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View Full Version : Lawnmower blade sharpening?



GREENBOY
07-08-2010, 10:39 PM
Anyone know where to take a mower blade to get sharpened?

D. Dub
07-08-2010, 10:51 PM
Man up, buy a Dremel, and sharpen it on the mower yourself :dunno:

Alterac
07-08-2010, 11:11 PM
I use a bench clamp, and a file to sharpen mine.

barmanjay
07-08-2010, 11:16 PM
Princess auto grinder ftw

Zero102
07-15-2010, 02:28 PM
I just sharpen mine by hand with a file. I put it down on a raised step, then put my foot on it to hold the blade in place, sharpen one side at a time. It's super easy and free :)

OG*crxboi
07-15-2010, 02:47 PM
Straight use your bench grinder!

AndyL
07-15-2010, 03:27 PM
Oi vey... 1 or 2 bolts to remove. Hand filing/etc is bad ~35 degree angle on the bench grinder for ginsu cut, ~45 degree if you just want a hack that you wont have to redo for a year...

Surely you must know a landscraper - any decent landscaper would likely do it for a beer - even decades later I can still do a blade in under a minute...

gretz
07-15-2010, 03:42 PM
A new universal one is $12.00ish (depending on mower)... :dunno:

Zero102
07-16-2010, 12:27 PM
Why is hand filing so bad? I took care to exactly match the angle that the blade was originally cut at, and to remove an equal amount of material from both sides.

It seems to me that by using a bench grinder you make it easier to take more material off one side than the other and to put the blade out of balance.

OG*crxboi
07-16-2010, 01:10 PM
Hand filing takes more effort the switching over the on on a bench grinder. I think is funny how some people are afrade of noise and sparks.

OG*crxboi
07-16-2010, 01:12 PM
If you bring your blade to my place ill do it for free!

AndyL
07-16-2010, 02:10 PM
Hand filing is bad - because you can very easy knock the blade out of balance by taking a bit too much off. Run it long enough and you're buying a new mower.

When you're doing it with a bench grinder - you work in a smooth motion, and usually end up taking off very similar amounts. When I did it daily - it was only once in a blue moon (ie when I had a big rock ding to work out) that the blades needed any balancing when done. And each blade got checked right after coming off the grinder...

D. Dub
07-16-2010, 03:37 PM
Buy a Dremel, use a grinding stone and sharpen it on the mower yourself :dunno: Easy Peasy

You'd have to be a clumsy idiot to unbalance the blade just by sharpening it.

Graham_A_M
07-16-2010, 04:51 PM
^ If you're THAT worried about unbalancing it, spin it on a metal rod, if the same end keeps on "returning" to the bottom then that's your heavy end that you need to remove more metal off of.

But as it was said before, its not hard. Aim for a 45 degree pitch. Too sharp of a cut will make it pit and dull easy.

sillysod
07-16-2010, 05:13 PM
or go to canadian tire and spend $16.00 for a new one :dunno:

Zero102
07-19-2010, 03:19 PM
Originally posted by OG*crxboi
Hand filing takes more effort the switching over the on on a bench grinder. I think is funny how some people are afrade of noise and sparks.

Who is afraid of noise and sparks? :dunno:

I don't own a bench grinder and I am not buying one just for the purpose of sharpening lawnmower blades. I think it is easier to take the right amount off by hand as compared to using a bench grinder, but I guess some people just can't hold their attention on one thing for more than 5 minutes. If you have a bench grinder then use it, but for most of us a hand file is good enough :)

I always check my blades for balance when I finish sharpening them. When I first had to sharpen it I found the blade was already pretty badly out of balance, so when sharpening it I re-balanced the blade and I have never had an issue since. It is very easy to check if it is properly balanced.