At The End Of The Day
Finding a place to sharpen your lawnmower blade is more than possible. Still, if, for some reason, you’re unable to find a location near you, you now have the knowledge and resources you need to either buy a replacement or locate the necessary tools to sharpen it on your own.
Regardless of how you do it, your grass will thank you, and you will end up with a beautiful lawn, worthy of all the effort put into its upkeep. Maintain a healthy lawn by avoiding a dull lawnmower blade!
Know more about your lawn! Read below –
Remove The Spark Plug Or Battery
Theres another task to perform to prevent accidents. Before attempting to remove the blade, the spark plug should be removed to avoid the risk of the machine accidentally starting, say the experts at Mowers Online . In the case of a battery powered machine the battery should be removed. As should any safety keys.
Benefits Of Sharp Lawnmower Blades
Sharp lawn mower blades slice through grass quickly and with ease to leave a smooth, even top to your lawn. On the other hand, dull blades will rip your grass and the rough edge will not only look unkempt but tends to turn yellow or brown and are an invitation for disease and pests to take hold. The relatively simple procedure of keeping your mower blades sharp is worth the energy compared to weeks or months of getting your lawn back into shape if it has turned patchy and brown. This can also save you a lot of money on lawn care products. So, to recap:
Sharp mower blades lead to:
- Lawns that are easier and quicker to mow
- Lawns with a smoother, even top
- Lawns that are greener and lusher
- Lawns that are less prone to disease and pests
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Lawn Mower Blade Balancing
The detaching, sharpening, and replacing of blades should be done carefully to attain a good balance for the mower. Most lawnmower blades spin at an average of 3000+ RPM. Unbalanced blades can destroy other pieces like the bearings and spindles of the mower.
Refer to a local expert to help you buy a blade balancer or pick one from Amazon.
Use the blade balancer to check in any side of the blade is heavier than the other. Grind off the heavier side slightly to get an actual weight for either side. Finally, put the blades back and replace the cover to the mowing deck.
How Often Should Lawn Mower Blades Be Replaced
A good rule of thumb for the average homeowner is to replace your mower blades annually. You may also think about replacing them if they become damaged. Dig up that product manual if you want a more clear-cut answer. Always make sure to take protective measures whenever sharpening your mower blades at home.
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Sharpening Blades By Hand
1. Use a vice or clamp to secure the blade at your workbench. It may be easiest to position the blade so that it juts out over the edge of the table. That way, you can sit on a chair or stool while sharpening the mower blade. Place a few sheets of newspaper on the ground under the blade to catch the filings.
2. Use the metal file to sharpen the blade. Use smooth strokes, working from the inner edge to the outer edge. You’ll want to see the edge of the blade shine and to be about as sharp as a butter knife. Turn the blade over, and then file the other edge. When filing, be sure to keep the file at the same angle as the blade’s bevel , which in most cases is 40 or 45 degrees.
Why Sharpen A Lawn Mower Blade
A sharp blade is necessary for producing a well-cut lawn, and learning how to sharpen your own lawn mower blades can be a great benefit to the homeowner. The task of lawn mower blade sharpening takes only a few minutes with the right tools and is not difficult at all, while loading the mower into a truck and taking it to someone else to sharpen can be a real pain and take several days.
A dull blade will not cut wellgrass and weeds tend to simply bend over in front of the blade instead of being cut off. This results in a lawn with streaks of uncut grass in it and additional weed growth since weeds now have a chance to grow to the seed-bearing stage instead of being cut short. Keeping a sharp lawn mower blade will make the job of mowing the lawn easier and produce a better-looking lawn as well.
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Eight Steps To Sharper Blades
1. Disconnect the ignition wire from the spark plug. Thatll eliminate any chance of the engine accidentally starting up while youre working on the mower. Also, drain the gas tank so it wont spill any fuel while you remove the blades.
