Sharpening blades with a dremel works great!

[gearnoggin]

Just wanted to share with everyone on the forum that I discovered a great way to get an incredibly smooth edge on my lawn mower blades. I usually sharpen them with my bench grinder but it has a tendency to gouge the blade and it's difficult to sharpen mulching blades because of the curves. So I got my trusty old dremel out today to see if it could do any better. It takes a little longer with a dremel but it sure makes a super fine edge! Also it didn't heat up the metal while it was grinding. I can't wait till spring to see how the blade does. Let me know what y'all think about this technique.

 

[reynoldston]

So just what do you use for a stone in your dremel ?

 

[gearnoggin]

So just what do you use for a stone in your dremel ?

I used the brown stone on the far right today. I'll probably try the beefier brown stone closer to the middle next time.

 

[d_sharier]

I have heard of guys using a dremel to sharpen blades before, I think that dremel even offers a jig and stone set-up for the task. I have never tried sharpening a blade this way. I'll bet it takes some time considering the surface area of the stone being used. If you are only taking care of your own equipment I'll bet this is more than adequate. I opted for a blade grinder last season and it was one of the best purchases I have invested in to date. The downside is that it will take a lot of blades going across it before it's paid for.

Just out of curiosity, how long did it take to sharpen and balance the blade using this method?

 

[gearnoggin]

Probably 5 or 10 minutes for one blade if you take your time like I did. I think it will be worth it if it stays sharp longer. The edge was so smooth that I could run my finger across it without getting a single burr.

 

[d_sharier]

A679-03 I just looked up that kit on the web. It's dremel's sharpening kit. You may already have it, can't tell from you pic. This has that jig in it for keeping the angle. It says it will do saw chain as well.

 

[gearnoggin]

I just free handed mine. I don't have the blade sharpening attachment.

 

[reynoldston]

So what do you use to clean your blade before you sharped it?

 

[gearnoggin]

I usually wire wheel the caked on grass off before sharpening. Other than that I've never cleaned them prior to sharpening.

 

[7394]

Cool, don't forget to check the balance on the finished blades..