Who does not wish to have a beautiful garden in front of their house? But gardening does require a lot of maintenance and regular mowing of grasses. We often use a lawnmower for that purpose. But sometimes, you might have noticed that your lawnmower is not offering the edge that it used to provide earlier. Maybe all you need to do is sharpen the blades of your lawnmower. There might be a lot of questions that might be rising in your mind regarding this topic. Here, we will try to answer your queries so that you do not doubt in your mind regarding how to sharpen lawn mower blades.
Why is it Important to Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades?
Before getting into the main article you need to know the importance of sharpening the lawnmower blades. The first and foremost reason is that you need to keep the grass on your lawn in good condition. That is why we mow the yard from time to time. Proper lawn mowing will also prevent grass diseases and the grass will always look greener. But with time the blades of the lawnmower worn out. With regular inspection you can identify dull-looking blades after heavy usage. So, to keep your grass in healthy condition keep on sharpening the blades of your lawnmower.
Why is it Important to Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades?
An experienced eye can tell when the blades of a lawnmower require sharpening just by looking at the grass after mowing. If you feel that you are not an expert in this field do not worry. Just look for the signs that we will mention here to know whether you have to your sharpen lawn mower blade or not?
- After finishing lawn mowing, check the blades for any dents.
- If you notice that the grass has not been cut evenly.
- In case the blades of the grass are not looking sliced.
- Last but not least the presence of brown grass edges after mowing.
If you still find it challenging to decide when to sharpen the mower blades keep all the checking processes and do not forget to sharpen mower blades from time to time. A gap of one month is ideal in between two sharpening’s.
What Tools to Use:
Now, as we have finally discussed the importance of sharpening your lawnmower blades and how you can know that it requires sharpening it is time to discuss the tools you should have while sharpening your blades. There are several tools available in the market that you can use for sharpening. You can either go for manual or electrical tools depending on your budget and preferences. What kind of tools you want to use ultimately depends on your budget and your mowing requirements. If you are not a professional lawnmower you may not use high-end power tools as we are talking about lawn mowing for personal gardens so that you can use some of the readily available tools in households. Now without wasting any time, let’s take a look at the tools and necessary products that you need to have before you start sharpening the blades of your lawnmower.
- Safety Glasses: Prevention is better than cure. Whenever you are doing something that can cause harm to your eyes, ideally you protect them before starting the process. There is nothing better than safety glasses that will protect your eyes from metal sharpening waste.
- Safety Gloves: To avoid any damage to your hands you should wear safety gloves throughout sharpening process.
- Bench Grinder: Any sharpening will become easy for you if you have a bench grinder in your possession. Bench grinder usually comprises a wire and polishing wheel and if you use it the longevity of your product will increase.
- Blade Balancer: After finishing the sharpening process you need to balance the blade properly. How you can do it once you are done sharpening the lawnmower blade we will discuss later in this article in detail. We can tell you that you require a blade balancer that costs approximately 10 USD.
- Metal File: If you do not have a bench grinder with you, you can use the metal file as an alternative. They are a less expensive option than the bench grinder but they will do the same job as a bench grinder but take a little more time to get the job done.
- Vise: A vise is necessary whenever you are working with a machine. This mechanical apparatus will keep your lawnmower in precisely the same position throughout the process of sharpening due to the presence of a screw and lever.
How to Sharpen the Lawn Mower Blades?
Gather all the tools, and once you are done inspecting the condition of the blades of your lawnmower, you can start sharpening the blades.
First, clamp your device with the vise. Then check precisely where you need to sharpen, and you can do it with your own hands, or you can also altogether leave the job to a machine. If you choose to do it with your own hands, you need to use metal files, and on the other hand, appliances such as bench grinders, angle grinders, and even a simple blade sharpener will do the job for you. Now let’s discuss both these processes in detail.
How to get back the cutting edge of the mower blade by hand?
Put on all the safety gears and start sharpening the blade by keeping the metal file at a 45-degree angle. Sharpen the knife from top to bottom and do not go back and forth as it will cause irreversible damage to your lawnmower blade. Approximately 50 strokes of the metal file will do the job.
How to sharpen lawn mowing blades by using other machines?
First, clamp the lawnmower by using a vise. After putting on safety gloves and glasses to avoid unfortunate events, attach a blade sharpener with a drilling machine. Then find the perfect angle of sharpening by placing the grinder over the blade’s edge. Use medium pressure and start sharpening by moving the drilling machine forward and backward. Only a few strokes will do the job for you. You can point both the edges in the same process.
If you use an angle grinder, you need to use a flap disc. Alignment needs to be done manually. After that, move the angle grinder slowly, and all your rough spots will get smoothened. After finishing the process on one side, you need to repeat the same thing on the other side.
A person planning to sharpen the blades of a lawnmower needs to remember a few things while sharpening the blades. Do not overheat the edges of the lawnmower blade. When overheating, dunk it in a bucket full of cold water. Over sharpening the lawnmower blade is also harmful as a razor-sharp blade can cause a lot of harm to the user. So, it is always ideal for sharpening it like a butter knife. And as we have previously mentioned, never forget to wear safety glasses and safety gloves.
How Can You Check the Blade Balance of Your Lawn Mower?
We have talked about the blade balancer before. Let us tell you what blade balancing is and how you can achieve the perfect blade balance in your lawnmower. A properly balanced lawn mower blade will distribute the overall weight carried by the machine after turning on the engine.
In case of a disbalance, the consequence will be distributed unevenly, and that will cause damage to several parts of the lawnmower along with the blade. You can check whether one side is heavier than the other by hanging a nail on edge. If the blade falls on any one of the sides, it will indicate that the side is more severe than the other one. In case you are facing a situation like this, use a metal file or a grinder to remove excess metal, which will, in turn, reduce the weight of the blade and will make it balanced.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide has proven helpful for you, and you have learned how to sharpen lawn mower blades. We hope you get all the answers to your question regarding this topic. The whole process of blade sharpening of a lawnmower is easy, and you can do it approximately within 1 hour. So, do not forget to check the condition of the blade inside the lawnmower, and if you notice that it has lost the cutting edge, use the tools mentioned above to get the sharpness back. Now keep the grass of your lawn green and in excellent condition throughout the year with a sharpened bladed lawn mower.