Export thread

I do mine on a bench grinder free hand. I do know a man that made a jig but I would think is only good for the blades he uses

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Carscw said:

I do mine on a bench grinder free hand. I do know a man that made a jig but I would think is only good for the blades he uses

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Click to expand...

The first thing I do is clean them. then I do mine in a vice with a hand grinder free hand and balance them after. What does the jig do, give the right angle? Seems like a little over kill.

reynoldston said:

The first thing I do is clean them. then I do mine in a vice with a hand grinder free hand and balance them after. What does the jig do, give the right angle? Seems like a little over kill.

Click to expand...

I guess he feels he needs to keep the angle factory. I agree it's over kill to do a simple task

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

I've never sharpened the blade on my mower, because I only bought it brand new last year, and due to the fact I use it so little, it'll probably be years before I need to sharpen it.

I'll probably use a hand grinder to sharpen it when I need to.

I use a bench grinder and even sometimes an agle grinder with the blade haning off my work bench while clamped down.

Carscw said:

I do mine on a bench grinder free hand. I do know a man that made a jig but I would think is only good for the blades he uses

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Click to expand...

I hand file mine still on the deck.

Since I mow grass for a living, I invested in the Magna Matic system some years back. Works great and I also balance the blades.

jc56 said:

I hand file mine still on the deck.

Click to expand...

Sounds like it may have some advantages and disadvantages. advantages, don't have to remove blades, won't over heat from grinding, you don't put a lot of stress on the blade bolts. the main disadvantage I can see is you can't balance the blades but also you are not taking off much metal presharping

I did think of buying a sharpening block specifically for sharpening blades, and if it works for you, perhaps I'll give it a try when I need to sharpen mine.

jmurray01 said:

I did think of buying a sharpening block specifically for sharpening blades, and if it works for you, perhaps I'll give it a try when I need to sharpen mine.

Click to expand...

As I understand it you have a push mower with one blade. Wouldn't it be cheaper to have a professional sharpen your blade once a year?

reynoldston said:

As I understand it you have a push mower with one blade. Wouldn't it be cheaper to have a professional sharpen your blade once a year?

Click to expand...

You obviously don't know me! I'm a tight old bugger, and buying a sharpening block works out cheaper than having a professional do it annually.

That is bugger in the UK term not the US term which got JDgreen into quite a pickle :laughing:

:smile:A 48" deck 3 blader. Bought 2004 still original blades. They have been sharpened about 3-4 times per year. I take them off and first clean them in a vise to remove the dried layer of grass. For this I use a duller wood chisel. Next free hand with a common "grey" grinder wheel on an 8" grinder , 60 grit. First knock down the thick "secondary" area of the blade. Usually two passes on this . Next tilt blade to put on the cutting or "primary," usually two passes. Then I gently make one more pass on the primary with a finer grit wheel. . You should feel a "wire" on the back side. Take a mill file and stroke flat accross the back to remove the wire.

This technique is not for the novice and probably seems scary as you work blind,guard removed , facing the back of the blade, the blade held at about 45degrees accross the wheel as you sharpen. Keep moving to avoid overheating. I have not had to rebalance. The blades have been resharpened to the point of changing their lift configuration, but they still fill the 3 hoppers. I priced these blades this week at Sears. $25 each.

It sure is cheaper to sharpen your blades rather than replace.

I've looked all over the internet and I can't even find a replacement blade for my Mountfield SP414 walk behind, so I've got the biggest inspiration of all to keep mine sharpened without replacing, as I literally can't replace it!

jmurray01 said:

You obviously don't know me! I'm a tight old bugger, and buying a sharpening block works out cheaper than having a professional do it annually.

That is bugger in the UK term not the US term which got JDgreen into quite a pickle :laughing:

Click to expand...

I guess I don't know what a sharping block is when it comes to sharping mower blades ?? Your not sharping a knife.

As I see it there has to be a lot of ways to sharped mower blades and it seems everyone has there own way. I worked for a equment sales and service shop and when we sharpened mower blades which was often they told me when I was all done sharping the blades to make one very fast pass over the sharp eadge to dull them.

