You may think that the blades of your lawnmower are sharp enough to tear the grass apart, but the untidy cut grass is reciting a different tale! Commonly, the blades of a lawnmower get blunt after some time, and it happens with all no matter if you have a manual lawn mower or a self-propelled one.
Also, mowing your lawn with a sharp lawnmower is imperative to promote the healthy growth of the grass. What can you do in this situation?
Well, the only sure-shot to get a neat and tidy lawn is sharpening the lawnmower blades. Here is a definitive DIY guide to sharpening the blades of your lawnmower at home.
Firstly, Do the Blades Need Sharpening?
Not sure whether the blades need sharpening or not? Well, here are some easy ways to ensure it, as guesswork doesn’t work when it comes to the blades of the lawnmower.
Inspect the Blade
You can check the sharpness of the blade by inspecting it. Move you a hand across the blade and try to feel its sharpness. If you think that the edge is getting dull, then it is a clear sign that the blades require sharpening.
Mow Your Lawn
So the edge feels right, and there’s nothing wrong with it? You can try mowing your lawn to see if the edge is perfect or not. Take your lawnmower to mow in a particular area. Now check the height of the grass. You will quickly see the difference in the height of grass, and that is a sign of a blunt blade.
When was the last time you sharpened the blade? If you don’t know, then follow these tips to reward your blade with a new sharpness.
Tools You Need to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades
Now, that you are sure that your lawnmower blades need sharpening, let’s dig right into that. Here are the tools you will need.
- Sharpening attachment
- A power drill
- Blade balancer
- Vise
- Workbench
- Wrench
- Safety gloves and glasses
In case, you don’t have these tools available around your house; then you can go with Dremel A679-02 Attachment Kit for Sharpening Outdoor Gardening Tools. The sharpening kit contains all the tools you need to carry out the sharpening process.
- Lawn mower sharpener guide provides optimal sharpening angle for all lawn mower blades
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- Guide helps restore edge on garden tools such as shears, hoes, and shovels
- 1-year warranty & USA BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE – Available by chat, email, phone or visit us at our service center in Racine, WI.
For the users who already have a power drill available, Funvolution Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener is an excellent option to sharpen any types of lawnmower blades.
- [Function] – Lawn mower blade sharpener could be used for sharp mower blades to make the blade sharp again. Using in sharpening lawn blade, lawn tractors, mower, rototillers, drill blade,sickle bar cutter，etc. (Do not need to buy expensive blades)
- [Advantages] – Fast, automatic, easy, safe, saves time and effort.Mower blade sharpener can simply attach to power drills and sharpen the blade easily and quickly.Making the edge become more effective (Saving time and effort, safer)
- [Material] – The thickness of grinding wheel is 0.78 inch,thicker than ordinary grinding wheels.Made of corundum, high quality, durable, long service life, blade sharpener can be used repeatedly. (high quality, Can be used many times)
- [Size] – 50 x 47 mm / 1.97 x 1.85 inch for each one. The are small enough that they fit in tight spaces and rugged enough to sharpen your bladesSuitable for most power drills and hand drills.
- [After Sales Service] – Satisfying customers is our top priority. If you have any questions, you can always contact us and customer service response within 12 hours.
Things to Know Before Sharpening the Lawn Mower Blades
So you have got the right tools, and you are ready to liven up the blades again? Well, here are some essential things you need to know before you unscrew the blade from the mower.
Firstly, You should have an idea of how much sharpening is required with the blades. A razor-sharp lawnmower blade won’t sustain for a long time.
Similarly, a dull blade is also of no use. Unfortunately, it is a bit grueling for the beginners who are sharpening the blades for the first time. On the other hand, if you see large bends and nicks on the blade then sharpening it is not enough, and all you can do is get a replacement for it.
Lastly, the need for sharpening depends on the usage of your lawnmower. If you love keeping your lawn in good shape, then the blades require you to sharpen them every month.
A Step By Step Guide on How to Sharpen the Lawn Mower Blades
Step 1: Prep the Lawnmower
You should start the process by preparing the lawnmower for the procedure. Disconnect or remove the spark plug and the ignition wire. In case of a cordless lawnmower, then take out the battery pack to make sure that it doesn’t start accidentally while you are working with the blades.
For gas-powered lawnmowers, empty the tank to avoid any spillage of fuel, as the process even requires shaking the mower vigorously to take the blades out.
Step 2: Unscrew the Blade
Place the lawnmower against the wall so that you can access the blade easily without handling the weight of the mower. Generally, most of the lawnmowers have a nut-and-bolt assembly attached with the blades, and you can unscrew it using a wrench.
If the bolt is rusted, then use some lubricant like Gunk L112 Liquid Wrench Super Penetrant Spray, and wait for 10-15 minutes. Now try to unscrew the bolt again to take out the blades.
Step 3: Secure the Blade in the Vise
Securing the blade in the vise will assist you in sharpening it with added ease. Before taking out the sharpening tools, remove the mud and other stuff sticking around the blades. You can use a putty knife to remove the soil, and caked-on grass so that you can continue with the sharpening process.
