Shear Delight

Now that we have moved back to California, I am using garden tools a bit more. The tools that seem to get the hardest use are those associated with pruning—some vegetation has gotten a bit out of hand in the 14 years we were away. It can be hard to find well made hand tools, but when I do find them, I like to hang onto them. As a result, I have some garden tools that have been around a while.

Not the oldest tools I have by any means, but still showing their age are my hand pruners. I'm fond of my Felco brand tools. The Felco #2, pictured on left, I bought when we lived in Haiti in the late 1980's. They had already had a good workout behind them when we moved to California, since a lot of of the work I did in Haiti was related to growing fruit trees and other trees. When we bought a house, and fruit tree pruning became a major winter activity, I bought the Felco #7 which has one handle that swivels that makes it easier on the hands to use. I have had the #7 over 20 years. We even brought that one to Thailand with us. The rubber hand grips are a bit weary, but otherwise they still cut fine—with a little maintenance, of course. Good tools don't necessarily cheap, however—the current price of these are $70 and $90 respectively.

Felco #2 and #7

Back in 2020 when we were stuck in California, I acquired and old set of Corona loppers that had belonged to a friend who had inherited them, I believe from a grandparent. I don't know all that they had been through, but I'm guessing they had had a hard life, as they were not in good shape—they were missing one handle and only had part of the other one. However, I went to Fresno Ag Hardware and got a new set of handles for about $35 and was pleased to find that Corona had not even changed the hole configuration in all the ensuing years since the loppers were made, which was probably before I was born. As a result, I didn't even have to drill holes in the handles to make them fit.

Corona Loppers

One reason that the pruning tools get such a good workout is that I don't just prune with them, I also use them to chop up what I prune, either for stuffing cuttings into the green waste bin, or making them a bit smaller for the compost pile.

The most recent addition to my trimming tools is the hedge shears. They were given to me by a friend (who is older than me) who probably inherited them. When I acquired them, the blades were painted green, which only served to cover over the rust. The handle on one side was split, and was held in place (somewhat) by a piece of steel wire—except the wire did not stay in place. I recently purchased a bench grinder with a wire brush wheel which I used to clean up the blades. This past week, I bound the split handle with some new wire and oiled the handles. The shears are well made, but they are heavy, and I'm not sure I will keep using them, because they are hard on the hands and shoulders. I think I would like a pair with thinner blades that sharpen at a lower angle. And maybe a rubber bumper to reduce the shock when cutting.

Hedge Shears - before fixing up the handle

After fixing up the handle

The tools take maintenance, especially sharpening. I have some diamond sharpening tools, but I still like to use an Arkansas stone to put on the final edge. You can read the story about one of those here: https://mekong-sunrise.blogspot.com/2018/11/longevity.html

Arkansas Sharpening Stone

For cleaning up old tools, I find a wire brush helpful. A standard tool I like to have around the shop is a bench grinder. I usually keep a wire brush on one side and a fine stone on the other, but switch them out as necessary.

Bench Grinder

The nice thing about having good, well-maintained tools, is that I look forward to pruning season. It seems less of a chore and more of a way of relaxing. (And having just written that, I have just researched some hedge shears that will make trimming less of a chore than using the old freebie I acquired.) Pruning uses a combination of horticultural skill and art to design what your future trees will look like. And I like my old-fashioned non-powered garden tools. While I do have a battery powered mower and weed whacker, I prefer to dig with a spade and garden fork and do cutting with shears, loppers and hand saws. Saves money on gym membership, too.

God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to tend to it and eat from its produce. (Genesis 2:15) He didn't need a lot of tools, because creation had not yet been corrupted by sin. (Genesis 2:9) I look forward to the day when Creation is restored and pests and weeds are no longer an issue, and all we have to do is harvest. (Romans 8:20, 21; Revelation 22:2,3) In the meantime, I'm grateful for some well-made tools.

Happy gardening!

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Update: I did break down ad get some Felco 250-63 hedge shears. They are lighter, have a different style of cutting edge, and also have nice rubber bumpers, which my arms will appreciate. They even use similar hardware to the hand pruners.

Felco 250-63 hedge shears