Is it hard to resharpen a blade yourself?

Lazarus rises from the dead after being asleep since 2010. But now that he's back among us, here's what I do.

For mower blades I usually use a 12" (about 16 1/2" OAL) Nicholson file and balance with a high-fallootin' Italian balancer. If I'm really lazy, I use a cheap angle grinder with a 4" flap sander.

Edit to add: Pay attention to the outermost 1 to 2 inches of cutting edge. That's were the lion's share of cutting takes place.

For chainsaws, both of mine take a 5/32" round file. I leave the chain on the bar. Depending on how long it's been since it was sharpened, I'll use the round file to clean up a link, counting the number of strokes it took. Then I give all the links this number of strokes. If you don't let a chain get too far gone, it usually only takes two or three strokes and you have a chain that will cut like crazy---for a tank of gas if you don't hit something or get it in the dirt. Then you need to touch it up again.
 
I've been sharpening all my own stuff since I was a boy scout, too long ago. Mower blades, axes and the like I sharpen in a vise with a hand file. If the file is sharp it only takes a few minutes. I balance with a piece of thin steel upright in the vise as a fulcrum. It's not that difficult, a beginner can learn to do it pretty easily. It's also satisfying to put the blade back in use and see the difference I made.
 
For the first 7 years that I was a homeowner I did not sharpen my blades; I simply replaced them. I would spend about $50 a year to do a full tune up with an oil flush and two new blades for my HRX. At the time I didn't see an issue with the cost, but it wasn't until I got an Exmark and a set of blades cost nearly $60 alone that I decided to start sharpening them myself. For sharpening I used the Arnold Universal Blade Sharpener found here: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Arnold-Universal-Lawn-Mower-Blade-Sharpening-Kit-490-850-0006/300615901 This worked well for me and made a razor sharp edge.

I had tried a bench grinder and failed terribly. I do have an angle grinder with a sanding disk which I might try the next time around.
 
Not hard if done regularly. It depends on how big the yard is as to what regularly is. I use a 4''' side grinder with a 1/4"' thick wheel. Try to replicate the original angle to get the longest life out of the blade. Grind gently or you may burn the edge of the blade. I use a balancer that I got from Harbor Freight when I got the side grinder. It is the one that goes in the mounting hole and is real simple to use. (round pyramid on a nail) This will keep the blades from vibrating the deck to death. Good luck and be sure to wear safety glasses and gloves.
 
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