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Learn how to quickly sharpen a spade or shovel using a belt sander.

Landscapers, tree nursery people, farmers and gardeners often sharpen their shovels in order to be more efficient. Think of a shovel or spade as a dirt knife. It cuts through the soil and through roots much better when sharp. This increases work efficiency, thereby saving time and money.

Use appropriate caution and safety equipment when sharpening a shovel using this technique. Don’t wear loose fitting clothing which can get caught in the sander. Also be careful with the shovel once it’s sharp. To increase safety, have someone hold the plug of the extension cord. This person can quickly disconnect the machine if a problem is encountered.

These sharpening techniques works for me. They may or may not be appropriate for your particular situation.

In the video, I use a 50 grit sandpaper sanding belt, which is really rough sandpaper. This removes metal fast, quickly sharpening the tool. I don’t bother going down to finer sandpaper grits because a shovel only has to be so sharp. If the shovel gets really dull, I will quickly re-sharpen it. This only takes a minute or two.

It is also possible to sharpen a shovel using an aluminum oxide grinding stone and a rotary tool, such as a Dremel brand tool. The oscillating tool sanding pad technique would also work, only stick with the really rough sandpaper. Have fun and stay safe!

The bracelet bending pliers from ImpressArt make it easy to add a curved shape to your components. Find the items featured in this video here: https://www.artbeads.com/impressart-bracelet-bending-pliers-video.html. They work with flat bracelet cuffs and even flat charms. You can use them to shape items so that they are ideal for use in bracelet designs. Remember to stamp the surface of your cuff or blank before curving them with the pliers.