Do you sharpen your own lawnmower blades?

5482 Views 8 Replies 9 Participants Last post by HarryHarley, Apr 26, 2012

Austen

Discussion Starter · Apr 5, 2012 (Edited)

I thought it would be interesting to see who does and doesn't sharpen their own lawnmower blades and also how often you do them or have them done; annually, seasonally etc.

I'll start out by saying I don't sharpen mine, I take them in and normally have them sharpened once every couple of years on my two rotary mowers.

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Mark / Ohio

· #2 · Apr 5, 2012

I do all of mine at the beginning of the season only using a hand file. I have a Dremal attachment, bench grinder and angle grinder but still go back and do them the way I started many years ago. The Toro and Deere blades have good steel in them so really little more then a touch up is needed. The replacement MTD blade I have is pretty soft though. But it is only used for a few minutes of trimming every week or two.

Now back on the old grandparents farm mowing field grass, weeds, and cow patties was a different story.

We took the bench grinder to them at least a couple times per season. Sometimes they still looked about like a dull boomerang by the time we pulled them.

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Mark777

· #3 · Apr 5, 2012

I sharpen my own blades.

I'm also a firm believer in using a file.

My 4 1/2" grinder is no stranger to my bushhog blades...

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wh55

· #4 · Apr 5, 2012

i sharpen my own...mostly with a file but the bench grinder is used when there might be a big nick in the blade due to a stone etc..i sharpen when i feel the blades arent doing a good job but usually no more than 2 times a season

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bwdbrn1

· #5 · Apr 5, 2012

I've sharpened them myself in the past, but the shop can put a better edge on them than I ever could. I've never tried the file method, but hearing more people say they do it themselves that way, I just might try.

I have two sets of blades for the mowers I use regularly and get both sharpened up at the beginning of the season. About half way through the mowing season, I change out the blades.

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Wayne195

· #6 · Apr 5, 2012

Sharpening lawnmower blades is something I've always done myself.

Generally I use my 4 1/2" angle grinder, but when my blades are severely nicked I use the bench top grinder to so that I can grind more aggressively. I haven't yet had a chance yet to sharpen reel mower blades, but from what I hear that's allot more challenging that a regular lawnmower blade.

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Ikes-Mower

· #7 · Apr 26, 2012

I do my own sharpening as a seasonal thing. When I sell a mower, it also gets a sharpened blade as part of it's "tune-up."

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Calvin Wiles

· #8 · Apr 26, 2012

I have to deal with Gopher mounds with small rocks in them. That dulls blades fast. I sharpen my own with a bench grinder, and have to do it often. I'll use up a set of blades in a year.

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HarryHarley

· #9 · Apr 26, 2012

Over the years I have used every method to sharpen blades. I have a push mower, 2 snapper riders, a zero turn grasshopper and a bush hog. Each one had two extra sets of blades. So that's 15 blades that need sharpening. This is just for my own use. I hate dull blades.
Every method I used was a pain in the butt! So I decided on this Bradley grinder. Since every mower I have has a different blade size, this grinder adjusts to any angle you want to put on the blade and it's reversible. The RPM's are half the speed of a normal grinder so the blade doesn't heat up much. The regular price was about $379. I got it on ebay for $175 brand new in the box last month. Of course, first thing I did was to sharpen every blade I have. No ratty, jagity looking hand done blade edge. It looks like it came from the factory.
By the way, I don't work for the company. I'm in Louisiana USA and the company is in Illinois. Made in USA too!
They still have them I ebay I see. Sold 19 and have 10 left. There price now is $195. It was when I bought mine too. BUT I offered $175 and it was accepted.
Here it is:

Bradley Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener | eBay

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