tightly as possible. The material is used taking into account the grain size of abrasive inclusions. During sharpening, the graininess should decrease.
Homemade machine / sharpening machine
Every home should have a tool with which to sharpen knives, scissors, blades and other cutting tools. If this is not the case, then you can make it yourself. Of course, this task is not an easy one. There are different ways to make these machines. For sharpening blades that are used for shearing sheep’s wool, two options for home-made machines may be suitable. Let’s consider them in detail.
Simplest
Anyone can make this tool.
To create it you will need:
- protractor;
- corners made of wood (2 pieces of 20β30 cm each);
- whetstone;
- screws with clamping nuts (6β8 pcs.).
The device is made like this:
- Wooden corners are applied one to another in order to fasten them. They need to make 3-4 holes.
- A bar is installed between the corners. The installation must take into account the angle of inclination.
- It is important to fix the bar in the correct position, for this it is necessary to tighten it with screws.
- For convenience of work, marks are applied to the corners, on which the angles of inclination are indicated.
Sharpening on such a machine occurs as a result of holding the knife blade down the bar. The cutting device must be strictly vertical. It is very easy to change the angle of inclination on the fixture. To do this, the screws are loosened, after which the bar can be moved.
Improved
This version of the machine is a little more difficult to manufacture. But on such a device it will be more convenient for you to sharpen cutting tools, including a blade for a machine that shears sheep.
To make an advanced sharpening machine, you will need:
- piece of plywood;
- sandpaper;
- felt-tip pen or pencil;
- bolts with tightening nuts (2 pcs.);
- protractor;
- a hacksaw on wood;
- a piece of laminate;
- 2 wooden slats (optimal parameters: one is 70 cm long, the second is up to 40 cm).
Video: Sheep shearer
The manufacturing algorithm is as follows:
- First you need to cut a piece of laminate (10 Γ 4 cm). A knife holder will be made from it.
- The wide side of the holder is ground by 7 cm so that during the sharpening process it does not interfere with the movement of the bar.
- The base of the machine will be a piece of plywood (the optimal size is 30 Γ 10 cm). It must be drilled with a holder and fastened. The indentation of the holder from the base should be 2 cm.
The next stage of work involves the manufacture of the rack. Its task is to ensure that during sharpening the bar is constantly at the same angle.
Did you know? If a knife with good steel is sharpened at an angle of 50 Β°, then such a cutting edge is capable of cutting nails.
To do this:
- Vertically install a wooden rail (70 cm) on the base.
- The part of the rail that protrudes is cut off, while the main condition is that the angle between the holder and the rail should be 20β30Β°.
- The rack should be U-shaped. To do this, cut off the second such piece and install it (the angle between the holder and their top is 20β30 Β°).
- Next, on the delivered pieces, it is necessary to install a transverse rail. The angle should be the same. To do this, the tops of the vertical rails are cut at an angle.
- The structure (transverse and vertical rails) is glued with hot glue.
It remains to make a holder for sandpaper. It will act as a grindstone.
phasing:
- A rail up to 40 cm in size must be placed on the holder and stand.
- The part of the rail that goes from the rack to the holder must be cut off, while leaving 5β10 cm of stock.
- At the end, it is necessary to glue emery, the abrasive of which should be from P600 to P2000.
The machine is ready. In work, it is installed on the edge of the table. The bolts on the bottom of the appliance will act as “brakes”, as they will protrude a little. It is very important that the device is stable in operation.
The quality of sharpening depends not only on the tool, but also on the skill of the hands. All of the above types of sharpeners are able to make the cutting device suitable for work.
