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I have 10 blades to sharpen. I usually use a really coarse file followed by finer files. I have thought of getting a belt sander primarily to sharpen mower blades, but also axes, hoes, etc.

How many sharpen their blades with a belt sander? What size belt?

Walt

I gave some serious thought to using that method, but found it was hard (for me) to keep a consistent 30 degree angle. Of course, there's the Work Sharp Tool, but it sounds like you have a lot of blades to sharpen... probably more than would make sense on that little unit.

What I've used instead for many years is a bench grinder and a jig to hold the blade I want to sharpen. For the jig, I cut a piece of 6x6 down to about 16" long, and cut a shelf most of the way down on one side (from end to end) to rest the blade. Then cut the base to the proper angle and height to achieve the desired grind. Clamp the blade in the jig with a C clamp, and slide it back and forth across the grinding wheel. I have two jigs with different heights and angles that I use for different blades. I wish I had the ability to post a video (I don't, being a Neanderthal), but if you can imagine the correct position and angle of the blade where it should meet the grinding wheel, I bet you can come up with something that works.

Sorry I can't do a better job of describing the jig. Let me know if you want more info, and I can try to take a picture (no guarantee on the results).

I really wanted a high end professional sharpening system, but for next to nothing in out of pocket expense, some experimenting and using scrap lumber, a couple of hours of effort yielded terrific results.

Mr. Ed- I like your sharpening wood jig. I can visualize it.

Afterwords balancing is important as well.

I personally use a bench vise to hold the blade and an Arnold Sharpener which connects to my drill. I have sharpened at least 9 blades this way and I am quite pleased with the $8 Arnold tool.

cruzenmike said:

I personally use a bench vise to hold the blade and an Arnold Sharpener which connects to my drill. I have sharpened at least 9 blades this way and I am quite pleased with the $8 Arnold tool.

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Where do you get them?

Dogwalker10 said:

Where do you get them?

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I got mine from Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arnold-Universal-Lawn-Mower-Blade-Sharpening-Kit-490-850-0006/300615901

It can also be purchased from Sears or Amazon.

I just ordered an All American sharpener, hope it works as well as it looks, simple but consistent.

Let us know how you like the All American sharpener.

greenguy said:

I just ordered an All American sharpener, hope it works as well as it looks, simple but consistent.

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What is All American sharpener and where did you order?

I use a 6"X48" stationary belt sander. 2 pieces of plywood screwed together to make a support and a fence to set the blade against while tilting it into the spinning belt. Can do a set of blades in a few minutes at most.

Dogwalker10 said:

What is All American sharpener and where did you order?

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GOOGLE: Allamericansharpener.com

cruzenmike said:

I personally use a bench vise to hold the blade and an Arnold Sharpener which connects to my drill. I have sharpened at least 9 blades this way and I am quite pleased with the $8 Arnold tool.

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Actually I have one of these I bought several years ago and never used. I use the balance tool, but never the sharpener. I got it thinking I could sharpen the blade on my finish mower without removing them. I plan to try it this winter.

If you get a good one, it will work well enough for sharpening swords. But at that price point, the quality control is not great and I know a couple of people who bought those 1x30 sanders where the pulleys were not properly positioned and the belts couldn't be tightened properly. The belts were so loose that control over the edge angle is next to impossible. I got lucky with mine in that the belts are super tight. With high quality 3M Trizact https://mechanicguides.com/best-belt-grinders/ belts I can create very sharp edges on my blades with very good control over the edge angle.
But for large-scale grinding when creating sword blades through stock removal, the belts are too small and the motor is underpowered, as fallen and brotherbanzai stated. Unless of course.

Using different file types helps you get the best sharpening results. Gradually reducing the hardness of the files helps to sharpen any blade evenly. I use the same principle in my work when processing wood and preparing it before varnishing. The use of different types of sanding discs helps to achieve a completely flat and smooth surface. However, unlike the Belt sander, I need a powerful and multifunctional sander with speed and power control. Fortunately, the market is filled with such tools, the main thing is to choose a quality option. Most of the time, I trust the Bobs website recommendations for good tools. From the proposed list, I choose the most suitable one for myself.

I think a 41/2" grinder with used flapper disc works great.

havok said:

Using different file types helps you get the best sharpening results. Gradually reducing the hardness of the files helps to sharpen any blade evenly. I use the same principle in my work when processing wood and preparing it before varnishing. The use of different types of sanding discs helps to achieve a completely flat and smooth surface. However, unlike the Belt sander, I need a powerful and multifunctional sander with speed and power control. Fortunately, the market is filled with such tools, the main thing is to choose a quality option. Most of the time, I trust the Bobs website recommendations for good tools. From the proposed list, I choose the most suitable one for myself.

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just remember this s not a chisel , plane sword or knife/
It is a mower blade and gets sharpened to a flat face 1mm ( push mowers ) or 2 mm ( ride ons ) wide .
Sharpening for a mower blade is just to remove big burs from hitting rocks and reshaping he front to a strait line.
Then balancing it left right and hopefully front back .
As such fine honeing is overkill

Get an extra set of blades. Take one set to a mower shop. They have professional sharpeners and balancing tools. Waaaay cheaper than buying all these sanders and making some dangerous jigs plus your time.

Or just use a hand file. As Bert was hitting on, this is not rocket science. I can sharpen a blade in 1-2 minutes with a hand file. Use Oregon blades too. Lot less sharpening required.

slomo

I hand file & balance my blades as well. Plus have an extra set, always ready.

I may as well add my two cents. IF and I mean IF you have a lot of blades to grind, you cannot beat the Burr King grinder belt grinder. It has a 1.5 HP motor and I believe 8000 feet per minute belt speed. belt speed. It is sold under the Oregon brand. It is very powerful and by far the fastest rotary blade grinder I have ever seen. It is expensive but we sharpen 30 or more commercial blades twice a week and our time is valuable. I can sharpen a heavy duty blade in less than a minute and always at the correct angle.

I use a 10" bench grinder 1 hp Delta. Had this for 35 years or so does a good job fast. I have one of the small 30" x1" belt sanders but have not found it good for anything, My 6 x 48 Delta with 12" side disc will get some work done too.