Sharpening a Lawn Mower Blade

[Money Boss Hustla]

How hard is it to do? Can I just get some metal files and do it myself (like my old man used to). Or should I take it in and pay $12 to get it sharpened? How often do I need to get it sharpened?

[Heracles74]

a file won't do it... you need a bench grinder and that should do that trick... 12 bucks aint bad if you don't have access to a bench grinder with a fine grit grinding wheel.

[Money Boss Hustla]

I can guy a grinder for $60.

How often do I need to sharpen the blade though. I want to be cost effective here. If I have to do it 3 times over the summer...I'll buy a bench grinder.

[4U2NV]

$12 is pretty cheap. And normally you should have to have it done more than once a season unless you are mowing comerically.

[Heracles74]

Once a year is all I do... unless you hit a lot of rocks or dull the blade(s) quickly...

[Money Boss Hustla]

I am thinking about taking it in...just for the sake of balancing. I don't want to do a crappy job and have the blade shake the hell out of the motor.

[Bigen12]

I'd just take it in and get it done.

Make sure you unplug the spark plug before you mess with the blade, lots of people have lost hands and fingers forgetting that simple precaution.

[Heracles74]

yeah, that is the other thing, you need to take the same amount off both sides, or at least as close as you can or you can vibration damage.... for the 12 bucks maybe you should bring it in. Those shops always have a fixture they put it in so it is done good and sharp and still maintains balance

[Money Boss Hustla]

yeah, that is the other thing, you need to take the same amount off both sides, or at least as close as you can or you can vibration damage.... for the 12 bucks maybe you should bring it in. Those shops always have a fixture they put it in so it is done good and sharp and still maintains balance

That's what I've been thinking.

[FinaGuy]

if you have a grinder do it that way...
sharpen the top and just hit the back quick to put an edge on... if you have no grinder just get em done take less time and less hasle plus it will be better then a hand file...

[Money Boss Hustla]

Bastards want 24 hours to do it. F that! I'll crack some heads Sling Blade style and we'll see if they get it done in ten minutes.

[symatech]

man I wouldn't mess around with sharpening it yourself unless you know what you're doing. They stay sharp for awhile so there is no way that you'd need to sharpen it 3 times over the summer. 20 something stitches in my fathers hand when he tried to sharpen it and he had all the right tools and had even done it before.

It's really cheap to just take it in and they can do it pretty quickly too. I think it'd be much less stressful to have someone else do it. just my opinion though

[almostgone]

..it's really not that hard....I've been doing it since I was 14 and I'm 40 now...and a brand new 21" blade isn't much over $20 as long as you don't buy it fom the lamnmower manufacturer....
..it very simple to check the balance of the blade....either stick a bolt through the mounting hole, set the blade so the edge parallel to the floor, and let go..if one side drops lower, it's heavy on that side...take a little more material off that side...also, you can buy or make a cone type balancer....
..A file will do fine unless the blade is severely dinged..if it is, use a grinder to remove material evenly until the damage is gone and then file it to remove the work-hardened area....
..and you really have to screw up a blade to get it so far out of balance that it will cause damage to the mower...

[almostgone]

..and if you clamp the blade to the edge of a table and use a flat bastard file you can remove material fairly quick without getting hurt...

[almostgone]

..hope this link willl help....
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_law...799295,00.html

..but I wouldn't hold the blade in a vise....clamp it flat on a table like I mentioned earlier..it is safer laying flat than it is with the cutting edge facing up...

[Psychotron]

Sharpen every season.

[Red Ketchup]

I use a simple el cheapo "Canadian tire special" angle grinder with a 120 grit sanding disc on it (get a 50 grit to take out dents)...



I balance the blade by hanging it to a piece of string thru the hole...

Thats how they do it at the parcs and recreations dept at work.... if it's good enough for people who do this all day long, it's good enough for me

Red