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Cranbourne Lawnmowing
13-07-2009, 10:08 PM
I have never sharpened lawnmower blades and I've noticed a lot of guys in the forums do. How is the best way to do this, with a file or can it be done on a pedestal grinder? I cant help but wonder if there is an art to it, like sharpening drill bits. It would seem to me if its not done right it ain't gonna work.

The Local Gardener
14-07-2009, 08:19 PM
I have never sharpened lawnmower blades and I've noticed a lot of guys in the forums do. How is the best way to do this, with a file or can it be done on a pedestal grinder? I cant help but wonder if there is an art to it, like sharpening drill bits. It would seem to me if its not done right it ain't gonna work.


Not worth the hassle, just buy some new ones.. Cheers :wave-hi:

DavidS
15-07-2009, 05:43 AM
I place the blades in a vise and use a polishing disc on my angle grinder to sharpen blades. If a blade is badly damaged or worn I replace the lot. I usually only do this one my ride on and my old Aeriens that has a bar blade. I try to grind at about 30 degrees

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
15-07-2009, 07:45 PM
Whenever I buy blades they have a flat edge on the cutting side, wouldn't they be better off like a knife edge

BLACK BEAR
15-07-2009, 10:47 PM
Whenever I buy blades they have a flat edge on the cutting side, wouldn't they be better off like a knife edge
They dont need to be knife edge sharp to cut grass and will get blunt & damaged easy if they are! Sharpening to a shortish cutting edge will lengthen the life of your blade especially if you go through a little rubbish occasionally! (Ride ons and bar blades!)

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
15-07-2009, 11:03 PM
They dont need to be knife edge sharp to cut grass and will get blunt & damaged easy if they are! Sharpening to a shortish cutting edge will lengthen the life of your blade especially if you go through a little rubbish occasionally! (Ride ons and bar blades!)

That makes sense Blackbear. Thanks for clearing that up, its something I've wondered about for a while now :)

TOO EASY YARD CARE
15-07-2009, 11:11 PM
i just replace my blades but on the ride on i have bar blades and there worth sharpening

heclips
21-07-2009, 06:34 PM
I use a Dremel with a metal grinding bit on the end of the flexy shaft, takes me less than a minute to sharpen all four blades - just a little on the angle, run along the front to keep a flat face and lightly under to take off the burrs. I get 3-4 sharpens before I put new blades on. Its not really to save money, more to ensure grass is cut easily and cleanly.

Richard

ian
21-07-2009, 07:49 PM
if i have a loose blade i will sarpen the when i take the base plate of to re tighten the blade or if i'm doing a good client that has alot of nut grass as the sharp blades cut better i use a black & decker power file

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
21-07-2009, 11:30 PM
if i have a loose blade i will sarpen the when i take the base plate of to re tighten the blade or if i'm doing a good client that has alot of nut grass as the sharp blades cut better i use a black & decker power file

G'day Ian. Have you noticed there seems to be a lot more nut grass than usual this year or am i just taking more notice now.

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
21-07-2009, 11:35 PM
Is there a rule of thumb how often blades should be sharpened or replaced. Be interested to know what the rest of you guys and girls do.

Arfa Brayne
30-08-2009, 10:27 PM
On hondas, take off the bolt holding the disc and chuck the disc/blade assy on the bench. Use a 4-5inch angle grinder to grind the edge at around 35deg. Don't spend more than about 10seconds per blade or you will overheat it and loose it's hardness on the edge- just come back to it after the other 3 and give it another 10 sec grind.
When you throw the disc back on be carefull of the new sharp edges.
Takes around 3 minutes to do like this, and when do you do them ??
When they are blunt of course!!

Redeye
31-08-2009, 09:00 PM
Don't forget to remove the lead from the spark plug when you're playing around with blades/disc... :russ:

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
03-09-2009, 05:56 PM
Only bought my honda 217 last week mon and cant believe how banged up the blades are already :(

geoff
03-09-2009, 06:50 PM
Only bought my honda 217 last week mon and cant believe how banged up the blades are already :(
glenno you must be mowing heaps good onya....

Fred's mowing
03-09-2009, 09:09 PM
Or some very ruff stuff :i dunno: .
Cheers Dean.

administrator
04-09-2009, 08:44 AM
Only bought my honda 217 last week mon and cant believe how banged up the blades are already :(



Heres a tip Glenno the blades on the Hondas when you purchase them are not as good as the after market blades that are sold in stores .
Dont buy the Honda replacement blades buy the after market ones they are better prices and better product .

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
04-09-2009, 08:50 AM
Thats good to know. Thanks Admin. :wave-hi:

63impala
04-09-2009, 09:33 AM
Hell yah thats a dam good tip good one.

Shepparton Lawn Care
05-09-2009, 05:48 AM
purchase (at least) 1 spare blade carrier have it "bladed up", keep it in your trailer, ready for an emergency change over- then only remove the blade carrier nut change over and then you are on your way yeeeeeeeeooooooooooow-just like formula one!!.Then you can change blades when home, a smaller loss of downtime! Also easy to handle when giving the blades "a lick" with a 4 inch grinder to keep them sharp. I buy blades in bulk from ILMCOA. Cheers

PaulG
07-05-2010, 10:17 AM
Heres a tip Glenno the blades on the Hondas when you purchase them are not as good as the after market blades that are sold in stores .
Dont buy the Honda replacement blades buy the after market ones they are better prices and better product .

I had a set of ByNorm blades thrown in when I bought my last Honda 196 and I found they didn't cut anywhere near as well as the genuine blades. They seemed to rip at the grass leaving quite a feathered look to the lawns (Kikuyu and Cooch).

administrator
07-05-2010, 10:45 AM
Best Honda blades on the market
http://www.indmowing.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=8427&highlight=honda+blades

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
28-07-2011, 05:26 PM
Thought I'd dig this topic up again as I have a question.

How many of you give a new set of blades a quick sharpen before putting them on the carrier and do you think it makes much difference?

I don't. But I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea.

MowerRob
28-07-2011, 05:59 PM
Thought I'd dig this topic up again as I have a question.

How many of you give a new set of blades a quick sharpen before putting them on the carrier and do you think it makes much difference?

I don't. But I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea.

My blades last 3 to 5 days before they have holes in them . I wouldnt even think to sharpen blades just replace.

I carry 2 discs made up and ready to swap at any moment and I buy between 200-400 blades at a time

Green Grass
28-07-2011, 07:45 PM
Holy cow, i still have the blades on the 216 from last wet, no holes yet. The ride on blades get a touch up with the grinder after every days work. Sharp blade = a fast cut when on acreage.
With the 216 i only cut in 2nd gear and even at the end of their life they still cut good enough. I don't waste my time sharpening them. I have enough to do. Only using the 216 1-2 days a week.

DavidS
28-07-2011, 08:52 PM
My Rover blades last about 3 weeks with a sharpen thrown in before I get holes in them, but I only mow two to three days a week in the growing season.