Sharpening Blades

[StarTech]

Here is my shop when I was open most blades were damage to save especially when some blades were only 50% more than my sharpening fee. So why spend time sharpen a completely worn out blade when it take so little time to simply install a new blade.

I remember one walk behind that came in that owner wanted me to sharpen the blade. It was a 21" cut Honda. Well the blade was only 12" long so I didn't do it and owner was too cheap to replace it.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

I rarely sharpend blades, except my own, most of the time when I get them in they're worn down to nubs

 

[mcspeed]

I bought a cone balancer with a bearing on it….mount in a vice so the blade is perpendicular to normal. The old school cone balancer seemed to be difficult to get the blade centered since the blade hole didn’t match up well to the flange on top of the cone. Have 3 blades on my ZT so like to get a good balance. I keep an extra set of blades sharp and balanced so I’m ready pronto when ready to get some sharp ones installed.

I use an angle grinder and seems to work well. I’m not on the clock so speed isn’t all that important LOL.

 

[slomo]

You do know new blades are not fully balanced don't you?

Mine are. No vibes at all.

 

[Telesis]

I switched to a 60 grit flap disc from a grinder wheel years ago and haven't looked back. So much easier to deal with the irregular contour on the majority of blades I deal with. Very fast on most blades. I also don't try and make it so I can shave with it!

Just my 2 cents!

 

[Hammermechanicman]

How you can sharpen a blade that is very dull and beat to hell in less than a minute is beyond me. It sometimes takes 10 plus minutes per blade for ones that are really bad. Believe me I do not like spending this much time. Which is why I posted the topic. Surely I can’t be the only shop encountering this issue.

A 36 grit flap wheel takes metal off FAST without overheating.
I have a Bradley S105 grinder that i don't use any more. Really only works on flat blades and takes way longer than the angle grinder and flap wheel. Blades don't need to be perfectly balanced or razor sharp. Mow with razor sharp blades for 15 minutes then see how sharp they are. I have the fancy ball bearing blade balancer and i do balance blades and i sharpen blades to the point you don't want to handle them by the cutting edge. Ever seen how sharp new blades aren't?

 

[ILENGINE]

How you can sharpen a blade that is very dull and beat to hell in less than a minute is beyond me. It sometimes takes 10 plus minutes per blade for ones that are really bad. Believe me I do not like spending this much time. Which is why I posted the topic. Surely I can’t be the only shop encountering this issue.

Tiger you are having issues with the grinding wheel glazing. Certain blades are notorious for clogging the grinding grit on the wheel, flap, etc. John Deere blades I have found to be the worse. Back when I was using the big Oregon 12 inch blade grinder, I would have to clean the wheel over a dozen times doing a set of JD blades. I haven't had that issue since switching to the Burr King 760 with the 36 grit ceramic belts. Using the Burr King, it isn't hard to sharpen and balance a blade in under a minutes. With the average blade you can do a 3 blade set in just over a minute.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Tiger you are having issues with the grinding wheel glazing. Certain blades are notorious for clogging the grinding grit on the wheel, flap, etc. John Deere blades I have found to be the worse. Back when I was using the big Oregon 12 inch blade grinder, I would have to clean the wheel over a dozen times doing a set of JD blades. I haven't had that issue since switching to the Burr King 760 with the 36 grit ceramic belts. Using the Burr King, it isn't hard to sharpen and balance a blade in under a minutes. With the average blade you can do a 3 blade set in just over a minute.

I have tried a flap wheel and did a horrible job. Would be good for touch ups, not sharpening dull blades.

I switch out grinding wheels frequently. How do you clean a glazed grinding wheel? You may be onto to something here.

 

[mcspeed]

How does a flap disc remove material faster than an angle or bench grinder? Perhaps I misunderstood what was previously posted……

 

[Hammermechanicman]

How does a flap disc remove material faster than an angle or bench grinder? Perhaps I misunderstood what was previously posted……

Have you compared a 36 grit flap disk to a grinding wheel?

Burr King Model 760 2 X 60 Three Wheel Belt Grinder 75100 Fixed Speed

Burr King Model 760 2 X 60 Three Wheel Belt Grinder

www.ustooldepot.com

A 36 grit flap wheel is nowhere as nice as a Burr King but it gets the job done at the same speed.