- You can hand-sharpen the individual teeth on a hedge trimmer with a flat file. This file needs to be flat with cross-cuts for the filing edge. Using these files will ensure you keep a smooth edge along the entire length of the cutting tooth. The files can be purchased at home and garden stores and can range in length from 4 to 8 inches. Any bigger or smaller will make filing more difficult.
- Sharpening a hedge trimmer by hand takes patience and practice. Pay close attention to things such as file angle, file direction and the number of strokes to ensure the teeth are sharpened evenly. These specifications will range from hedge trimmer to hedge trimmer, so check the operator's manual for details.
- When filing by hand, the file direction should be consistent. Place the tip of the file at the bottom of the tooth and push the file up the length of the tooth to the tip. Make each stroke smooth, using the entire length of the file.
- After you've finished sharpening every tooth on both sides, wipe off each tooth with a rag. Filing dust can get inside the teeth and move into the cutting gears, which would eventually ruin the cutting mechanism on the trimmer. After you've cleaned each tooth, lubricate them with the cutting oil that came with the electric trimmer. This will ensure that no metal dust gets caught in the teeth.
- While hand-sharpening can be done in a pinch to save time and money, it shouldn't be considered a substitute for having the blades sharpened by a professional. An electric sharpener will achieve a much more precise and even sharpening than you can by hand. A machine will also take off only the metal needed to get the teeth sharp again and no extra. Have your electric hedge trimmer sharpened on a seasonal basis if you use the machine a lot and a bi-seasonal basis if you use the trimmer only several times a season.
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