What Sheep Shearing Equipment do You Need to Shear a Sheep?
When I shore my first sheep at age 16, I borrowed my uncle’s shearing handpiece and combs and cutters. I had watched my father and uncles shear sheep all my life and could see from many hours working in the shearing sheds that their shearing gear was cutting correctly. I was lucky, as I had a family of shearers to help me get started. It is a different story for farmers and learner shearers who don’t have anyone to show them the equipment to shear sheep.
To shear a sheep you need a shearing clipper or mechanical handpiece, comb and cutter blades, a screwdriver to tighten and remove the blades, an oil pot with shearing oil, and an overhead shearing plant with downtube.
These items are the bare necessities you need to shear sheep. There are other items you may need depending on your experience, preference, and finances. These include, a grinder to sharpen your blades when they become blunt, protective shearing trousers, shearing singlet to keep cool, shearing mocassins for your feet, tally counter, so you know how many sheep you have shorn, sweat towel, fan to keep cool in the summer and of course a speaker so you can listen to your favourite songs while shearing.
Shearing equipment has stayed pretty much the same since the late 1800’s. Before this, a shearer used a pair of manual clippers to snip away at the wool to remove the fleece from the sheep. These shearing clippers are still used today for specialty shearing jobs such as preparing rams for sale and clipping sheep in cold climates. In the late 1800’s shearing became mechanised and sheep were shorn with a mechanical handpiece which was driven by an overhead shaft. This made shearing easier and faster, improving productivity. This same mechanised shearing equipment has been modernised but the same principles still apply to the shearing handpiece and overhead equipment.
Mechanical Handpiece & Electric Shearing Clipper
Mechanical Handpiece
The mechanical handpiece is used by professional shearers and farmers. It is extremely robust and if looked after correctly, can shear many thousands of sheep before the moving parts need replacing or the whole unit needs replacing. It is used in conjunction with an overhead motor which drives a shaft which the handpiece is connected to.
Electric Shearing Clipper
The electric shearing clipper is powered by a small motor within the clipper itself. It has a wider diameter because of this. It does not possess the power of the mechanical handpiece and therefore is used by shearers and farmers alike who have a small mob of sheep to shear.
Comb & Cutter Blades & Shearing Screwdriver
Comb Blade
The Shearing Comb is the big blade which is attached to the mechanical handpiece or electric shearing clipper. The comb usually has 13 teeth but the comb can have a different number of teeth depending on what type of animal you want to shear. ie a goat comb can have up to 20 teeth and a snow comb can have 7 teeth. The combs purpose is to guide the wool through its teeth into the cutter, where the wool will be cut and separated from the sheep.
Cutter Blade
The shearing cutter is the smaller blade which is attached to the chicken feet of the mechanical handpiece or electric shearing clipper. The cutter then runs across the comb when turned on and this action acts as a scissor motion which cuts the wool when the shearer pushes the handpiece through the wool. The cutter usually has 4 points to it which allows the cutter to cut the wool easily.
Shearing Screwdriver
The shearer’s screwdriver is a specialist screwdriver designed specifically to quickly attach a comb to the comb bed of a handpiece or electric shearing clipper. The shearing screwdriver fits neatly into the palm of your hand giving you power and control to tighten or loosen the comb screws without busting your knuckles. The shearing screwdriver comes with the handpiece or the electric clipper when you purchase them. Each brand is slightly different and is designed to quickly tighten or loosen the comb screws.
Shearing Equipment. Comb & Cutter, Shearing Screwdriver, Mechanical Handpiece
Oil Pot & Shearing Oil
The Shearers oil pot and oil is an absolute necessity for shearing sheep. You must lubricate all moving parts properly before commencing shearing to avoid excessive wear and overheating. The oil pot is designed to easily place the oil in those hard to get places of the clipper or handpiece. If you fail to lubricate the clipper it will heat up in less then 1 minute and become so hot that you won’t be able to hold the clipper. The best oil to use on the clipper is ordinary car engine oil. It has the right viscosity to maintain lubrication on the moving parts of the clipper.
Justin lubricates a mechanical handpiece
Overhead Shearing Plant & Downtube
The overhead shearing plant and downtube is only used with a mechanical handpiece. The electric shearing clipper has it’s own built in motor inside the unit, which powers the clipper. The mechanical handpiece is powered from a separate motor which is attached to either a flexible shaft or rigid shaft downtube. The handpiece is attached to the end of the downtube via a spindle attachment and when the overhead motor is switched on the handpiece is engaged making the cutter run across the comb to cut the wool from the sheep.
You can see the overhead gear and downtube connected to the handpiece.
Getting your Shearing Equipment
I started my shearing career by borrowing my uncles shearing equipment. If you know a shearer or farmer who would be willing to lend you their shearing gear then this is a great option. If you can’t borrow the equipment you will have to invest in the gear yourself. To get started on a budget you can purchase an electric shearing clipper which will be a cheaper option. The only downfall is that an electric shearing clipper does not have the same life expectancy as a mechanical handpiece setup.
