I've had a cheapish black and decker hedge trimmer for about 10 years
and it's always done OK for the little that I ask of it. This year it
jams almost straight away. I know you can sharpen the blades but I
don't want to go to the hassle of doing this only to find out that it
wasn't the problem. I recently lent it to someone so I don't know its
most recent history.

Do hedge trimmers jam for any reason other than blunt blades? or is
there something internal that is just old and worn and it's time to
get another one.

On Mon, 16 May 2011 09:31:57 -0700, Rednadnerb wrote:
Do hedge trimmers jam for any reason other than blunt blades? or is
there something internal that is just old and worn and it's time to get
another one.

Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

"Rednadnerb" wrote in message
...


Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

In that case is it perhaps wear which has opened up the gap between the two
blades, making it easier for stuff to jam?

In message , newshound
writes


"Rednadnerb" wrote in message
...


Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

In that case is it perhaps wear which has opened up the gap between the
two blades, making it easier for stuff to jam?

My AEG hedger is double sided. A twig jamming one side can cause the
teeth on the other side to conflict.

The cure is to carefully shorten the spacer sleeves which control the
gap between the reciprocating blades and the fixed cover strips. I used
a bench grinder and a coarse oil stone.

For once the angle grinder solution might be too much!

regards

--
Tim Lamb

In message , newshound
writes


"Rednadnerb" wrote in message
...


Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

In that case is it perhaps wear which has opened up the gap between the
two blades, making it easier for stuff to jam?

I bought a B&D hedge trimmer in 1982. It never worked properly from the
start. It would only cut the thinnest stems of wood. Anything
substantial, and it would jam, making a loud squealing noise. As the
motor warmed up, the problem got worse, and it would hardly cut
anything.

As I didn't live far from the B&D service centre near Maidenhead, I took
the trimmer there to be looked at. I picked it up a week later, and
found it was working perfectly.

Many years later, I had occasion to dismantle the trimmer in order to do
a bit of judicious straightening of the teeth of the cutting blades.
These had gradually splayed apart, and there was now a gap of around 1mm
between them. This, of course, resulted in a fairly a poor cutting
action.

Disconnecting the blades from the motor revealed the gears, and I could
now see what the original problem had almost certainly been. One gear
wheel was splined onto the motor shaft, and I'm sure that the problem
was that the splines had originally been partially stripped, so that
slipping occurred at first sign of resistance (hence the jamming and the
squealing).

I've still got the hedge trimmer, and it still sees the occasional bit
of action. After 29 years, I feel I can now forgive the initial fault. I
wonder if the OP's trimmer has a similar problem?
--
Ian

On May 16, 10:22*pm, Ian Jackson
wrote:
In message , newshound
writes



"Rednadnerb" wrote in message
...

Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

In that case is it perhaps wear which has opened up the gap between the
two blades, making it easier for stuff to jam?

I bought a B&D hedge trimmer in 1982. It never worked properly from the
start. It would only cut the thinnest stems of wood. Anything
substantial, and it would jam, making a loud squealing noise. As the
motor warmed up, the problem got worse, and it would hardly cut
anything.

As I didn't live far from the B&D service centre near Maidenhead, I took
the trimmer there to be looked at. I picked it up a week later, and
found it was working perfectly.

Many years later, I had occasion to dismantle the trimmer in order to do
a bit of judicious straightening of the teeth of the cutting blades.
These had gradually splayed apart, and there was now a gap of around 1mm
between them. This, of course, resulted in a fairly a poor cutting
action.

Disconnecting the blades from the motor revealed the gears, and I could
now see what the original problem had almost certainly been. One gear
wheel was splined onto the motor shaft, and I'm sure that the problem
was that the splines had originally been partially stripped, so that
slipping occurred at first sign of resistance (hence the jamming and the
squealing).

I've still got the hedge trimmer, and it still sees the occasional bit
of action. After 29 years, I feel I can now forgive the initial fault. I
wonder if the OP's trimmer has a similar problem?
--
Ian

I have opened it up for a look around and saw the gears that you refer
to but they look to be in good order. I don't have a bench grinder and
oilstones so I'm going to have a go at sharpening it - now where's
that angle grinder?

On 17 May, 12:11, Rednadnerb wrote:
On May 16, 10:22*pm, Ian Jackson









wrote:
In message , newshound
writes

"Rednadnerb" wrote in message
....

Electric or petrol? What happens when it jams - do you have to leave it
for a while, or do something to it to free it up again, or does it "just
work"?

It's electric, I have to dig the offending stem out of the blades for
it to continue.

In that case is it perhaps wear which has opened up the gap between the
two blades, making it easier for stuff to jam?

I bought a B&D hedge trimmer in 1982. It never worked properly from the
start. It would only cut the thinnest stems of wood. Anything
substantial, and it would jam, making a loud squealing noise. As the
motor warmed up, the problem got worse, and it would hardly cut
anything.

As I didn't live far from the B&D service centre near Maidenhead, I took
the trimmer there to be looked at. I picked it up a week later, and
found it was working perfectly.

Many years later, I had occasion to dismantle the trimmer in order to do
a bit of judicious straightening of the teeth of the cutting blades.
These had gradually splayed apart, and there was now a gap of around 1mm
between them. This, of course, resulted in a fairly a poor cutting
action.

Disconnecting the blades from the motor revealed the gears, and I could
now see what the original problem had almost certainly been. One gear
wheel was splined onto the motor shaft, and I'm sure that the problem
was that the splines had originally been partially stripped, so that
slipping occurred at first sign of resistance (hence the jamming and the
squealing).

I've still got the hedge trimmer, and it still sees the occasional bit
of action. After 29 years, I feel I can now forgive the initial fault. I
wonder if the OP's trimmer has a similar problem?
--
Ian

I have opened it up for a look around and saw the gears that you refer
to but they look to be in good order. I don't have a bench grinder and
oilstones so I'm going to have a go at sharpening it - *now where's
that angle grinder?

Its a flat file you want, and a good vice. Tedious but do-able

Paul Mc Cann