Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener Tools

To get the best cut, sharpen your mowers blade at least once a year.

Routine lawn mower maintenance is important for the longevity of your mower and the health of your lawn. A sharp mower blade cuts grass cleanly, causing minimal damage to the turf. A dull mower blade tears grass, fraying the ends of the grass blades and creating unnecessary stress on the lawn. To get the best cut from your mower, the blade should be sharpened at least once a year using some basic tools.

Bench Grinder

A bench grinder is the most commonly used tool for sharpening lawn mower blades. As the name implies, these grinders are typically mounted to a table or bench-type workspace, and have a stone wheel mounted on each side of the machine. The portion of the blade to be sharpened is dragged across one of the wheel stones, which rotate at high speed. This quickly removes metal from the blade and produces a sharp edge in little time.

Hand-Held Grinder

A hand-held grinder is a popular tool for a wide variety of metal working jobs, including sharpening. Hand-held grinders are popular for sharpening mower blades because they can quickly grind an edge into the blade, and can also be used to sharpen blades without removing them from the mower. Hand-held grinders are less precise than bench grinders, and require more caution and care when used for sharpening in order to maintain the proper angle of the edge being ground into the blade.

File

Files are the most basic of sharpening tools for mower blades. A flat-sided course tooth file is the preferred type, and requires substantially more effort to use than motorized sharpeners. Files are used by first securing a blade in a vise or some other device, then repeatedly pushing the file along the cutting portion of the blade at an angle to remove metal and create a sharp edge.

Blade Balancer

A blade balancer is a small cone that sits on top of a pointed fulcrum. It is used by placing the blades' mounting hole on the balancer and observing which end of the blade drops lower than the other. The side that drops must be further sharpened to remove metals and bring the blade into balance. A blade is balanced when both ends rest evenly when placed on the balancer. Balancing blades is necessary to avoid an out of balance blade creating vibration, which can damage the mower.

References

• One Project Closer: How to Sharpen A Lawn Mower Blade Using a Grinder
• Mother Earth News: A Midsummer's Sharpening: How to Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blade
• Home Depot: Sharpening a Mower Blade

Resources

• Colorado State University Extention: Lawn Mower Maintenance