Anyone use an electric mower blade sharpener?

[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