How to Sharpen a Hand Mower

Get the most out of your hand mower. Keep a flat file and an oily cloth handy to keep the blades smooth and free of nicks, and you'll achieve a cleaner cut.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clean Rags
• Garden Hoses
• Sharpening Stones
• Clean Rags
• Lubricating Oils
• Metal Files

1. Use and store the mower properly to reduce dulling: Cut off one third of the lawn each time to leave it standing 3 inches tall. Hose off your mower after each use and store it hanging on your garage wall.

2. Know when to do it yourself and when to consult a professional. You can keep a sharp mower sharp but take a dull mower - when blades tear and rip instead of cutting cleanly - to a shop for sharpening.

3. Place the mower on the ground and look at the angle of the revolving and fixed blades. Rest the cutting head on your thigh and hold it steady with one hand, and grab the file (or a ceramic sharpening stone) in the other.

4. Use gentle strokes to file across the beveled edge in one direction only. Push the file away from you and across the blade. Move over one file width and do it again.

5. Repeat the process on each revolving blade to smooth out its nicks and rough edges. Wipe each blade with a soft, oily cloth to finish the job, and get mowing.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for high-carbon steel blades in hand mowers - they take longer to get dull.
• Make blade maintenance a regular prelude to mowing - like putting on your sunscreen.
• Never file back and forth - it's a one-way process, otherwise you'll ruin your cutting edge.