# Advice on Chipper Knife Saver Tool



## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

Knife Sharpener : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment

Is this good for touching up knives on the machine or is there a better tool? I usually do nothing to new blades until they need rotating/replacing. I don't resharpen blades - I just send em to the scrap yard when both sides are used. Looking for a way to extend the life out of them. BTW - using a Vermeer 1800A drum.

AP


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

Why dont you get them sharpened. You can get quite a few sharpenings out of knifes. I would think you could just touch them up with a flat file.


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## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Why dont you get them sharpened. You can get quite a few sharpenings out of knifes. I would think you could just touch them up with a flat file.



Mostly because the cost to ship them out to be sharpened plus the actual cost of sharpening is close enough to the cost of new blades that it's just easier for me to go with new ones and then I don't have to mess with the bed knife. I'm only changing out blades maybe once every couple of months (just part time).

I'm just looking to extend the life of the blades while they're on the machine.

BTW - anyone want to buy used vermeer 1800a knives? Used once - some dings an knicks so will need to be ground down a 1/4" or so to get to an even edge.


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## superjunior (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> Knife Sharpener : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment
> 
> Is this good for touching up knives on the machine or is there a better tool? I usually do nothing to new blades until they need rotating/replacing. I don't resharpen blades - I just send em to the scrap yard when both sides are used. Looking for a way to extend the life out of them. BTW - using a Vermeer 1800A drum.
> 
> AP



I usually send my knives out to be sharpened. The Vermeer manual gives you the specs on how far the knives can be taken down, I run the same chipper as you. Usually get 3 to 5 sharpenings out of a set of knives before they get scrapped.


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## Blakesmaster (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> Knife Sharpener : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment
> 
> Is this good for touching up knives on the machine or is there a better tool? I usually do nothing to new blades until they need rotating/replacing. I don't resharpen blades - I just send em to the scrap yard when both sides are used. Looking for a way to extend the life out of them. BTW - using a Vermeer 1800A drum.
> 
> AP



MDS has one and I used it on his knives when I was helping him this fall. It didn't really do much good but his knives were WAY gone at the time I attempted to sharpen. I have a feeling if you used it once a week from when the knives were new you could see better results. Seriously though, it's 15 bucks, if it doesn't work you're not out much. I'll probably get on with my next Sherrill order.


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## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

Blakesmaster said:


> MDS has one and I used it on his knives when I was helping him this fall. It didn't really do much good but his knives were WAY gone at the time I attempted to sharpen. I have a feeling if you used it once a week from when the knives were new you could see better results. Seriously though, it's 15 bucks, if it doesn't work you're not out much. I'll probably get on with my next Sherrill order.



Yeh, $15 just seemed oddly cheap. if there was a better tool for more money, I would consider it over the cheap one if it worked better. Otherwise, it's a no-brainer to give the $15 tool a try.

What do you guys who send in your knives to be resharpened pay for a 4-knife set INCLUDING to/from shipping? I'm paying around $150 a set for brand new knives from Zenith if I recall correctly (including shipping).


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

I have a guy about a mile from me that sharpens them for me for $0.75 a inch. His turn around time is a week. Did you ever call any machine shops to see if they could sharpen them for you?


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## superjunior (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> I have a guy about a mile from me that sharpens them for me for $0.75 a inch. His turn around time is a week. Did you ever call any machine shops to see if they could sharpen them for you?



That's about what I pay and my guy is about 2.5 miles down the road. They also retip grinder teeth.


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## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

superjunior said:


> That's about what I pay and my guy is about 2.5 miles down the road. They also retip grinder teeth.



so, a vermeer 1800a knife is 10" long x 2 edges x 4 blades = 80". so you pay $60 to sharpen a set? 

Back to the knive saver tool - anyone use the sherrill one or a different one? do they work good and how often do you touch the edges up?


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## superjunior (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> so, a vermeer 1800a knife is 10" long x 2 edges x 4 blades = 80". so you pay $60 to sharpen a set?
> 
> Back to the knive saver tool - anyone use the sherrill one or a different one? do they work good and how often do you touch the edges up?



Maybe it's a little more, I wanna say closer to 80$ 

I havent used a knive sharpening tool. Used to run a flat file on my old chuck n duck knives to hold an edge longer.


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## swyman (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Why dont you get them sharpened. You can get quite a few sharpenings out of knifes. I would think you could just touch them up with a flat file.