Every one here has there own way of doing things its nice to learn something new every day

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

I used to sharpen my blades with a bench grinder now I use a 4.5 inch hand grinder while the blade is held in a vice. I also balance. As for sharpening in place personnally, I would suggest that the blade be removed and the bolt coated with anti-seize. A blade bolt can get mighty hard to remove once it is rusted in place.

jmurray01 said:

It sure is cheaper to sharpen your blades rather than replace.

I've looked all over the internet and I can't even find a replacement blade for my Mountfield SP414 walk behind, so I've got the biggest inspiration of all to keep mine sharpened without replacing, as I literally can't replace it!

Click to expand...

Go ahead and dress them up BEFORE they are actually dull... It will be quicker & easier than waiting until they start loosing their tip .... :smile:KennyV

Carscw said:

Every one here has there own way of doing things its nice to learn something new every day

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Click to expand...

It sure is :thumbsup:

KennyV said:

Go ahead and dress them up BEFORE they are actually dull... It will be quicker & easier than waiting until they start loosing their tip .... :smile:KennyV

Click to expand...

So basically what you're saying is a stitch in time saves nine ?

i remove mine twice a year. i live in the country, so i do have un-even ground with the heavy equipment that gets move over every so often. i use an ofset grinder, and balance them. for the balncing they do sell a tool for around $5, at most mower parts store. if you dont balance the blades, you can get heavy vibritions that can ruin the shaft bearings. you end up spending more money faster if you dont balance them.

I use a belt sander it is quick and easy

I use an angle grinder with a sanding pad.:thumbsup: I hold the blades in a vise on my work bench.:biggrin:

I inherited a little kit with a screw on jig to a dremel and a little cone balancer. Worked great on my craftsman rider and black amd decker cordless but I haven't tried it on me grasshopper that has the gator mulching blades.

I place the most comfortable outdoor chair I have at the garage entrance so sparks go outdoors. Most often dressed in shorts and moccasins, I set there with my old Makita rt. angle grinder and yell at that woman "YA GOT THAT BLADE OFF YET". Woman " almost".

Finally she delivers it to me and I tell her " it has 2 so get started on that other one cause I'll be finished with this one in just a minute or two. In my best chair I set there with that blade across my thigh extended a little and sharpen away and I'm done. Yep, stuck my knife blade through the hole centered and it's balanced perfect.

"YA GOT THAT OTHER BLADE OFF YET". Woman " almost". OK, put this one back on and turn the nut the other way. I'll be done in a minute or two. Yep, stuck my knife blade through the hole centered and it's balanced perfect too.

"Here woman is the other one. Put my grinder and chair back where ya got um, I'm headed for the recliner.:laughing:

I used to sharpen my three blades on my bench grinder. I thought I was doing a good job until I took them to a professional. For $4 a blade, I will never do it myself again. The difference like night and day.

my uncle has a hand mower. he usually sharpen it by himself. but it was really an arefull work. i was told if it wasn't sharpen correctly.it will harm to your grass. teared grass may be more easily infected by bacterial.

Vise and a file, I have done it that way for over 40 years, about every 5 mowing's I resharpen them.

I have 3 sets that I rotate on my IZ4818. I take a dull set off (5 mowing's or so) and replace them with a sharpened set. I then sharpen the ones I just took off with my 4 1/2" angle grinder and 60 grit sanding disc and I then hang them on my shop wall where they will make it back under the mower after the other 2 sets complete their turns. As I said I rotate 3 sets, but I also rotate them under them mower as the middle blade seems to wear faster than the other two.

The 3 set rotation looks to keep me from having to buy more than a set or two each year, I mow 3 acres every week starting 3 weeks ago and will run thru late September or mid October here in south Georgia. The Gator Style Blades I run cost me around $29 a set, not sure if they are the real ones or not.

I use an angled grindstone wheel which happens to be2 inches diameter with a plastic guide attached. It does the job. I sharpen my reel mower with a hand file. I used to be an engineer so I can file well.

Remove and put in a vice and use a small hand held grinder. MY question is how much of an angle to put on the edge. Do you have a really sharp edge or a blunt edge? Manual says to have a 1/64 edge which is pretty sharp.

I use hand grinder but most important is to balance the blades

Magna-Matic 9000. Had it ten years and it still runs like new.

