Sharpening Blades

[Tiger Small Engine]

My question refers to customer mower blades. Many of the blades I see on customer equipment are really dull and beat up. It is not uncommon that I have to reestablish the angle and depth on cutting edge the blade is so bad. It can take 15-20 minutes per blade to sharpen correctly. I am not asking about how the blades are sharpened. We all have our preference. Are you guys seeing a lot of beat up blades come in? Many of these people are lucky if they sharpen blades once a year. How much do you charge per blade? Also, not uncommon to see bent blades. I can usually straighten them without replacing.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I use an All American sharpener.

All American Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener

We invented what has become THE MOST POPULAR and HIGHLY RATED LAWN MOWER BLADE SHARPENER! Our products are made in the USA and built to last, with a lifetime warranty. We also provide video tutorials about the best way to use our jigs to sharpen your blades.

www.allamericansharpener.com

And 36 grit flap wheel. Takes less than a minute for even the worst blades. Blade off the mower $5. I don't straighten blades.

 

[MowerNick]

I use a neary blade grinder. Takes only a few minutes per blade we charge $8 for one or $15 for a set of two.

 

[mcspeed]

I use an All American sharpener.

All American Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener

We invented what has become THE MOST POPULAR and HIGHLY RATED LAWN MOWER BLADE SHARPENER! Our products are made in the USA and built to last, with a lifetime warranty. We also provide video tutorials about the best way to use our jigs to sharpen your blades.

www.allamericansharpener.com

And 36 grit flap wheel. Takes less than a minute for even the worst blades. Blade off the mower $5. I don't straighten blades.

I watched the video and I’m not seeing an advantage to using their system vs free hand. What am I missing?

 

[Rocky J]

I had two MTD /Toro economy models that had struck water meter bases and bent the blade and the deck itself. The complaint was a crocked cut. I used a 48 inch straight edge across the spindle pulleys to correct the bend in the cupped area where the spindle bolts onto the deck. I use a truck tire tap down slide hammer to bend it back so the straight edge touches all contact points on the pulleys. Never had much luck straightening blades, they will be better but not perfect . Most of the mowers I work on, the cutting side of the blade looks a lot like the back side . I also use the lapping wheel to shape and sharpen and a nail drove into a nearby post to check for balance . They all needed a oil change three years ago and they did not know it had a oil filter . I have found they just want to roll them off the trailer , go to the front of the line and pick up this afternoon. I found that is a good thing because I do not have to air up all the tires and put it on the charger to load it in two days.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I watched the video and I’m not seeing an advantage to using their system vs free hand. What am I missing?

If all I did was sharpen straight blades, then I would not have to use an angle grinder. That is why I use an angle grinder on everything.

When a blade is bent you can get it close with a sledge hammer and a pair of safety glasses while smacking it on concrete. Of course you can’t get it perfect, but close is often good enough.

Many of the blades that come in for sharpening are very dull and have chips on the edge. Have to level out edge and reestablish the entire angle and cutting edge. This takes time to do it correctly.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I watched the video and I’m not seeing an advantage to using their system vs free hand. What am I missing?

Since it holds the angle i can very quickly sharpen the dullest blade to good professional edge in less than a minute. I run a shop and time is money. I have tried a few different sharpeners and the all american is the best bang for the buck for my small shop. A Burr King would be nice but can't justify it.

 

[slomo]

I still think a hand file is the best way to sharpen. Once you cross over into grinders, one can remove too much material. Course a lot of blades you shop guys see need grinders. Home owners like me, my blades clean up in a few strokes. Too much metal removed gets into heavy balancing tricks.

For me, going over to the dark side, thinking about a 4" angle grinder with a say 220 grit flap wheel. Got 5 mowers to tend to.

For balancing I use one of those precision food grade scales. Weigh each blade end a couple times. Can balance a blade out to 0.0X of a gram per side. My blades run super smooth like a new one. I tried nails and those plastic and metal cone balancer deals. Food scale is in another league.

 

[StarTech]

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

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Since it holds the angle i can very quickly sharpen the dullest blade to good professional edge in less than a minute. I run a shop and time is money. I have tried a few different sharpeners and the all american is the best bang for the buck for my small shop. A Burr King would be nice but can't justify it.

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.