I sharpen with a single cut file, by hand.

I use either the desktop grinder or usually the 1" belt sander.

I use a belt sander.
Seriously. Nothing gets them sharper.

I use a pistol grip disc sander(air tool).

Flap disc on an angle grinder is the way I've done it for years. Belt sander does work well but the grinder is so easy and works so well that's what I use.

Angle die grinder with rol loc sanding disc. All yard tools sharpened with this.

I sharpen em with an angle grinder. I have 2 sets I have my son dead lift the front of the zero turn and we prop it up and then swap the blades and he sets it back down.

bad edit.

Another vote for a flap wheel on an angle grinder. Check the balance on a cone or edge of a saw blade, but don’t obsess over it. Close is fine.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I bought one of these jigs: All American Sharpener (The one that's adjustable for 30-45°)

I got one of these about a month ago. The sphincter factor, on the price, is about an 8.3, but it is a really nice tool, and does a great job.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
I use a belt sander.
Seriously. Nothing gets them sharper.

Belt sander here also. It's not neurosurgery! Stick a pencil through the center and check the balance. I have multiple blades for my Honda and sharpen them at the end of the year.
Also, paint the sharpened edges with a thick magic marker to keep the edges,from rusting while being stored.

My zero turn has three blades. It's pretty easy to jack it up and pull off a blade. I use my bench grinder with a medium wheel installed. I can do the whole job in about 30 minutes.

I, like many others, use bench grinder and dont balance.

The last time I was at Smokey Mtn knifeworks they had a guy on the lower level and all he did was sharpen customers personal knives. $1 for a single blade folding knife, He used a big belt sander and the edge was Henkel sharp. Took him about 30 seconds to do my 4" blade. As many blades as SMK sharpen you bet they will have the most efficient set up you can get.

I've got 3 sets of 3 blades for my 48" zero turn, 1 high lift and 2 sets of G5 gator blades. For lush spring growth I use the high lifts, mid summer I put a gator blade on discharge side to mulch and then fall I use 3 gator blades to turn clippings and leaves to dust. I don't have a good belt sander, just a little homeowner that takes qtr sheets. I've got a nice Makita 4" grinder that I can get em sharp as I want in about 2 minutes a blade, usually less using a med grit flap disc. the disc cuts like sandpaper similar to a sander and I get a sharp edge. Some say credit card sharp is good enough but I go work knife sharp.

I just eyeball the balance will hang em on a nail if there's a good size nick. If you keep your corners square and sharpen the next 2 inches good you've got it made. I usually keep the factory edge but it's the blade tips that I take the most pains with.

 
Bench grinder, replace with new blades occasionally.

Since moving back to Arizona, this would be my “mower”.



I definitely prefer the granite lawn. Much easier to maintain. I gave away the mower when I left Washington.

I don't know how you can use a dremel and keep the correct blade angle. The one time I tried, it took way too long. I've got three sets of three blades for my ZTR and use an angle grinder with a flap disc, or a belt sander. I keep a bucket of water handy to keep the blades cool so as not to mess with their temper. It takes me 20 minutes to do a set of three.

For the single blade on the push mower in Michigan, I use a long flat file and a rat tail file. It takes me about 10 minutes if my dad hasn't used to mower. For whatever reason, my dad finds every rock there is with the mower and it takes almost 30 minutes to file the blade sharp.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
Since moving back to Arizona, this would be my “mower”.

The wife wanted "some" grass, just for our dogs to laze in. I got the irrigation guy out, we planted an impact sprinkler and turned it on, to define an irrigation circle. Stepped in a couple of feet, and planted this circle of grass, just for the dogs. It's about 1,000 sq ft, so I still have to mow some. Having just one sprinkler to deal with makes the irrigation easy. The remainder of the 6 acres is native desert prickly stuff.
 

I use this: http://www.rbggrinders.com/712.html

I try to sharpen weekly but I get lazy by this time of the year.

Bench grinder.

Even w new Honda mower blades they are usually duller than safety scissors.