The Perfect Bat

How To Sharpen Augur Blades

Ice fishing season is done for another year and it's time to put away the tents, ice fishing poles, and augurs that cut through the ice. However, before you place that augur back into storage, you should take time to make sure it's ready to use once the ponds and lakes freeze over again next winter – since there's nothing worse for an ice fisherman than not having their tools ready when the excitement of frozen mornings alerts them to the start of a new ice fishing season. Here is how you can sharpen your augur so you can take advantage of the new season when it arrives.

You Will Need:

  • Vise
  • Diamond Fine Grain File
  • 2 Wrenches
  • Gloves

Remove Blade

You can remove the blades using two wrenches. Place one wrench on the nut and the other on the bolt and twist it counter-clockwise. You may have several blades on your augur – a cutting blade or two, and a couple of guide blades. Be careful working on the blades, because even though they have become dull through usage, they might still be able to slice through the skin on your hands. Make sure you are wearing heavy gloves to protect your hands from getting sliced up.

Sharpening Blades

Place one blade at a time into a vise and tighten the vise until the blade is firmly held in place with the blade facing up. You should use a diamond impregnated, fine grain file to file down the cutting edge of the blade. The file should be long enough to file the entire surface of the blade at one time to avoid ridges and valleys forming on the blade – an uneven surface will negatively affect the blade and reduce its effectiveness when cutting though ice. Use even full strokes to mill down the steel on the blade until you get the sharpened edge you are looking to achieve. Repeat this process for both the cutting and the guide blades.

Reinstalling Blades

Now that the blades have been sharpened, it is even more dangerous than before, so make sure you put on your heavy gloves again when reinstalling the blade on the augur. Place the cutting blade on the auger so the stamped letters on the side of the blade will face away from the ice when you are using the augur. Position the guide blades back into position (they typically can only go on one way) and bolt them into place. You should coat the blades with oil to keep them from rusting over the summer.

If you need more information or assistance with sharpening  your blades, contact a local sporting goods shop like Al & Bob's Sports.


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