Can I sharpen my lawn mower blade with my grinding wheel?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Can I sharpen my lawn mower blade with my grinding wheel?

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:07:50 AM EDT

Sounds like a good idea

ETA: furthermore, what kind of oil do I need to use?

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:10:08 AM EDT

[#1]

In a word .....yes.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:12:06 AM EDT

[#2]

Don't see why not. You should have something to make sure the blade is balanced. They have them in hardware stores.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:14:14 AM EDT

[#3]

I've always done this, but wondered at the proper angles.

What is the best angle for a nice clean cut?

Disconnector

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:14:38 AM EDT

[#4]

I do it.
Usually just once at the beginning of each season in the Spring. I just chuck a small grinding wheel into an electric drill and sharpen the sucker without even removing it from the lawn mower.
Now there are folks who will tell you that this is all wrong and the blade must be balanced and so forth, but I've never found this to be the case. Lawn mower engines in my experience are pretty bullet proof. Anything short of striking a buried piece of rebar will be tolerated by the machine without any complaint.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:15:43 AM EDT

[#5]

Yes. grind away until you are satisfied w/ the edge. Just avoid getting the metal red hot as this
weakens it.

After it is sharp balance the blade and grind away material from the back of the blade if necessary.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:16:49 AM EDT

[#6]

Just stick your finger in the bolt hole and if it tilts to one side grind some more off that side.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:17:30 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Sounds like a good idea

ETA: furthermore, what kind of oil do I need to use?

You don't need oil just be careful not to over heat the steel. I use my die grinder.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:19:15 AM EDT

[#8]

I have read that a grinding wheel heats up the blade too much thereby destroying its temper.

I sharpen all my blades and tools with a hand file.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:21:06 AM EDT

[#9]

It's not rocket surgery. If you're even the slightest bit worried about balance, just rest the blade on a round pencil or dowel rod under the center. I've found that it's ultimately pointless to put a fine edge on the blade, as it becomes moe susceptible to little dents and burrs. I usually get the blade pretty sharp, then hit the edge real lightly to leave ~1/32" vertical face.

If you spend more than 10 minutes per blade, you've overdone it.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:30:34 AM EDT

[#10]

The most important factor to sharpen a mower blade is a clean square edge. If the edge is blunt, the blade does not cut well.

Sounds strange, but this was passed along to me by a super duper lawn care mechanic. I have three deck blades under my mower deck and there a pain to remove and sharpen. I would sharpen to a razor sharp leading edge profile in the spring, and still get poor results. I took the blades to him and he filed the end of the blade square. Now the blades cut a nice finish.

I doubt you could remove enough material to make the blade so unbalanced that it will shake the motor off its mount. Not to say that some of the ham handed members here couldn't do that, just it's unlikey.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:44:02 AM EDT

[#11]

I think the balance issue comes into play when you are dealing with a home owner mowing acres of grass or a lawn care type setup.

I balance my blades because I want the bearings in the deck to last as long as possable.

I use a hand file because I used to have a commercial mower with heat treated blades and a grinding wheel had to really work to sharpen those blades, and that work heated them up a fair amount.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:47:50 AM EDT

[#12]

Dremel lawnmower blade sharpening attachment

I have one of these and have had no problems with it. Very handy, I can sharpen the blade without taking it off the mower.

Posted: 8/29/2005 6:58:39 AM EDT

[#13]

yup. my dad did it all the time.
could get it really sharp too with a little practice and concentration

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:03:58 AM EDT

[#14]

No, you need the Uber-tactical MEU-SOC Lawnmower Honing System.

Doing it with a grinding wheel will just make you look like a wannabe.

Of course you will need to put a high-speed low drag coating of Coyote Brown on the blade when you're done.

Friggin' newbies.

P.S.

If you don't mind looking like a wannabe, you can do it on the grinding wheel with no problem. Just keep a pan of water nearby to quench after every few seconds. When it gets too hot to hold, dip it in the water.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:08:03 AM EDT

[#15]

i use the dremmel attachment.

quick and easy.

mike

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:13:30 PM EDT

[#16]

I use my grinder all the time, not hard at all. I've never really worried about balancing it, I just keep my grinding fairly even.. Sure beats buying a new blade because I don't pick anything up off my lawn before mowing... twigs, sticks, even dog shit gets mulched

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:17:10 PM EDT

[#17]

I use a Craftsman "Lawn and Garden" file.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:22:42 PM EDT

[#18]

$9 you can buy a new one.

Call me lazy, better things to do with my time.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:26:48 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
$9 you can buy a new one.

Call me lazy, better things to do with my time.

Thats all they are??

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:28:39 PM EDT

[#20]

Hold it with your hands and place it on water when it's too hot to handle. This way you will not ruin the heat treatment.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:32:15 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
Quoted:
$9 you can buy a new one.

Call me lazy, better things to do with my time.

Thats all they are??

Wallyworld, baby!

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:34:25 PM EDT

[#22]

we just made a jig that holds the blade in by a bolt and it allows me to get the same angle as it origanally had and grind away.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:34:42 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
$9 you can buy a new one.

Call me lazy, better things to do with my time.

sharpen it on the mower. I wouldn't worry about the bearings, unless you have an uber-tactical $1000 assault lawn mower.

Or, do what I did, move to AZ. No lawn, no sharpening worries.

Posted: 8/29/2005 7:40:38 PM EDT

[#24]

Remove the blade to sharpen,then balance.

Posted: 8/29/2005 8:05:15 PM EDT

[#25]

Yes, use your grinder to sharpen your blade. Don't hold it in one spot, move it from one side to the other maintaing a constant angle. It takes practice, and over time you will become very good at it. If the metal looks burnt (blackened or bluish streaks), then that means you got that area to hot. It takes me a whole 10 minutes to sharpen a blade, from removal to sharpening to reinstallation. It helps to have a pnematic wrench to take the blade off.

Also, I don't bother trying to balance blades unless they are going in a mower deck that has more than one blade and even then it's rare that they need it. You'll learn how to take the same material off of each side the more you do it. I sharpen my blades about 3 times a year.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Can I sharpen my lawn mower blade with my grinding wheel?

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