I use my blade sharpening as a good time to get to the underside of the deck to scrape off the grass. I remove the (3) blades on my Gravely ZT mower. I just use a bench grinder although it's a pain to orient the blades because the free end wants to interfere with the work bench or bench grinder guards. I get pretty aggressive with the rate of grinding. I watch for overheat which typically turns a small portion of the metal blue-black which I try to avoid. If I get a blue tip for example on the end of the blade then likely it will be more vulnerable to wear off or chip off because I made it too brittle.

When I am finished grinding one end of each blade, I take an old paint brush and apply a coating of motor oil to the ground surface. It is still hot enough to make some small wisps of smoke. My theory is that the motor oil has a hardening effect as the steel cools. Correct me if I have it the opposite if you are one of those blacksmiths.

OldDuffus said:

I use my blade sharpening as a good time to get to the underside of the deck to scrape off the grass. I remove the (3) blades on my Gravely ZT mower. I just use a bench grinder although it's a pain to orient the blades because the free end wants to interfere with the work bench or bench grinder guards. I get pretty aggressive with the rate of grinding. I watch for overheat which typically turns a small portion of the metal blue-black which I try to avoid. If I get a blue tip for example on the end of the blade then likely it will be more vulnerable to wear off or chip off because I made it too brittle.

When I am finished grinding one end of each blade, I take an old paint brush and apply a coating of motor oil to the ground surface. It is still hot enough to make some small wisps of smoke. My theory is that the motor oil has a hardening effect as the steel cools. Correct me if I have it the opposite if you are one of those blacksmiths.

Click to expand...

It depends on the type of steel, how hot you got it and how quick it cools. I dont know what grade of steel they make blades from. It would be interesting to know. You don't want it to be too brittle or too soft. Does anyone know?

LANDSCAPER34 said:

I use a belt sander it is quick and easy

Click to expand...

Where are you getting metal sanding/grinding belts. I use a bench belt sander. Belt is 36" x 4" and I get them at harbor freight, but they don't last long at all. Have had no luck finding them anywhere else.

Thx
kip

I really like my coarse flap-disk on my 4 1/2 in hand grinder, with the blade pre-cleaned with a bench grinder brush, and secured in a bench vise flat. I try to balance them, and when done, will square off the tip about 1/64 in, like someone else here has said. I would like a sharpening jig someday, just to do a more consistent, even job.

Sidepoint: Does anyone else have a static balancer that the steps don't fit any of the blades they own? I have one, and the alignment steps don't fit any of the several mower blades that I have sharpened. What gives?

bjones said:

Remove and put in a vice and use a small hand held grinder. MY question is how much of an angle to put on the edge. Do you have a really sharp edge or a blunt edge? Manual says to have a 1/64 edge which is pretty sharp.

Click to expand...

Well let's be sure we are discussing the same type of cutters. For sharpening the flymo type with a grindstone which has a plastic guide the angle is about 30 degrees, or whatever the grinder is made to give. It is a fixed angle. After grinding I balance the blade. For the reel mower I file the fixed blade to the same angle but the filing doesn't come to a sharp edge at the front. I leave the front edge blunt. I then file the rotary blades to scrape gently across the filed surfaces of the fixed blade. I then test with strips of newspaper and correct the filing until the machine cuts anywhere, right across the fixed blade. It doesn't matter whether the fixed blade is perfectly straight or not because the rotary ones are filed to fit it. Incidentally this action is unlike what happens with a pair if scissors. If you don't believe me look carefully at a pair.

I use a 4 1/2" grinder with a tiger disk and just try and follow the angle and put an edge on it, I also clamp the blade down. As far as balancing, I have a nail that sticks out of my workbench, hang the blade on it and if it looks level, thats good.

I use an angle grinder with a 6” cone stone to do 95% of the blade sharpening in our shop. In the spring I could very easily sharpen 75 blades a week. Unless the blades are in bad shape, it takes me about 2-3 minutes per blade. There are a wide variety of blade styles and materials used by manufacturers today, so there is no best way to do it. I clean all blades first with a wire wheel, then fasten them in a large tilt able vise. After sharpening, all blades are balanced with a MagnaMatic balancer. I determine what angle to sharpen at by the type of equipment the blade is on. The larger the equipment, the less angle I use. A flayle mower or rough cut mower may only have a 15-20 degree angle, but I never go higher than 35 degrees. If I am unsure of where it is used, I fall back on the recommendation of the Oregon blade company. Their blades are normally sharpened to a 30 degree angle and .030” edge thickness.

jc56 said:

I hand file mine still on the deck.

