File-Sharpening a Lawn Edger
Keeping an edging tool scary sharp with a hand file — a grinder overheats the edge and it dents on the first rock.
Zip-Tie a 1x2 to a Bow Rake to Make a Leveling Rake
Technique: Shop-Made Leveling Rake
The Problem
Top-dressing a lawn or spreading mulch evenly wants a wide, straight edge that drags material level. A bow rake's curved tines don't do that — they comb the surface into ridges and dig in wherever you lean. The purpose-built answer is a landscape rake, a wide flat-headed tool that costs real money and comes out of the shed twice a year.
The Technique
- Cut a scrap of 1x2 to roughly the width of your rake head, or a little wider.
- Lay it across the face of the tines, near their tips.
- Fix it on with zip ties or tie wire at three or four points, pulling each one tight enough that the board can't rock.
- Drag material with the board leading. The tines behind it hold it rigid, and the flat edge screeds the surface level instead of raking furrows into it.
Flip the rake over when you want tines again — the board is on one face only, so the tool still does its original job.
Pro tip: A bow rake's flat back edge already works as a rough leveler, which is what most people reach for. The board is wider than the head and dead straight along its whole length, so it spans hollows instead of following them. If you're levelling a small patch, flip the rake; if you're screeding a whole lawn after top-dressing, cut the board.
Pro tip: Run the board a couple of inches proud at each end. The overhang lets you drag right up against a bed edge or a path without the steel head knocking into it, and it gives you something to grab when you're pulling the ties off at the end of the job.
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