Ever noticed brown and pretty awfully susceptive lawn condition due to some unknown reason? Well, it could be due to the dull blade of your lawnmower. A not perfectly sharped blade is the last thing you would want to use in a lawnmower. The ragged torn tips you discover are basically an indication that it’s important to think about sharpening those blades. Well, how to do that?
Well, today we would be talking about how to sharpen a lawn mower blade with a file, the simplest way to get out of this situation.
How to Sharpen Mower Blades: Guide & More…
When it comes to sharpening lawnmower blades, there are more than a few ways to do that. You can use a bench grinder or hand file to get it done simply. Some even use the rotatory tool or angle grinder to get this task. It does not matter what technique you use as long as you’re doing it the right way.
If you are questioning how often should lawn mower blades be sharpened, well at least once every year. Also, there are several ways on how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing it actually, but I still prefer the removal process. Why? Because it just gives you the right access necessary to make it sharp enough in less time and properly.
Let’s figure out a common technique of sharpening the blade using a simple file.
Start with Safety Measurements…
You want to read the manual of your lawnmower before trying any sort of maintenance stuff, this is very important for a safe after result. Also, make sure the motor is turned off while processing. You want to disconnect the spark plug wire in case you’re owning a gasoline lawnmower.
If you have no clue about removing blade by now just have a look at the provided manual. Since the scenario of removal is different for unlike models, it’s safer this way.
A Right Set-Up
If you want to save a few bucks, simply buy a coarse metal file. This will get the job finished instead of a sharpening kit. You can hone every edge of the mower’s blade without stressing too much. The precision is also on point.
Make sure to clean the blades first. Use a strong and sturdy wire brush to simply do so. You can also use coarse sandpaper if necessary. Once you figure out there is no grass or dirt left to clean, go ahead.
Right Angle to File…
Using a broom handle or rebar piece, simply secure the blades in one place. So that the reel does not spin when you are trying to sharpen it. Now at first bevel edge of a blade, you want to press the toothed end of file.
The bevel’s edge and file’s angle should be on a similar plane here. Now use the dragging method bring downward to beveled edge tip. Do this scraping of file for around 3 to 6 times.
By doing this, the dulled edge will get removed gradually. And sharp edge of the blade will start restoring. Once you reach the blade’s midpoint stop working. You’ll notice that blade will twist and that’s when you stop near the midpoint.
Now simply remove the stuff that was preventing blade motion. Let reel get a repositioning and you can reach the first blade’s leftover part. Using very same motion, you want to keep filing blade but this time start from the other end.
Repeat for The Other Blade…
With one blade sharpened entirely, you want to reposition once again. This time do it for the second blade. You want to use the same method of sharpening for every other blade.
Do so until all blades are sharped enough. Finally, use appropriate lubrication to get rust out of the zone. You can use some spray lubricant to apply directly over edges. Or use a rag to wipe down those freshly sharpened edges.
Take a Note.
At this point, some of you might have this question in mind. Exactly how sharp should a lawn mower blade be? Well, anything but not too much. A razor-sharp blade means you may ding it with any encounter of sticks. This could be dangerous and so you want to use some sort of tool to remove burrs.
Conclusion.
And with that note, you have a better idea of how to sharpen a lawn mower blade with a file. These are pretty simple instructions you need to follow. By using the guide, you can simply take care of simple sharpening maintenance jobs all by yourself.
In some cases, and for a few models, it might be a good idea to take the lawnmower for a professional checkup. Whether it’s for sharpening blade or any other maintenance. Sometimes experts need to make a comment over the overall wellbeing of these lawn appliances.