2. Tip the mower onto its side to expose the retaining nut or bolt that secures the blade to the underside of the mower. To keep the blade from turning, wedge a short wood block between the end of the blade and inside surface of the mowing deck. Next, use a large ratcheting wrench and socket to loosen the nut or bolt. If the fastener is rusted on, apply some penetrating oil, such as Liquid Wrench, wait 10 minutes or so and try again. And to increase leverage when loosening a particular stubborn fastener, slip a metal pipe over the wrench handle.
3. After removing the retaining nut or bolt pull off the mower blade, making note of which side of the blade faces downward. Its important that the blade gets bolted back on in the same orientation.
4. With the blade removed, take a minute and scrape clean the underside of the mowing deck with a narrow-blade putty knife. Remove all caked-on grass, mud, leaves and other debris. Also, clean both sides of the lawnmower blade by first spraying with penetrating oil, and then scrubbing with a stiff-bristle brush.
While the nail-in-the-wall technique does work, for more precise results, use a lawnmower blade balancer, a multi-tiered, cone-shaped metal fixture.
Not The Result You Were Expecting
Suppose you dont get the result you were expecting. In that case, there could be several reasons:
- Youre Measuring the Wrong Angle
- Youre Using the Lawn Mower Blade Angle Gauge Incorrectly
- The Blade is Extremely Dull
- Youre Using a Non-Standard Blade
Firstly, check that you are measuring the cutting angle and not the back side of the blade. Then check that your gauge is reading the acute angle. Some gauges will show different angles depending on the starting angle. Make sure that your starting angle is 0 degrees. For example, if you start with 180 degrees, you may be getting a result such as 150 degrees. Dont worry this has made me scratch my head a few times too!
If you happen to get a reading lower than 30 degrees , the blade has probably worn down significantly during cutting. If this is the case, you can just round up to 30 degrees.
Considering a non-standard blade for a moment, youll need to work out what these angles started at. Bear in mind that blade angles decrease as they wear out. So, if you get a reading of 41 degrees, it would be logical to think that it probably started at 45 degrees, and if you discover its 12 degrees now, then this probably started at 15 degrees. As we discussed earlier, a combination blade may include two different angles, so just take your time and measure both.
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Why Do I Need To Sharpen My Lawn Mower Blades
As mentioned above, your lawnmower blade must be sharpened in order to achieve a clean cut. Once the blade gets dull, rather than actually cutting the grass, it will tear the grass blades, and this will cause the grass blade to have a brownish color on the tip. This is not usually a great sight for your lawn as it will appear to be unhealthy when in fact, the lawn could actually be thriving.
How Would You Know You Have Sharpened Your Mulching Blade
After you have sharpened your blade, install it on your mower and mow doing one pass on your lawn.
After that, check the grass closely. If the grass has a nice clean cut like they are whipped by a sharp knife, then congratulation you have sharpened your mulching mower blade.
But if the grass is ragged on the top then you havent sharpened it well.
Ragged means uneven cut which you should avoid for two reasons
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Paint & Reinstall The Lawn Mower Blade
Once you have done all things correctly now, you need to paint the blade that will protect the blades from rust. After painting the blade then wait for dry and reinstall the blades. Use a socket wrench to tighten up a nut or bolt snugly.
After reinstalling the blades, place them back into the mower in their original position and reattach the spark plug.
Removing The Blade From The Lawnmower
Before the sharpening process can begin, the blade must be removed from the lawnmower.
Spark plug, with wire still attached.
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Method : Using A Bench Grinder
The fastest way to sharpen a lawnmower blade is by using a bench grinder. Simply grind the edge of your blade against the spinning wheel of the grinder. However, you should always wear protective equipment such as safety goggles, earplugs, and work gloves to avoid the risk of injury. While a bench grinder is usually loud and produces sparks, youll be able to sharpen the blade in a matter of minutes. A bench grinder is also a great option for repairing heavily-damaged blades that are hard to file smoothly by hand.
Do Lawn Mower Blades Come Sharpened
When purchasing a new lawnmower, or just a replacement blade, knowing whether or not you are going to need to have it sharpened once you get it is important. Not only because it’s an additional expense, but depending on the route you end up deciding to go to get it sharpened, you may have more tools you need to purchase.
