How do you sharpen your mower blades?

[nematode]

I have gone around and around on the best way to take care of mower blades. I can usually get a mower blade to last a very long time by using a file.

Yea, I said it, I hand file my mower blades. I make them very sharp too. I feel like when people grind them it makes them get too hot. As they slowly cool, the hardness of the steel is removed. This is why a sharpened mower blade that has gotten hot will never hold an edge again.

So how do you sharpen your blades? Do you even sharpen them at all?

 

[Chuck]

I use a grinder. It's much faster and since I have so many rocks to run over it doesn't stay sharp very long anyway

 

[marlingardener]

We have two sets of blades for each shredder and our walk-behind mower. When one set dulls, we pop on the other and take the dull ones to Western Auto, where for the magnificent sum of $4 a gentleman sharpens them to a razor edge. Considering how long it takes me to sharpen a kitchen knife, I think the $4 is money well spent!

 

[claudine]

To be honest, I've never tried to sharpen my mower blades. I don't even know how to do it. Wild, long grass is what I like the most, so I don't use my mower too often, especially since it's very heavy.

 

[Chuck]

Really i have not really tried doing that with a grinder before but now that you have mentioned it i will give it a trial.

Go slow with a light touch or it will get too hot and the metal will lose its temper

 

[Philphine]

angle grinder the couple times i did it. didn't even take it off the mower. set it up on saw horses and took a couple swipes at it. probaly wasn't perfect, but it cut better than before i did it.

 

[dave david]

doesn't take much effort to "sharpen" the blades, and razor sharp is not needed. I change the blades on the father-in-laws zero turn at least twice a season as he mows his yard like a hay field and doesn't slow down for anything, even stumps or rocks. They are shot by the time he mows 5 or 6 months.

 

[galmal]

Isn't that what husbands are for??!! Seriously, he has to have his little jobs to keep him busy and out of my hair. Just kidding, I have the greatest hubby in the world - but it also helps that he's really handy!!

 

[LIcenter]

I have a sharpener that is used like a draw knife. You might have a smaller version in your kitchen drawer. It's specifically made to sharpen axes which are double edged, and blades which are single edged. I also buy one new set of blades each year, giving me two sets to work with,tossing the oldest blades from two years prior. The reason being; You can sharpen any blade to knife sharp, but you can't get an old blade back in balance once it's seen better days. Plays havoc on the way the mower runs too.

 

[Philphine]

You can sharpen any blade to knife sharp, but you can't get an old blade back in balance once it's seen better days. Plays havoc on the way the mower runs too.

that's a big reason why i don't get too crazy with it. i realise i don't know what i'm doing, so a couple passes with the grinder i hope gives it a better edge without having to worry about taking unequal amounts off each side.

 

[Durgan]

I have a belt sander. It does each edge perfectly without any guess work with the angle.I use it for sharpening all garden tools, hoe, shovel, blades and knives.

 

[Ian]

Just bought a new angle grinder for some stone cutting work and then spotted this thread. I'd been using a file to cut the grass up until now, but I'll be using the angle grinder this week . So much faster.

 

[Chuck]

Just bought a new angle grinder for some stone cutting work and then spotted this thread. I'd been using a file to cut the grass up until now, but I'll be using the angle grinder this week . So much faster.

Use it with a very light touch with the same amount of passes on each edge. Don't want to get it out of balance or get the blade hot.