Anyone use an electric mower blade sharpener?

[MossRoad]

Like I said a while ago, much cheaper to just replace them for 40 bucks a set every spring than to buy a sharpener unless it's a commercial operation. Especially in my scenario where the sandy loam eats the blade kick up away much faster than the edge gets dulled.

Maybe you should just throw your blades out and replace them every year instead.

 

[LD1]

Gee, I've always ground my mower blade on my 8" bench grinder..... Maybe I'll try my 4.5 flappy discs next time.

I think you will be impressed how well it works

 

[goeduck]

I wonder if anyone tosses their blades and buys new.

 

[RandyT]

Glaze has nothing to do with it. I know my way around metal working/grinding equipment. Blade grinders or bench grinders just ain't as fast as a flap disc on an angle grinder for material removal

If you are talking about a 7/9/11 inch angle grinders than you are correct. Anything under 6 inch I will keep my Burrking.

 

[tomplum]

Burr Kings are great for the production guy. For most of world, flap discs do leave you with a nice edge. Myself I wouldn't see the value in a positioner. Following the angle of the bevel on decent blades are never a problem. A nicer balancer would be a better investment IMO. Also be sure to have an abrasive metal grinding wheel on hand for that blade that got into a bit of trouble, then switch back for a finish with the flap. For people that ask me directly, I tell them the best idea for most is to always have an extra set of blades on hand and then bring the old set in for sharpening. But then again, redressing your mower blades can be therapeutic!

 

[LD1]

Nope, talking standard 4-1/2 or 5" grinder.

Even badly damaged blades and even my bushhog blades. Flap disc is my choice.

Too many people seem to be under the impression that they are just for light grinding and polishing. Nope. They hog material just as fast if not faster than a hard abrasive.....and they are quieter, less chatter/vibration, and safer.

The ONLY time I use a hard wheel is gouging out cracks to be welded....or removing weld beads in on a TEE joint or similar.

Mower blades ain't rocket science either. The angle is not real critical.

 

[KJSBX]

I use the blade sharpening kit for the Dremel. I was hoping it wouldn't work so I had a reason to buy a bigger better one, but it works.

 

[DGeorge747]

Anyone have an electric mower blade sharpening machine and if so, how do you like it? What kind do you have and are they worth the price of $400 to over $1,000? How often do you sharpen blades? Would you buy one again?

I have been using a 4 1/2" hand grinder with a 36 or 60 grit sanding disk for many years. It's cheap and does as good of a job as any specialty blade sharpening machine, especially at the prices I see posted here.

 

[Tdub1965]

Anyone have an electric mower blade sharpening machine and if so, how do you like it? What kind do you have and are they worth the price of $400 to over $1,000? How often do you sharpen blades? Would you buy one again?

I use the All American Sharpener ...

Model 5005 — All American Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener

The Model 5005 was developed, by request, for customers that have specific needs for mower blade angles. It will adjust and lock at angles from 15 to 45 degrees, in 5 degree increments. The 15 degree angle is the lowest angle needed to sharpen the mulching section of a bi-level mulching blade, and 4

www.allamericansharpener.com

The first time takes a little longer to return to the proper angle but after that just a few passes and it is very sharp. The blades work so much better when sharpened to the proper angle. This jig is amazing!

 

[Denco54]

Anyone have an electric mower blade sharpening machine and if so, how do you like it? What kind do you have and are they worth the price of $400 to over $1,000? How often do you sharpen blades? Would you buy one again?

I have a small cone shape balancing gizmo that I got somewhere for a few buck. I use my angle grinder to Sharon my blades once a year & if I have to remove a lot of material on either sides of 1 blade I balance it on my cone. It is easy & cheap, very cheap. After all I am not commercial so $400.00 - $1000.00 is better used elsewhere…

 

[MagicMM]

Metal has been worn off to dull blades. Grinding only takes off more metal.

I take my blades to a machine/blacksmith shop where they are heated cherry red and a trip hammer is used to hammer the cutting edge sharp. No metal is removed. I didn't find a video sharpening a blade but this is a neat demo of a trip hammer in operation:

 

[shooterdon]

I just ordered some flap disks. Less than $1 each delivered. I had been using a bench grinder but the disks sound like a better way.

Someone need to be sharpening a lot of blades to justify anything else. It is just grass we are cutting!! $400+ is nuts.

BTW, I found I am getting at least twice the life out of Gator blades than the OEM blades.

 

[RjCorazza]

I just ordered some flap disks. Less than $1 each delivered. I had been using a bench grinder but the disks sound like a better way.

Someone need to be sharpening a lot of blades to justify anything else. It is just grass we are cutting!! $400+ is nuts.

BTW, I found I am getting at least twice the life out of Gator blades than the OEM blades.

I do like the Gator blades, and mine last much longer than anything else I've tried.
I personally like a sharp blade with the correct edge. I was never able to keep the correct edge angle after several sharpenings with the angle grinder and flap disk, so I went with the jig. Some people can put a nice even edge on a blade freehand... I'm not one of them.

 

[LD1]

Metal has been worn off to dull blades. Grinding only takes off more metal.

I take my blades to a machine/blacksmith shop where they are heated cherry red and a trip hammer is used to hammer the cutting edge sharp. No metal is removed. I didn't find a video sharpening a blade but this is a neat demo of a trip hammer in operation:

That sounds even more expensive than buying new blades. Especially considering it takes maybe 5 min to sharpen....rather than make a trip however far to the nearest blacksmith shop...and wait 30 min to an hour then drive back home.

 

[4570Man]

That sounds even more expensive than buying new blades. Especially considering it takes maybe 5 min to sharpen....rather than make a trip however far to the nearest blacksmith shop...and wait 30 min to an hour then drive back home.

Agreed. Especially since you can sharpen a fairly cheap set of blades numerous times.

 

[droptop]

The Best solution is to talk your friend into buying a nice blade sharpener that you will be able to use, make sure he gets a nice one.....

 

[Davenj4f]

Anyone have an electric mower blade sharpening machine and if so, how do you like it? What kind do you have and are they worth the price of $400 to over $1,000? How often do you sharpen blades? Would you buy one again?

I have a grass cutting gig going that keeps me busy 5 days a week. I change my blades every day. They are easier to resharpen if they aren't too worn down. I have an Oregon sharpener, paid about $300 for it on Amazon. Been using it 3-4 times a week for several years, still on the same wheel. I use a 3/4 hp grinder with a coarse wheel to rough a blade into shape if it is too dull. Do about a 30 degree bevel. Then I use a MAG-1000 balancer to balance the blades. BTW, 19 out of 20 new blades I buy are out of balance, and 3-4 are extremely out of balance. A sharp, balanced blade will cut heavy grass like a hot knife in soft butter. One of my Ferris mowers is 10 years old, and have never had to replace a spindle. Keep them greased also. They spin fast, get hot, lube thins, and leaks out.

 

[4570Man]

The Best solution is to talk your friend into buying a nice blade sharpener that you will be able to use, make sure he gets a nice one.....

Even if my friend did have one I’d rather just use an angle grinder. It would be way faster.

 

[LD1]

Even if my friend did have one I’d rather just use an angle grinder. It would be way faster.

Agreed. Id have them sharpened before I could throw them in the car and get a mile down the road

 

[Richard001]

I have a grass cutting gig going that keeps me busy 5 days a week. I change my blades every day. They are easier to resharpen if they aren't too worn down. I have an Oregon sharpener, paid about $300 for it on Amazon. Been using it 3-4 times a week for several years, still on the same wheel. I use a 3/4 hp grinder with a coarse wheel to rough a blade into shape if it is too dull. Do about a 30 degree bevel. Then I use a MAG-1000 balancer to balance the blades. BTW, 19 out of 20 new blades I buy are out of balance, and 3-4 are extremely out of balance. A sharp, balanced blade will cut heavy grass like a hot knife in soft butter. One of my Ferris mowers is 10 years old, and have never had to replace a spindle. Keep them greased also. They spin fast, get hot, lube thins, and leaks out.

OK mark me as a skeptic. I watched all three videos, never once did he explain how the balancer would work on blades that have the oval hole. Also he did not explain how you would go about changing the balance on a blade that is out of balance.

I don't doubt that the balancer is accurate, but comparing it to the nail in the wall is absurd. And how much time do you want to spend to get the blade precisely balanced? Do you grind off metal on the heavy end or weld metal on to the light end, and how much metal to subtract or add ?

Grind, balance, grind, balance, could go on for an hour.

Richard