All in all, it’s just better to be informed, but have no fear, we researched for you!
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Watch For Excess Vibration
Once youve got your blade sharpened, and youre out cutting grass again, be aware of how your mower is running. If there is more vibration to the mower than you remember, you might have shaved your blade a bit out of balance.
When you run your mower with an unbalanced blade, you could end up with poor cut quality and even cause structural damage to the mower. If you suspect your blade is out of balance, you may want to take it off the mower and check. Balancing lawn mower blades is a pretty easy process and could save you some trouble in the long run.
About Tom Greene
I’ve always had a keen interest in lawn care as long as I can remember. Friends used to call me the “lawn mower guru” , but I’m anything but. I just enjoy cutting my lawn and spending time outdoors. I also love the well-deserved doughnuts and coffee afterward!
Sharpening The Lawn Mower Blade:
Should you sharpen using a bench grinder? You could, but theyre a little too powerful. We recommend sharpening by hand, so that youre able to more closely control the sharpening.
Using a vice makes sharpening the blades much easier, as youre able to hold them in place. We recommend that you wear gloves, as the blade will be very sharp, and metal filings will come off the blade as you sharpen it.
Lawn mower blades are only sharp on one side . So be sure to only sharpen the chiseled side. As Jack says in the video, its similar to a chisel that you would use for woodworking.
Using your flat file, begin filing, following the contour of the blade. File into the direction of the cut . Youll notice that the blade will start to become silver. If there are any detents in the blade , you can rotate your file.
Continue to file until the blade is sharp.
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Review: Top 12 Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades
- Large safety guard Cleaning brush, with wire bristles, stores in the handle
- Oversized handle allows for use with gloves
- Quickly sharpens dull lawnmower blade with just a few easy pulls
- Service Commitment: Save the expensive cost ot buy blades. This product supports 60 days unconditional refund, 365 days replacement service. You can contact us if you have any problems with the product, we will provide you with a solution within 24 hours. 100% assured purchase.
- Simple to Use: Mower blade sharpener can simply attach to power drills and sharpen the blade easily and quickly.Making the edge become more effective . It only takes 10s to install it, You only need to install it on your electric drill to use it.
- New Upgrade: The new upgraded Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener is different from the old version. New version Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener made of double layer corundum, high quality, durable, long service life, blade sharpener can be used repeatedly.
- Sharpen multiple blades easily and efficiently.
- Includes adapter pins to attach most grinders to the sharpener assembly.
- All American Sharpener 5000 will sharpen standard and mulching blades.
- Proudly made in the USA
- Check your owner’s manual to verify the OEM number of the blade being replaced matches one of the OEM numbers provided for this item
- Measures 21″ in length and 2-1/4″ in width
Things To Consider Before Buying A Mower Blade Sharpener
Speed: The sharpening speed should be compatible with the blade that you are sharpening. The pace is on such a rate that it is suitable for both the blade and the sharpening machine.
Safety measures: The mower sharpener must be 100% safe and danger free. This is one of the most important things to keep in mind because even a little ignorance can severely hurt the person whos sharpening the mower.
Permanence: The sharpeners must have enough durability. And also have the quality to prolong the blades lives.
Comfortably usable: The sharpener should match the needs of the person who does the mowing work. There are specialized for both left and right-handed people. So it should be bought according to the users preferences.
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How Much Does It Cost To Have Lawn Mower Blades Sharpened
Depending on the type of mower you own, you can expect to pay between 20 and 60 dollars. If its a reel lawn mower, you dont need to take the blades off the mower and sharpen them, but if youre looking for something that can handle more power, youll probably want to invest in something that can handle more power.
What Angle Do You Sharpen Mulching Blades
You want to be protected from the elements. Sharpen the edge of the blade with a 10-inch file or grindstone, keeping the file at a 45 degree angle. Its a good idea tosharpen from the top side of the cutting edge.
The file should be pushed in one direction along the edge and in the opposite direction. Repeat this process on the other side. When youre done, you should have a blade thats sharp enough to cut through most materials, but not so sharp that you cant sharpen it with a sharpening stone.
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