Put Down The Angle Grinder: Sharpen Your Shovel With A Drill Attachment

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The part of a shovel that digs into the ground is the blade, and like all blades, you need to sharpen it periodically if you want it to do its job. A sharp shovel makes it easier to dig into hard ground and is a great alternative to a pricey edger. Of course, digging is what dulls the blade in the first place, so many workers who do a lot of it keep a cordless grinder handy for sharpening. YouTuber caskandroots suggests a better way: Use a drill with a sanding attachment. 

This is a better way because it preserves the blade. A grinder works quickly, but it's aggressive and removes a lot of the metal, and you want to avoid excess metal loss. It can also make your shovel too sharp, and an overly acute bevel is more fragile when you dig into rocks, potentially chipping or bending. You end up having to grind it more frequently to keep it sharp, and that shortens the life of the shovel even more. 

A sanding attachment for a drill, like the Coceca 2-inch Drill Sander Attachment ($9.99), is inexpensive, and it comes with a selection of sanding discs of various grits. The attachment fits a standard 1/4-inch drill chuck, and the discs have an adhesive backing, which makes them easy to change. When you use an attachment like this with your cordless drill, it will be ready to use when you're out in the field. 

Before you sharpen your shovel blade, clean off all the dirt with a brush or a garden hose. When the dirt is gone and the metal is dry, note any rust on the blade. It creates friction when you're digging, and you remove that with the sander. A 120-grit sanding disc will usually do the job, but you can also use a coarser grit like 80 or 100 if the rust is hard to remove. Be sure to wear goggles to protect your eyes from sparks and flying shards of metal. 

When sharpening a blade like a lawn mower blade, you don't want to cut the angle too steep or not steep enough. Similarly, a 45-degree angle is about right for a shovel. This calls for a bit of precision, so it's best to clamp the tool into a vise to hold it steady while you're working. If you're out in the field, stabilize the shovel against a fence or a wall so that it can't move. 

Caskandroots recommends using an 80- or 120-grit sanding disk for sharpening. Hold the attachment at a 45-degree angle, activate the drill, and run the disc back and forth along the blade a few times until you can see shiny bare metal; then turn the shovel over and repeat on the other side. Finally, lubricate the shovel with petroleum jelly or motor oil to help prevent rust and make it slip more easily into the dirt when you're digging. However, note that petroleum-based oils can be harmful to soil. Alternatives like vegetable or mineral oil are recommended when shoveling soil.