Sharpening mower blades and other scientific stuff

[rburg]

I put an 'industrial' edge on the Rockchucker mower and edger blades. They don't come back as often.

You know how to do that? Do you also know how to sharpen a double bit axe?

 

[jlrhiner]

Mill bastard file and a Smith honing stone. Don't forget the gram scale for balance. (Yes, I know how to sharpen a double bit ax)

 

[bk43]

1. put it on the utv trailer
2. Secure it with ropes and chains
3. Haul it to the John Deere dealer for servicing and sharpening

Man, that sounds like an awful lot of work. Why don't you just call them and they'll send some kid with a truck to pick it up? That's what I do.

Bob

 

[jag312]

I grind the edges, finish them with a file, then I take a Zyrtec before mowing the lawn. I do seem to have allergies to the grass, but I love the smell of fresh cut grass. It reminds me of playing football in college.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I use an angle grinder with a 3.5 inch blending pad, or what some folks call a flap disc. 50 grit or so. I drop the deck and remove the blades to do it. Then I drink a few beers and mow. once I made my first round and noticed the mower just wasn't cutting, I thought maybe I had broke a belt or something, then I noticed I hadn't engaged the deck. One too many I guess. gordon

 

[Wayne02]

I use an angle grinder... I recently went from the 4.5 to an 8 incher. I use the sandpaper on an angle wheel- the one that weras off the dull area of the blade and refreshes with "new paper" as ya use it- good stuff.

Paul, are these sandpaper discs the flap type wheels or other?

Thanks

 

[walnutred]

This is how I do mine. I have one of those little balances, too. Works okay for the $2 I paid.

And usually right after I sharpen it, I (or whomever I sharpened it for) will go and smack a piece of concrete with it the first mowing.

The balancer my dad used to use was a 16d nail driven into the side of the garage wall.

 

[otis24]

Local shop wants about $10 to sharpen. I can buy a new blade for that. So I take mine to work and use the bench grinder. Not a pro by any means, but I shapen it up enough to get a good cut.

 

[Len]

I have two sets of blades, with the idea that I'll sharpen once in the Spring, then swap them out halfway through the season...but, I rarely do. Sheer laziness.

After years of different grinders, files and other stuff, I finally settled on a coarse sanding drum attached to a drill press. Easy to control, drill speed is easily adjusted, doesn't take too much off in case of a mistake, will handle all but the deepest gouges, puts a great edge on, and is fast.

Len

 

[oldman45]

Many years ago, I would sharpen my blades first with a ginder and then finish them with a flat file.

But that was then. Now I am in my high 60's and have two acres here, along with 300 feet of double wide drive to edge and several pine trees dropping needles that need raking, I have a better way.

I use a lawn service company. They charge $60 per cutting and cut once every three weeks for about 5 months per yr. I do not have to furnish anything, they cut, edge, trim and clean the debris. I figure it costs me about $360 a year. If I bought a large mower, string trimmer, edger, blower and then furnished the gas, I would lose money as well as having to do the work myself.

This way, the young guys get the exercise and they will be too tired when they get off work to get into trouble and it keeps them off welfare or unemployment. I save money and do not raise a sweat but my yard always looks nice.

 

[marvin the martian]

You're supposed sharpen the mower blades??? Guess that explains a few things... I haven't touched the blades in a good 3 years, probably should do that this spring, eh?

 

[cp1969]

Big file. I don't know whether it's a Mill Bastage or not, but it does a good job on the five blades I've got to keep sharp.

BTW, OP--I liked that paragraph, too. You should have been a writer. In fact, it's never too late to become one.