Also, we suggest you clean the blades thoroughly using the penetrating spray, and then with a stiff-bristle brush to prepare the blades for the next step.
- Deck scrub brush can be used with a broom handle (sold separately) for scrubbing decks or other rough surfaces
- Palmyra fiber bristles can be used indoors or outdoors to remove heavy dirt and debris
- Wood block is heavier than typical plastic blocks and is better suited for moderate to heavy cleaning
- Two handle holes, one threaded and one tapered, accept a Weiler 44018 or 44020 broom handle (sold separately)
- Brush measures 10″ long; bristles are 2″ long
Step 4: Prepare the Drill
Start with assembling the drill using the sharpening attachment. Ensure that the sharpening attachment you are using fits with the drill correctly. Moreover, put your safety gloves and glasses to safeguard you during the process.
You should hold the drill in such a way that the beveled edge rests on the cutting angle of the lawnmower’s blade. Once you are ready, check all the connections, and press the trigger at full speed. Don’t hold the drill against only one spot of the blade, and keep it moving all the time.
Check the sharpness of the blade after some back-and-forth strokes to make sure that you don’t over sharpen the blades. Repeat the process if you feel that the edge is still blunt and needs more sharpening. You can even grind the minor dents and nicks as there’s a chance that the grinding stone will rectify them.
After you have sharpened one side of the blade, take it out from the vise, and continue with the other side following the same process. Do this to all the blades to prepare them for seamless mowing.
Step 5: Balance the Blades
Balancing the blades is the most important part of the entire process. An unbalanced blade will mow the lawn unevenly, and you will feel the mower wobbling, so there is no benefit of sharpening the blades.
There are multiple procedures for checking the blade’s balance. Either you can use a nail, or you can go with a blade balancer for precise results.
We recommend you to use a blade balancer like Oregon Lawn Mower Blade Balancer that ensures an accurate balance so that you can fix the blade back to the mower without any worries.
- A balanced blade reduces engine wear and stops vibrations
- Provides a smoother cut when used frequently
- Created with quality zinc die-casting
Don’t know how to use a blade balancer? Here’s how to do it
Step 6: Put the Blade Back in its Place
So you have sharpened the blade accurately, and the balance is just right? Excellent, pat yourself on the back! Now fix the blade back to the lawnmower using a wrench.
Fix the blade back in the same orientation it was at the time of unscrewing. Tighten the nut so that it snuggles the blade, and there’s no chance of falling it apart while mowing the lawn.
Step 7: Start Mowing Your Lawn
Reattach the spark plug and the ignition wire to the lawnmower, and re-install the battery pack if you are using a cordless lawnmower.
Also, fill up the tank again, and start mowing your line with the newly sharpened blades to have a test run of your job. We are 100% sure that you will be able to mow your lawn neatly if you have followed the entire process step by step.
Why You Should Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades
You might be wondering, what is the need of sharpening the blades when the lawnmower is doing its job just fine! There are umpteen perks associated with sharpening the blades here are a few of them described in detail, so that you can know the importance of using sharp blades.
Prevents Grass from Looking Ragged
We know you don’t want your lawn to look ragged, but if you are using a mower with dull blades, then you are making it inevitable. It has been proved that using blunt blades to mow the lawn can result in the grass looking ragged. The only way you can prevent this from happening is by using sharp blades.
No Loss of Water
When you use a dull blade to mow the lawn, then it impacts the health of the turf while curtailing the photosynthesis process. As a result, there’s a loss of water as the turf isn’t absorbing that much water it needs to flourish.
On the other hand, a sharpened lawnmower blade improves the health of the turf, and it can proliferate without any loss of water. You might have seen that water stands for long on the grass cut by a lawnmower with dull blades.
No Dying Plants
If you are tired of seeing your plants dying despite caring for them in every possible way, then ditching the lawnmower with blunt blades will help! Using a sharp lawnmower will reward you with a lawn with denser grass, and there are lesser chances of plants dying due to mowing.
Enhanced Aesthetics
A neatly cut lawn looks better as compared to a raged lawn. A lawnmower with sharp blades is one of the things you need to make your lawn neat and tidy with evenly cut grass. And this is another benefit why you should sharpen the blades of your lawnmower, more frequently.
No Lawn Discoloration
Do you know why some grass patches of your lawn have turned brown? The primary culprit behind the situation is using a lawnmower with blunt blades. The unsharpened blades cut the grass unevenly, and it leads to discoloration in the lawn. Also, dead grass doesn’t look green, which is caused by mowing with dented and nicked blades.
Conclusion
Now that you know the perks of sharpening a lawnmower, you should give it a try. By following the aforementioned process, you can sharpen the blades without any professional assistance. We have tried and tested this process to ensure that it works seamlessly.
However, if you are still finding some problems in sharpening the blades then do let us know your issues in the comment section. We will make sure to find a panacea for you at the earliest so that you can continue with the sharpening process with added ease.