I use a short flat file on mine every couple jobs and does not take much to bring them back razor sharp. I have a disc chipper though so knives are easy to access.


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## tree MDS (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> so, a vermeer 1800a knife is 10" long x 2 edges x 4 blades = 80". so you pay $60 to sharpen a set?
> 
> Back to the knive saver tool - anyone use the sherrill one or a different one? do they work good and how often do you touch the edges up?



I use the knife saver that bandit sells. I think it was like $60. They work real well if you keep up on it... which I really don't. I have used it to sharped up blades that were pretty shot (in a pinch) before, and it's better than hammering stuff into completely dull blades anyway. And you can change the teeth (for lack of a better term) for like $8 if it gets shot. They last a good while though.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> so, a vermeer 1800a knife is 10" long x 2 edges x 4 blades = 80". so you pay $60 to sharpen a set?
> 
> Back to the knive saver tool - anyone use the sherrill one or a different one? do they work good and how often do you touch the edges up?



I was just thinking about one company I worked at touched their knives every morning. the machine was used hard every day all day. They used a saw chain bit on a Dremel to de-burr and lightly re-edge the knives. I thought this was a good idea.

I asked Dave at American Arborist what he thought of the special tool you see in catalouges. He said its pretty much a regular old knife sharpener ( scissors too).

I touch up my knives with a flat diamond file. It just takes a second to de-burr and lightly re-edge.

ArborPro: I think you should invest in your own sharpener. The places around here charge about 50 bucks to sharpen a set of my Bandit 90 knives. Each one is 4 inches long with two sides. There is no doubt I get more service out of them by dressing them with a flat file.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> I use the knife saver that bandit sells. I think it was like $60. They work real well if you keep up on it... which I really don't. I have used it to sharped up blades that were pretty shot (in a pinch) before, and it's better than hammering stuff into completely dull blades anyway. And you can change the teeth (for lack of a better term) for like $8 if it gets shot. They last a good while though.



I think the 60 bucks was for your other " Intruder", the one to touch up chipper knives is 15. Its just a regular old knife sharpener BUT please tell us about the other thing... well, actually, keep it to yerself.


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## formationrx (Feb 9, 2012)

*...*

have them sharpened by a pro.... or find yourself an old surface grinder....


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## tree MDS (Feb 9, 2012)

treemandan said:


> I think the 60 bucks was for your other " Intruder", the one to touch up chipper knives is 15. Its just a regular old knife sharpener BUT please tell us about the other thing... well, actually, keep it to yerself.



I'm not sure if its the same thing you use to sharpen the scissors that you make outfits for your bunny with or not. You could try it though, I suppose. Lol.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

last time i talked to dave at american arborist, he was selling his old knife sharper.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> last time i talked to dave at american arborist, he was selling his old knife sharper.



calling right now! Thanks.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> I'm not sure if its the same thing you use to sharpen the scissors that you make outfits for your bunny with or not. You could try it though, I suppose. Lol.



It is... least I think so... the 15 dollar item from Sherril is and i think Bandit WAS overcharging for theirs. Post a pic of what you got.

P.S. My toenails are painted glittery orange but don't tell anybody.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

AA has a set of my knives right now, I will see what is up with their machine shortly. Would anybody be interested in a sharpening service that picks up and delivers?

There are a few arbo shops around here that do it and some regular machine shops with the capabilty. I doubt I could get involved. .75 an inch? Dam! that's cheap.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

Dave wont sell it to you if your gonna compete with him for sharpening. He told me he would rather deliver it halfway accross the country for free before he sells it to a competitor.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

treemandan said:


> P.S. My toenails are painted glittery orange but don't tell anybody.



Pics or it didnt happen!


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## tree MDS (Feb 9, 2012)

treemandan said:


> It is... least I think so... the 15 dollar item from Sherril is and i think Bandit WAS overcharging for theirs. Post a pic of what you got.
> 
> P.S. My toenails are painted glittery orange but don't tell anybody.



This is my second one. I let the other go with the old 200+. Maybe they're charging extra for the fancy Kevlar gloves (which I've never used), and obviously thieves, but It does seriously cut, and I have a hard time imagining a scissors sharpener holding up as well. Okay, my work is done here now.
View attachment 222867


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## tree MDS (Feb 9, 2012)

Grr, one more try:
View attachment 222871


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> This is my second one. I let the other go with the old 200+. Maybe they're charging extra for the fancy Kevlar gloves (which I've never used), and obviously thieves, but It does seriously cut, and I have a hard time imagining a scissors sharpener holding up as well. Okay, my work is done here now.
> View attachment 222867



Right, I could see the gloves being pricey but that there is yer regular ole kitchen knife, pocket knife sharpener. 

