Grading Delta Mower Blade Sharpener with Jig

[Tom_H]

Someone over in the Attachments forum recently posted this Delta Mower Blade Sharpener with Jig. It sharpens on the flat side of the disc to avoid hollow grinding and has a small water reservoir to keep the stone wet and cool to avoid distempering the blade.

 

[chucko]

how much?

 

[Tom_H]

Saw it on Amazon for $159.99.

 

[rswyan]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Someone over in the Attachments forum recently posted this Delta Mower Blade Sharpener with Jig. )</font>

That might have been me. FYI, the large red stone which is used for wet grinding a very fine edge on a knife (generic term - such as a tool steel knife on a wood chipper) or planer blade - and is not suitable for sharpening mower blades. It is way too fine (1000 grit) and is way too slow (400 rpm) You would be there an eternity if you needed to remove any amount of metal.

The white stone on the left side of the machine is totally fine for sharpening mower baldes however - it runs at 3450 rpm and is 120 grit. There is removable tool holder post that can be inserted on either wheel that the tool holder (slide) mounts to. The tool holder itself probably isn't suitable for sharpening most mower blades (you'd have mounting issues getting your blade on it) - you need to fab your own blade jig that then could be mounted in the tool holder (or not). You grind on the circular surface of the white stone - not across it (left to right, right to left) - but rather front to back, back to front. See figures 34, 35, & 36 in the PDF instruction manual available ofn Delta's website.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tom_H]

Rats, this is disappointing. Still though, for those purists who sharpen with a hand file, when that rotten enemy, old age, brings on the arthritis, this may yet be an alternative. If $ were no concern, maybe one could use the stone on the left, or go freehand with an angle grinder, for the initial passes, then use the flat stone on the right for a final edge??

BTW A Google search showed prices at other retailers to range from $165-$180.

 

[rswyan]

The flat stone on the left is sufficient for putting a final edge on a blade - the wet grind stone is not really necessary. The trick is to have some way to hold the blade so that it maintains the angle as the blade is drawn over the grinding wheel. The post and tool holder will fit on either side/stone, and while the tool holder itself may not be suitable for lawnmower blades it can be used as part of a jig/holder for lawnmower blades.

There may be other, coarser grit stones available for wet grind side - dunno haven't explored that possibility myself.

Here's another cheaper alternative that could be adapted for sharpening lawnmower blades:

Harbor Freight version

And another similarly priced unit that's a little different:

Tool & Carbide Grinder

If you are pretty good with a right angle grinder (hand held) you could probably put a fairly decent edge on a blade - I've managed to finally get to a point now where I can. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif