Merlin Electric Hoof Knife

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Merlin Electric Hoof Knife | Manualzz

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Merlin Electric Hoof Knife

by Bethany Caskey

P ut horse hoof, knife and electric together and you will get a skeptical look. Add chain saw and the look will go from skeptical to complete disbelief. That was the common reaction I got when I told people about the

Merlin Electric Hoof Knife.

The Merlin is electric and it is used on hooves, but the word knife might be misleading, as the Merlin is not so much a knife as a replacement for hoof nippers and a rasp.

Weighing in at 1.2 pounds and 11 inches long, the

Merlin is the first electric tool to be offered specifically as a hoof trimming set. The patented set consists of an electric, miniature, longneck angle grinder that uses a two-inch diameter, four tooth tungsten carbide chain saw mounted between two discs. It was the diary industry that first dubbed the tool “the Electric Hoof Knife”.

King Arthur Tools originally developed the tool for use in woodcarving. A diary farmer contacted the company to purchase the woodcarving chain saw to trim his cows’ hooves and the idea was sparked. Hoof trimmers from

Florida to Wisconsin were supplied with prototypes and asked to test the tool in real life situations.

Those tests created the Bors, a tool with a chain saw disc attached to a four and a half inch angle grinder for cow hoof trimming. A smaller version of the Bors was developed in 2005 that would be easier to use when treating hoof ailments. This smaller version was the birth of the Merlin.

It wasn’t long until hoof care professionals and veterinarians were trying it out and singing its praises.

The tool is used on diary cows, horses, cattle, goats, sheep and hogs as well as an occasional zoo elephant and giraffe.

The Department of Animal Science at the University of

Florida has “found the tool to be invaluable for doing hoof resections.”

Allen DeWolfe of King Arthur Tools was kind enough to send a demo unit so I could test and try the Merlin.

The tool is lightweight and quiet when operating.

Its noise level was comparative to a good pair of hair clippers. Acclimating a horse to the noise was simple using the usual approach and retreat. I started with the horse I knew would stand, even if he hated what I was

Although the instructions recommended a 45 to 85 degree angle, I had the best results nearer 85 degrees.

doing, and then tried it with some younger horses that also readily accepted the noise and sensation.

The Merlin uses 100 watts of electricity and pulls one amp of power so it can be powered with a vehicle AC/DC power converter as well a household current. You have to be mindful of working around the horse with a power cord and your work area set up is important. The Merlin has a variable speed setting and it takes some trial and error to find the best rpms. It is advised to practice on a piece of wood to get the feel of the tool before jumping right under your horse with it. Cedar or redwood was recommended, but not having that handy, a scrap of 2 x 4 fir served nicely as a test hoof.

I found the angle of the blade to be very important and my first attempts were rather sad until I held the blade nearly 90 degrees on its side from the cutting surface. Aha!

The Merlin balances best if it is held close to the cutting disc. Although there is a safety guard, gloves should always be worn and safety glasses are recommended. One hand can hold the tool while the other holds the hoof. The tool does the cutting so your main job is to guide it. It is not aggressive and did not pull away or grab as I expected from a chain saw. Thin slivers flew through the air with a soft, petting motion on the hoof wall.

Like most things, including using traditional nippers, rasps and knives, there is a learning curve and things got easier the more I experimented. It would take more

Rural Heritage

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practice time before using the

Merlin would be faster than my nippers.

I might change my mind as I work more with the Merlin, but I felt there were a couple drawbacks.

One was the location of the on-off and speed switches at the back of the unit instead of closer to the operating hand. It was also easy to accidently press the lockdown button on the shaft. I also would have liked more detailed information than the operating manual provided for which accessory to use where, at what speed and angle. There are a few videos on the web, but I could have benefited by seeing more demos with the various discs provided.

Before using a power tool on my animals, I wanted as every bit of information possible. These things are certainly not a “deal killer” for the effectiveness of the tool.

The Merlin comes in a nicely

The Merlin Electric Hoof Knife and accessories.

designed, custom molded, toolbox style kit and includes a 110 volt variable speed longneck angle grinder, a four tooth miniature tungsten carbide saw, a green orthogonal tungsten carbide

V disc, a 100 grit flap disc sander for finishing and working on the shoe, a two-inch (50mm) aluminum oxide metal cutting wheel and a 60 grit grinding wheel. The V disc is used for different tasks such as cleaning out a sand crack, removing excessive hoof growth, roughing up a hoof prior to using glue on shoes and other general maintenance needs. The discs are easy to change with the provided

Allen wrench. King Arthur claims they have never had a chain break, a disc crack or a blade fly off the grinder.

Admittedly not for everyone, the Merlin is designed for the farrier or horse owner who needs a hardworking tool for basic trimming and hoof maintenance.

Individuals with back problems or troubles squeezing a pair of nippers closed and who still want to trim their own animals should also take a good look at the

Merlin. You can use the Merlin to remove excess hoof material, clean pith from the sole area and dress flares from the hoof wall on any standard, draft and/or miniature horse hoof.

For more information or to purchase you can view the

Merlin and King Arthur’s other cutting tools at http:// www.hooftrimmingtools.net.

Bethany Caskey shapes her horse's hooves in Albia, Iowa

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