The thing with that is they bring both sides of what you are sharpening to a point. Chipper knives only have one side beveled. It will still work to dress the edge.


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## Zale (Feb 9, 2012)

The tool works fine if you use it everyday. It does not handle large dings very well. For $15 its a cheap way to maintain your knives.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Pics or it didnt happen!



You got a better chance of seeing God. 

My daughter came at me with a pedicure kit the other day. First we have to soak the feet... oh boy, nothing like a big bowl of freezing cold water for that.

P.S. i guess that bowl ain't good for salad anymore?


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## Pelorus (Feb 9, 2012)

treemandan said:


> Right, I could see the gloves being pricey but that there is yer regular ole kitchen knife, pocket knife sharpener.
> 
> The thing with that is they bring both sides of what you are sharpening to a point. Chipper knives only have one side beveled. It will still work to dress the edge.





Yup. I have the (overpriced) Bandit one, and use it as little as possible. The more you use it, the bigger the back bevel on the knife gets. Translates into a lot more passes on the grinder at re-sharpening time.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Dave wont sell it to you if your gonna compete with him for sharpening. He told me he would rather deliver it halfway accross the country for free before he sells it to a competitor.



Yeah I was wondering about that.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> Yup. I have the (overpriced) Bandit one, and use it as little as possible. The more you use it, the bigger the back bevel on the knife gets. Translates into a lot more passes on the grinder at re-sharpening time.



Yeah, so I just use a flat file which does a good job on leveling the big burrs and dings while retaining the shape of the knife.

SURVEY SAYS!: The Intruder is best left in the bedroom.


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## tree MDS (Feb 9, 2012)

treemandan said:


> Right, I could see the gloves being pricey but that there is yer regular ole kitchen knife, pocket knife sharpener.
> 
> The thing with that is they bring both sides of what you are sharpening to a point. Chipper knives only have one side beveled. It will still work to dress the edge.



Well, you use what you want man, I'm telling you this thing can make dull(ish) blades cut almost new. Besides, to save another $40 or so, I don't feel like cruising the dollar stores. Lol.


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## treemandan (Feb 9, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> Well, you use what you want man, I'm telling you this thing can make dull(ish) blades cut almost new. Besides, to save another $40 or so, I don't feel like cruising the dollar stores. Lol.



I never said it couldn't. I was actually looking for one yesterday.


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## millbilly (Feb 9, 2012)

2tree, dan there was a blade sharpener on craigslist in our area within the last 2 weeks, they wanted alittle over $2000


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## Pelorus (Feb 9, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> Well, you use what you want man, I'm telling you this thing can make dull(ish) blades cut almost new. Besides, to save another $40 or so, I don't feel like cruising the dollar stores. Lol.



True, but I've found they don't cut like almost new for very long at all. If I want to buy another day or three before changing them, ok, but it only postpones the inevitable for a short time. Maybe that's cause I'm running a small chipper, and I gotta have sharp blades to keep the 30 horses (the ones sipping diesel fuel) happy. Having more horses might make things less finicky if their molars are worn down a bit.


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## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> True, but I've found they don't cut like almost new for very long at all. If I want to buy another day or three before changing them, ok, but it only postpones the inevitable for a short time. Maybe that's cause I'm running a small chipper, and I gotta have sharp blades to keep the 30 horses (the ones sipping diesel fuel) happy. Having more horses might make things less finicky if their molars are worn down a bit.



I thought on those little chippers, once the blades were dull, you just throw the whole thing away and go down to home depot and buy a new one...

So, you know that if you're going to own a sk650 skid steer, you're going to have to buy a bigger chipper, right?. Pairing that awesome mini with a baby chipper is like pairing a lumberjack with an electric chainsaw. One of the two simply doesn't showcase the potential of the other...

AP


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

millbilly said:


> 2tree, dan there was a blade sharpener on craigslist in our area within the last 2 weeks, they wanted alittle over $2000



Do you have a link? Was it listed under tools in philly?


