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| Get my pies outta the oven!  |
I am going to go back to cutting my own grass after I found out the guy who has been doing it for the past few years is getting out of that biz. I have a Honda HRX-217 with the dual blades that look like this which is far different than my old beater mower that had just a single blade that was basically a big thick metal bar and I used to sharpen with a file. These are more like a shaped sheet metal and two pieces:  My blades are beat to crap with all the nuts and other crap I've been mowing up and I need to put new ones on and I know they come dull as a butter knife. Is there a tool you can buy that is like a motorized kitchen knife sharpener but for mower blades? What would you all recommend and how often should I be sharpening? Like after 6-8 cuts? | ||
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| Avoiding slam fires  |
battery powered Ryobi die grinder and a flap disc I get great results for many years. I remove blades and clamp in a bench vice,that way you are safe. | |||
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| Staring back from the abyss  |
Flap discs work well. The WorkSharp blade grinder attachment works great also. ________________________________________________________ "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton. | |||
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Member |
New blades should come correctly sharpened (which is not knife sharp). No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride. | |||
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| Get my pies outta the oven! |
Well they are not. They come dull as can be. And what is the consensus on this anyway? Seems like one camp says don't go crazy and the other camp says they have to be razor sharp. | |||
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Drill Here, Drill Now |
4.5" angle grinder, a 60 grit flap disc, and a clamp/vise is all you need to sharpen your own blade. I just have a 7 amp grinder and it works quickly (i.e. for this task you don't need an 11, 13, or 15 amp grinder). The angle grinder with flap disc is a big improvement over the previous dremel which was slow and made wavy, inconsistent edges. I splurged and spent the $5 for the balancer cone. However, I just make 10 passes down each side and the balancer cone has never made me make an additional pass or two. My neighbor hadn't sharpened his in 7 years, and 15 passes down each side had it sharp and balanced. We have a 9 month mowing season here in the northern burbs of Houston. I have a 2nd set of blades and install those at about the halfway point of mowing season. I sharpen both sets of blades at once as it's more efficient. I use a leftover spray can and spray paint the sharpened edge on the 2nd set of blades as a visible indicator that I actually remembered to sharpen it. Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer. | |||
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Optimistic Cynic |
Mower blades don't slice, but snap/chop grass blades and should not be knife sharp. Edge cross sections of up to .5mm are acceptable. Realize also that only the outer inch or so of the blades ever touch the grass so don't waste time removing more of the steel. The compound blade pictured in the OP is a mulching blade. One is intended to cut off the grass, the other to further reduce it to tiny pieces so that it decomposes more quickly. Their arrangement/positioning is critical to achieve this purpose so pay attention when reassembling. Might be a diagram or instructions in the manual if you still have it. | |||
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| Thank you Very little  |
Find an Ace Hardware near you that does blade sharpening, it's inexpensive, and done by the same or next business day for about $10. | |||
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| 10mm. It's like two 40s with every shot. |
I have a Honda mower with the exact same blade style. I purchased replacement blades off Amazon and they were crap. Would just push over the grass and leave clumps. I then bought this tool and cleaned up my original blades. It made a huge difference. Order one of these and put some smooth strokes on your existing edges. I'll be touching my blades up for Spring here in a few weeks. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Q1PVSS/ | |||
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| Get my pies outta the oven! |
See, that's what I don't get here. It's always been my understanding that you WANT to slice the grass cleanly and not be snapping or tearing it which leads to problems. It goes back to the two camps of non-sharp vs sharp blades and each side thinks they are right. | |||
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| Member |
I guess it's a compromise between the two . A knife edge is too thin to stay sharp wery long . And it's more easily damaged . | |||
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Void Where Prohibited |
I sharpen my blades with my bench grinder. Takes about 3-4 minutes total. Use a light touch to get a nice sharp edge. I don't obsess about having the perfect angle. Even with a sharp edge, once you mow a few times the blade will be somewhat rounded again. I don't go crazy over mower blades. I sharpen them at least twice a year, giving them a nice edge - and I don't need it to be razor sharp. I've also always read that you want to slice the grass as cleanly as possible rather that smashing the ends off. "If Gun Control worked, Chicago would look like Mayberry, not Thunderdome" - Cam Edwards | |||
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| Member |
Notice how sharp your new blades are now because that's how they should be after being sharpened, which is about like a butter knife, and will cut the grass cleanly. Not only does a sharper edge not improve the cut, but the thin, sharp edge dulls, nicks, and degrades quickly. Then you'd have to constantly resharpen the blades wearing them out, for no gain in cut quality. No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride. | |||
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Ammoholic |
This^^^ If the manufacturer thought it would be wise to make them sharper they would have. If all else fails contact Honda and ask them what they recommend for sharpening brand new blades. Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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Member |
Flap discs are great but remove a lot of material fast. It won't take long to get the hang of them. Set the controls for the heart of the Sun. | |||
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Member |
I have the same exact mower. I just use a stone wheel on the dremel then clean it up with a 16" half round bastard. Been doing it a long time. | |||
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| Savor the limelight |
For a single mower blade, I’ll use a 12" mill file that’s double cut on one side and single cut on the other. It works on the machete, axes, splitters, etc. and no need to worry about overheating what you are sharpening. Everyone should have one. I break out the angle grinder and flap disc when I sharpen the three blades for my eXmark. I clamp all three blades in a row to my bench and alternate hitting each with the flap disc to keep the heat from building up. Then, I flip each blade around and sharpen the other end the same way. I have three set of blades for that mower. A lawnmower blade has a chisel edge and you want to keep the bevel angle the same. | |||
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semi-reformed sailor |
Flap disk is what I use on the same blades "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein “You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020 “A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker | |||
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| Victim of Life's Circumstances  |
Flap disc in an angle grinder with a light touch, takes a couple minutes per blade. Credit card edge sharp is a term often used on Lawn Site. I like mine sharper than that, about like a dull axe. ________________________ God spelled backwards is dog | |||
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