Click to expand...

I have been doing that also for years, since I got my first lawn mower in 1974. On the heavier blades for my John Deere I also file, but if I get a big nick in the blade, I resort to a four inch flat grinder. If I don't hit any rocks, a file works fine, doesn't take off too much material. Blades last longer. I still have the original blade from my 1975 Lawn-Boy mower.

Toro has some good info in sharpening. At least as important as a sharp blade, is a straight blade, and a balanced blade.

With respect to standard push mower blades when material needs to be removed I get the impression it should be removed from the end of the blade? The square or 90° part??

I don't. I buy a new set every spring. Made some dandy knives from the old ones.

Great! I'm interested in knives but am not a maker. Good use of old blades.

Maybe this has been mentioned but I found a noticeable difference in the thickness and quality of the steel in OEM replacement blades, and construction. They hold an edge longer, and mulch better. It's always nice to save money but crappy parts are usually a source of frustration.

jmurray01 said:

I've never sharpened the blade on my mower, because I only bought it brand new last year, and due to the fact I use it so little, it'll probably be years before I need to sharpen it.

I'll probably use a hand grinder to sharpen it when I need to.

Click to expand...

You should sharpen your blade every year. It definitely dulls after a season's use and can be gouged when you hit rocks or branches with it.

I started using a bench grinder but find it easier to use an angle grinder with the blade in a vice.

I have a Craftsman PTY9000 42". My lawn is about 10,000 square feet and is surrounded by about a thousand oak trees. That means that not only do I need to mow the grass in the summer but I have an outrageous amount of leaves to deal with in the fall and lots of twigs and small branches Whenever the wind blows. I pull a Cyclone Rake behind my lawn tractor to pickup the leaves...around 5-6 times every autumn. So I can't get away with not sharpening my mower blades. Here are some of the ways I've done it over the years:
1. Ignored the problem until the blades were so bad I had to install new ones. (Not a very good idea)
2. Used a bench grinder with wheels so small that I couldn't get a full pass on the blades without tipping them up. (This sort of sucks)
3. Used a hand-held angle grinder with the blades held in a vice. (I'm no too good at keeping the right angle)
4. Installed an 8" wheel on my Radial arm saw with a box under the wheel so I could lay the blade flat and move it under the wheel to grind the correct angle. (This worked OK but scared the hell out of me because I had no guard and the rotation speed was way too fast)
5. Put the wheel on my SouthBend lathe and held the blade by hand. (Not too bad but still no guard and hard to hold the angle)
6. Made a jig to mount the angle grinder with a plate angled for the correct edge angle. (Hard to hold the blade correctly against the flap wheel)
So far, nothing works very well. :frown:

I also use my radial arm saw. The back of the motor shaft (opposite the blade) is threaded to take a Jacob's chuck. To this I install a 6" wheel which has a 3/8" shaft. I made a simple wooden fixture to hold the blade at the factory spec angle. Set the fixture on the saw table and pull the wheel parallel to the blade barely toughing the cutting edge. May be overkill but I had everything but the fixture anyway.

I have 5 old garden tractors that range from 1971 to 1976. I use 3 of them very regularly. The mower decks are heavy and time consuming to pull off for cleaning and blade sharpening, but it gets done every Spring. I leave the blades mounted and use a small angle grinder to sharpen the 3 blades on the 48" decks. In the 48 years that the '71 has been used, it has had 3 sets of blades. We don't worry about the exact angle of the sharpening, just take out the rock, tree branch damage and they'll cut just fine. I have 2 sets of new blades for whenever the old ones need replaced. The 2 tractors with mower decks have never been painted and one has been showing signs of wearing through or rusting, but that's life. We don't try to impress ourselves or the neighbors by buying something new every time we change socks.

For speed, accuracy, simplicity and comfort it's difficult to improve on a Makita flex wheel while setting in a comfortable chair free handing with the blade extended across my lap.