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## Pelorus (Feb 9, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> I thought on those little chippers, once the blades were dull, you just throw the whole thing away and go down to home depot and buy a new one...
> 
> So, you know that if you're going to own a sk650 skid steer, you're going to have to buy a bigger chipper, right?. Pairing that awesome mini with a baby chipper is like pairing a lumberjack with an electric chainsaw. One of the two simply doesn't showcase the potential of the other...
> 
> AP



Bandit 65 XP is small, but there is a lot of fight in that little dog. I still have an old gas Woodchuck chuck 'n duck to use whenever I feel the need to hate myself & the donkeys.
Bigger chipper = need bigger truck = need to win lottery or steal an ABM $ dispenser.
btw - waiting on delivery of used grapple bucket & pallet forks getting shipped from Thunder Bay. Thanks again for contact.

Dave


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## millbilly (Feb 9, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Do you have a link? Was it listed under tools in philly?



sorry 2tree, I feel like a total smacked ham. I found the add again it said, clipper blade sharpener Sharpening Equipment for Sale. Sorry for the bad post.


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## arbor pro (Feb 9, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> Bandit 65 XP is small, but there is a lot of fight in that little dog. I still have an old gas Woodchuck chuck 'n duck to use whenever I feel the need to hate myself & the donkeys.
> Bigger chipper = need bigger truck = need to win lottery or steal an ABM $ dispenser.
> btw - waiting on delivery of used grapple bucket & pallet forks getting shipped from Thunder Bay. Thanks again for contact.
> 
> Dave



glad to be of help. glad you found something. 

I understand about the truck. when I upgraded to an 18" chipper, it became quickly evident that a 1-ton chip truck was not going to do suffice. Makes me think about when my in-laws switched their corn row spacing from 32" rows to 28". They had to buy new combine heads and then a new planter with the 28" spacing. then, because the new planter was bigger, they had to buy a bigger tractor with triples to pull the planter. Then they had to buy bigger grain carts. Then a second semi to haul the extra yield (32" spacing to 28" spacing = about a 15% higher yield). One seemingly simply change and the whole equipment lineup had to be replaced. :msp_smile:


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

millbilly said:


> sorry 2tree, I feel like a total smacked ham. I found the add again it said, clipper blade sharpener Sharpening Equipment for Sale. Sorry for the bad post.



no worrys.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Feb 9, 2012)

Del_ said:


> It's been mentioned before that a bench belt sander can be fashoned to DIY shapening. I've never done it but would love a way to touch mine up at home short of spending couple of grand for a sharpener.



You got to make sure you dont get them too hot or you will lose there temper.


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## no tree to big (Feb 9, 2012)

what I do for my blades is I just take a normal old belt sander to them provided I dont beat the crap out of my machine all day every day so I dont start with a trashed knife. If you know how to work the sander you can get a pretty damn good edge on them just dont catch the corner of the knife with the belt and I'll say my horribly underpowered chipper will let you know if you did a bad job sharpening. you will not get a perfectly straight cut on the angle it will be ever so slightly curved but seems to cause no difference


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## Menchhofer (Feb 9, 2012)

The knife sharpener works very good as long as your intention is to keep a good edge on the knives. Have used them for years. They are just the scissor sharpeners...whenever we see them in the store we buy a couple..about 5 to 10.00 each. When they get dull, you just reverse the edge and you are good to go for a while longer.

We also did not use the glove one day and sliced four fingers while sharpening the blades. Very deep laceratons. Now we do not sharpen without it.


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## flushcut (Feb 13, 2012)

arbor pro said:


> Knife Sharpener : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment
> 
> Is this good for touching up knives on the machine or is there a better tool? I usually do nothing to new blades until they need rotating/replacing. I don't resharpen blades - I just send em to the scrap yard when both sides are used. Looking for a way to extend the life out of them. BTW - using a Vermeer 1800A drum.
> 
> AP



I use one, and I have found it has cut down my "send out sharpening" cost. You have to use it on somewhat sharp knives to keep an edge but they work.


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## jtc16 (Nov 2, 2016)

What do you think the best bet is to try and bring back some chipped knives? Mine aren't too bad but they aren't good


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## no tree to big (Nov 2, 2016)

jtc16 said:


> What do you think the best bet is to try and bring back some chipped knives? Mine aren't too bad but they aren't good


If they are chipped you need to sharpen them the proper way nice and slow on a sharpener depending how bad they are chipped you may end up taking a lot off... now the edge doesn't have to be 100% to be acceptable for use 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


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