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Have you ever wondered how to sharpen a machete? Well, I did! The awesome tool really needs some sharpening techniques to be in good shape. As the top level machetes don’t always come with a factory edge, you need to give it a nice cutting edge as per your necessity. If you are not a pro in that sharpening area, you really need to gather some basic knowledge & skills on how to sharpen your machetes. We will show you step by step on how you can do that. Get ready then!
As machete is a large blade tool, you really need to be careful enough before handling it on your own. You need to know how to use the best tool sharpeners to give a fine edge as there are so many types of them. There are various sharpeners out there in the market and we will talk about the most common sharpeners. Let’s start then?
How to Sharpen a Machete
There are many unique tools out there that can be used for machete sharpening. In this article, we will talk about how to sharpen machetes with:
01. Sharpening a Machete With a Belt Sander
Belt sanders are the most common and easiest method of sharpening a machete. Through this wonderful tool, you can easily give your blade a go that will result in a sharpened machete. A convex sharpening with a utility edge can easily be given if proper techniques are maintained all through the sharpening stage. Many experts consider it the easiest way to sharpen a machete. Long blade machete, like the katana machete, can be easily sharpened by this.
You just need to give a light pressure and a straight edge is there for you! Just don’t overheat your machete when you are running the blade across the belt. That will harm this best tool sharpeners carbon-steel composition. Besides, it’s much easier than using a grinding wheel for your machete. A moderately-priced belt sharpener will be enough for your machetes. If you have enough budget to invest for high-end electric sharpeners you should definitely do that.
02. Sharpening a Machete With a Grinder
Grinding wheels are mostly used when aggressive sharpening is needed. This process helps to eliminate the factory dullness or big nicks. As you need to sharpen your machete with a grinder in one go, the work area needs to be spacious enough for you. That will help you to get an even edge.
Also, the grinders can make your blade really hot if it is operated at a higher rpm. So either you need to operate it at a lower rpm or you need to continuously pour some water on the contacting parts of the tools. Otherwise, it will turn your blade composition into a lower grade. Both of the processes are considerably difficult if you are not experienced enough. That is why this technique is not a favorite among machete users.
03. Sharpening a Machete With a File
For a simple sharpening process, you can seek out help from a file. It doesn’t require much technique to get a sharpened blade. Firstly, you need two things for sharpening your machetes, a vice to hold your machete tightly and a file. There are mainly two types of file, one is a double cut or rough and the other is a single cut or smooth. What would be the best is a bastard cut which is an intermediary option of the two.
Once the machete is tightly held in the vice at the desired angle, you need to push the file repeatedly over the blade. Remember that you can’t pull it rather need to push it. Also in a reverse way, the machete can be drawn against the file. Once one side is done sharpening, the whole process is repeated on the other side. As files are really small to carry with you in the woods, you can also regain the sharpness of your blade there! This is really cool for sharpening a saw back of machetes like Gerber Gator.
04. Sharpening a Machete With a Dremel
This sharpening process is also very common and easy to undergo. A Dremel is some power tool which is operated handheld having a rotating sharpener at the end part of its shaft. You also need a vice to grip the machete. Then you need to power up the Dremel and run it over the edge of the tool laterally. Once one side is done, you need to repeat it on the other side.
As the sharpening is done by lateral movement of the sharpener, there is a huge chance that the edges can become uneven. The reason is that you are not sharpening the whole edge in one go. But for small imperfections, this is a very good way to rectify that. That is why this tool is one of the best hand sharpeners and is most suitable when you are giving your machete a slight touch after some heavy uses in the fields.
05. Sharpening a Machete With a Whetstone/rock
The use of whetstone/rock is another traditional way of sharpening your machetes to give a polished edge. For this method to work perfectly, you need a whetstone/rock, some water, and a beacon if you are using artificial stone. Firstly, soak the whetstone into the water for some time. Then you need to move the blade perpendicularly at an angle from the base of the stone to the tip. You need to move the blade up and down the stone for some time.
This process doesn’t require a lot of techniques and is a simple way to get your blade sharper within some minutes. There are many whetstones out on the market that can be handy. We have an article on the best quality sharpeners where we have talked elaborately on that. As this process doesn’t require so many tools and techniques, it’s a popular method among the users. In survival situations, this can hold the edges of your survival machetes.
Machete Sharpening Angle
When you are going to sharpen your machete, you need to select the angle very wisely. Because machete sharpening angle directly influences its fields of performance. If the machete is used for cutting grass and non-woody staffs, then small sharpening angle is very suitable for that. An angle of 20-25 degrees would be really suitable for that purpose.
And if you need to cut wood branches and thick staffs then a larger angle of 25-35 degrees is recommended for a better output. In that case, the machete can take the beating of repeated chopping. Also, in case of a smaller angle, you may face a problem with having a fine edge as they may get chipped away. So, much concentration is needed for your blade sharpening angle. The experts’ opinion always comes in handy to know the must follow techniques for your safety.
Conclusion
The amazing thing about sharpening your blade is that you will learn your own special techniques when you are doing it over and over again. The rules are not totally rigid on how to sharpen a machete as you develop your own way. Apart from the basics, you can try to explore to know the best and easiest way to sharpen a machete. And, never forget to clean your blade after every use.
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Danny is an avid hunter and outdoorsman who just love the wilderness. He learned the surviving techniques from his predecessors and became the skilled man of today. He is a family guy who loves his family dearly. From an early age, he became very fascinated with different survival tools among which machete was one of them. This website is for sharing his knowledge and skills for those who feel a close bond with nature just like him.
![GERBER Gator Machete JR [31-000759]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31NHEWtjFGL._SL160_.jpg)
Great demonstrations. I wasn’t really looking exactly on sharpening machetes but I think this is also how you do it with knives right?
Thanks! Yes, you can also apply it to knife sharpening. Although, being a smaller shaped tool, knives require more attention when you are giving then edges.
Valuable article sharing this blog post. I really enjoyed to reading this.
Thank you! Good to know that you liked it.
I think these tips are really useful.
Thanks Harry!
Great post, thanks
Hello, I won’t say it is the impressive post and thank you. I looking Sharpening tools for my axe. Can I sharpen my axe in your Sharpening tools? Thanks for the sharing a useful article.
Hi Willie,
You can apply all the methods except whetstone. All the other four methods are suitable for sharpening your axe.
I wouldn’t hessitate to use any of the methods except the bench grinder, takes off too much material and gets hot wat too fast even with a fine cut wheel. A bench electric water stone works great as it has slower rpm and the wheel stays wet. I personally use a stone to sharpen on my axes as I like them as sharp as my knives. I start off with a coarse stone to remove and gouges that i get from embedded nails, rocks or trash. then finish it off with an Arkansas soft stone and then strop it. safes so much time when bucking logs. We use short handle axes to carry in the woods. takes less room on the belt.
Good ideas for new folks just getting into sharpening. These methods also work for making knives.
Some of the cheaper or newer machete are made of stainless so a belt sander or wet stone work the best. Always cut into the blade not away. It causes the edge to roll over much more than going into the blade or length wise. Then a good strop will do the final polishing and polish away from the blade to remove any roll over and have a razor sharp blade. A reminder that a razor sharp blade will dull faster than what we call a working edge which is a more steep bevel. and cuts longer.
A dull tool is very dangerous and should be handled with care.