Bob Cordes has sharpened more than 300 chainsaw blades so far, proving crucial for first responders as they press on with search and recovery efforts.
KERRVILLE, Texas — When catastrophic flooding struck the Hill Country on July Fourth, Bob Cordes of Kerrville began working around the clock, sharpening chainsaw blades free of charge for first responders and volunteer search crews.
“We really feel like we’re in this together,” said the 81-year-old Cordes, who runs Cutting Edge Sharpening out of Gibson’s Discount Center in Kerrville.
Cordes is taking on a humanitarian mission born out of tragedy one chainsaw blade at a time. He’s sharpened hundreds of blades in his compact workspace over the past couple weeks.
“Have some very good friends who have lost everything, and that frankly is devastating,” Cordes said. “The first week, or the first five days, we did over 300 chains.”
Once his apprentice starts helping in the coming days, Cordes anticipates to be sharpening 500 to 600 chainsaw blades per week.
“It’s starting to build. A lot of people coming in with chainsaws and so we want all of them [community members and first responders] to know that we’re here,” Cordes said.
Cordes, who began sharpening blades as a child in Chicago, credits his grandfather, a barber, for introducing him to the craft.
“I was 10 years old,” he said. “My grandfather asked me if I wanted to sharpen his razors.”
Now, decades later, his passion has become a lifeline for those on the front lines of disaster response.
His work has become essential for emergency crews who rely on well-maintained tools to navigate downed trees and wreckage.
“It adds so much more efficiency so they’re not fighting cutting wood or fighting the trees,” Cordes explained. “It just makes their jobs much easier.”
Though he’s not out in the field clearing debris himself, Cordes said he’s found his way to contribute and he plans to keep going for as long as needed.
“I’m just an old guy,” he said. “I can’t get out there and do that. But I can do something else to make it more efficient and it’s kind of a way to say, ‘Never give up.’”
Gibson’s Discount Center is located at 111 W. Main St. in Kerrville.