Sharpening advice for post hole digger

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Sharpening advice for post hole digger

LesF

176 posts

Master Geek

#233576 22-Apr-2018 16:07

I just purchased a Atlas Trade Post Hole Digger

which has blunt edges and I am not sure if or how this should be sharpened.

Would you put an inside edge on each blade similar to a shovel?

I was gonna ask Bunnings but the Contact Us feature on their website is broken.

mdf

3320 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2000713 22-Apr-2018 17:33

I've never seen them sharpened. You're probably going to have to resort to a spade if you hit a root anyway so sharpening might not add much? Try and find out?

I was more posting to suggest you look up the spear chucked method of using it if you haven't already. Saves your joints a bit of a pounding.

NordVPN

Protect your online activity with NordVPN (affiliate link).

scuwp

3761 posts

Uber Geek

#2000791 22-Apr-2018 20:33

Used plenty in years gone past and never seen one sharpened as such.

Great shoulder and core workout!

If you have lots to do I would suggest hiring a motorized one.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity - Robert J Hanlon

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1366 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2000847 23-Apr-2018 07:48

You don’t sharpen these. They are not “diggers” as such, although in soft soil or clay you can get away with it.

These are designed to remove loose soil from the hole once you have dug down with a post hole shovel.

You will find the post hole shovel next to the these things in Bunnings. You will see it has a D handle and a place to put your boot so you can force it into the ground.

Even when I use a motorised borer I still clean the hole out with the tool you have, they are are back saver for sure.

Matthew

Bung

5420 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2000857 23-Apr-2018 08:21

When I had to dig some post holes in hard clay I found that a modified drainage spade worked well. The long tapered blade of the spade had the D handle replaced by a longer heavier steel pipe to give the spade some weight. I did use the clam shell type digger to remove the loose stuff on deeper holes.

MikeAqua

7608 posts

Uber Geek

#2000921 23-Apr-2018 10:11

As others have said they are for excavation. Not loosening the soil. You have to loosen with soemthing else

I've dug a lot of post holes in my life. IMO the best thing for loosening the soil is a digging bar. Big thick steel bar with a chisel shape at one end and a point at the other. You can use it to break up the soil, cut small roots, pry loose small rocks and crack big rocks.

They Usually weigh about 7kg and the bar's weight does most of the work just lift, drop and lever. Too easy.

Mike

LesF

176 posts

Master Geek

#2000934 23-Apr-2018 10:46

Ok, that makes sense I guess. I was really hoping to find one of those old manual post hole augers, there was always one floating around with the fencing gear on the farm 'when I were young', but they are rare museum pieces now.

It doesn't seem like enough work to justify hiring a powered borer, and I don't mind a bit of sweat-work in the garden from time to time, so I will look for a narrow spade to use with this.

Thnx all.

xcon

146 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#2000940 23-Apr-2018 11:08

Not sure it's related to sharpening , but I bought one of these augers bit's to dig holes using a corded 240v drill

https://powerplanter.co.nz/products/power-planter-324

They look to have larger augers too

https://powerplanter.co.nz/collections/landscape-professional-range-of-power-planters/products/power-planter-728h

https://powerplanter.co.nz/collections/landscape-professional-range-of-power-planters/products/power-planter-528h

blackjack17

1624 posts

Uber Geek

#2000943 23-Apr-2018 11:17

LesF:

Ok, that makes sense I guess. I was really hoping to find one of those old manual post hole augers, there was always one floating around with the fencing gear on the farm 'when I were young', but they are rare museum pieces now.

It doesn't seem like enough work to justify hiring a powered borer, and I don't mind a bit of sweat-work in the garden from time to time, so I will look for a narrow spade to use with this.

Thnx all.

You mean these?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/hand-tools/other/auction-1608480736.htm?rsqid=3815e7c4e04e49918c644c2dd857fcb1

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/hand-tools/other/auction-1608441252.htm?rsqid=3815e7c4e04e49918c644c2dd857fcb1

You can also get cheap gas ones $150

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/power-tools/augers-post-hole-borers/auction-1604491823.htm?rsqid=7f8652a3f09047c186c43239434d447e

Electric kiwi signup credit Sharesies credit

Bung

5420 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2001010 23-Apr-2018 12:06

A neighbour bought one of the cheap gas powered augers and the output shaft kept falling out when he tried lifting the auger up. Had to get the next size up to finish. Sort of bait and switch.

I have a 100mm hand.one I use to start poles that I pound the rest of the way in sand. I wouldn't want to use it or anything bigger in harder ground.

MikeAqua

7608 posts

Uber Geek

#2001036 23-Apr-2018 12:42

LesF:

Ok, that makes sense I guess. I was really hoping to find one of those old manual post hole augers,

Those are very hard work unless the soil is soft.

The petrol powered ones are fantastic. Especially the self propelled sew-saw rigs with the engine in a gimbal

Mike

mdf

3320 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2001049 23-Apr-2018 12:47

MikeAqua:
LesF:

Ok, that makes sense I guess. I was really hoping to find one of those old manual post hole augers,

Those are very hard work unless the soil is soft.

The petrol powered ones are fantastic. Especially the self propelled sew-saw rigs with the engine in a gimbal

Until it wedges itself in an enormous tree root, smacks you in the arm from the recoil, and you spend the next hour using increasingly drastic measures to get it loose while the cursing gets louder and less child-friendly.

But they're awesome when the soil suits them.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
7264 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2001054 23-Apr-2018 12:50

You can still hire the manual auger type, in at least two different diameters, from Hire Pool and probably other hirers.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

MikeAqua

7608 posts

Uber Geek

#2001099 23-Apr-2018 13:53

mdf:

Until it wedges itself in an enormous tree root, smacks you in the arm from the recoil, and you spend the next hour using increasingly drastic measures to get it loose while the cursing gets louder and less child-friendly.

But they're awesome when the soil suits them.

Then you need a digging bar/chainsaw/dynamite to get the auger out

Recoil is the reason I prefer the self propelled see-saw type. The drive is hydraulic so in case of a dead stop there is much less recoil. Amazing the places you can get those things into as well.

Mike

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
7264 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2001175 23-Apr-2018 15:30

eracode: You can still hire the manual auger type, in at least two different diameters, from Hire Pool and probably other hirers.

Sorry - I didn’t mean auger type, I meant manual bucket type.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

LesF

176 posts

Master Geek

#2001469 24-Apr-2018 11:07

blackjack17:

...

You mean these?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/hand-tools/other/auction-1608480736.htm?rsqid=3815e7c4e04e49918c644c2dd857fcb1

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/hand-tools/other/auction-1608441252.htm?rsqid=3815e7c4e04e49918c644c2dd857fcb1

You can also get cheap gas ones $150

https://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/tools/power-tools/augers-post-hole-borers/auction-1604491823.htm?rsqid=7f8652a3f09047c186c43239434d447e

Yes, that was my preference, tho I couldn't find one on TradeMe in the Waikato region.

It's mostly soft clay around here and I don't want yet another tool with a petrol motor to take care of. I picked up a small hand-turned hole digger at Bunnings, so between the two tools I now have I think I can get by.

They didn't have good options for a narrow spade, they had 'trencher' spades which don't have a foot-friendly top ridge, just the blade edge, so I didn't see the point in trying one of those.

When I lived in Waitakere there were several second-hand tool shops where I could get anything I needed, down in Hamilton I can't find anything of the kind, guess I'm still learning where everything is here.