Curious: I just got my lawn mower blade sharpened by some mechanic but on touch it doesn't feel very sharp. I mean, must my lawn Mower Blade be so sharp that it feels like a cutting knife's surface?
Can i go to a home hardware store and buy a special kind of Filer so i can sharpen the blade myself? What kind of filer must i get?
2006-06-26 02:31:04 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
No, your blade does not need to be razor sharp. Chances are, once you run it, you'll hit something that will dull it a little, anyway.
You could go get a metal file, but it would be a lot of work because you have to take the blade off to work on it. If you flip the
mower over to sharpen the blade, the oil will leak out and mess things up. Then you may have trouble with balancing the blade.
Even a dull blade will work. It doesn't 'cut' more than rips the grass off.
2006-06-26 02:38:04 · answer #1 · answered by wildbill05733 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Lawn Mower Blade Knife
2016-09-28 06:41:25 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lawnmower blades should not have a knife edge. The reason being that if you hit anything solid it will nick the blade and make it rough. If you can press down on the edge of the blade with you hand or finger and it leaves an indention, but not a open cut it should be sharp enough.
The best method to use when sharpening a mower's blade[s] is to place the removed blade into a vise and sharpen each edge with a hand held file. This way you control the amount of edge and do not weaken the temper of the metal by grinding it with a mechanical device. It takes a little longer to do it right, but the hand sharpened method will hold a edge much longer than using a sharpening tool. I use a standard mill or flat bastard for sharpening.
2006-06-26 02:50:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The blade must not be too sharp (the 'I can ride bare back to china on this" should apply). If the blade is too sharp it will simply take off the top of the grass and not the depth that you require at this time of the year. Invest in an elecrtric mower with adjustable blades (for the thickness of grass that you want). Always use an RCCB on the socket .Then just push it around. A sharpish (china again) blade will cut the grass to a low length and (if you have a collector box on your mower then you can collect the cuttings and dispose of them at the tip ). Do not cut it too short as the grass and your garden will die. Take the grass clippings into a recycle bin (the council provide these to everybody) and, once they have decomposied, transfer these to any flowers in your garden and, next year you will have beautiful flowers.
In short (to your question), don't make the blades razor sharp as this will ruin your garden. If you take my advice, you will have a beautiful garden and fantastic plants around the boarder - what a nice way to see in the day before a hard 8-10 hours of work. As for your second question, invest in an oil stone (pretty rare these days), put some oil on it (old engine oil is fantastic), and scrape the blade along its surface (it is an art which is old and I cannot explain it in letters but, find an oldish (40+ dealer in a hardware store and, in 10 minuites, you will know the ART which commercial dealers charge you about £10 for - trust me)
2006-06-26 03:13:00 · answer #4 · answered by efilnikufecin 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The blade does not have to be razor sharp. But you do want the blade sharp enough that when you cut the grass, you want to look at a blade of grass, and make sure it is flat and strait. You never want a blade of grass to look like you just ripped off the top of it. That is not good to your lawn because it kills the grass that way. You just want the blade sharp enough so it doesn't cut your finger when you push against it. You can always get a file for metal. You can even find one that says it is best for lawn mower blades. Good luck.
2006-06-26 14:52:10 · answer #5 · answered by ManOfGod 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You will need to lift the mower up to see under the deck to determine what may have broken or come loose to let the blade come off like it did. The bolt that holds the blade on may have loosened and fallen out. Since it sounds like the other blade turns o.k. maybe you were lucky and no other damage occurred. You should be able to buy a new bolt and washer at the hardware or home improvement store and you may need a new blade too. Take the old one with you and they should be able to sell you the right type and size. Depending on the size of the blade it might cost $15-$50 plus a few dollars for the bolt. If the blade hit something like a pipe or big rock and the pulley shaft broke then you are looking at similar costs for a new pulley. There could be more damage under the deck, but it would need to be looked at to know for sure.
2016-03-27 04:42:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since I work on alot of em.... NOT really..... its better of course.... but that sharp edge won't last but a little while.... usually when they grind em.... it heats the metal up and it will lose some of its temper and get dull quicker....., maybe 2 or 3 sharpenings can be had out of em at the most. You don't need any kind of special filer, you can use a regular metal file. One thats made to file metal. TOO dull of a blade, and of course it will make it harder on the engine..... and give a cruddier cut..... can't mow real fast either.
2006-06-26 19:04:08 · answer #7 · answered by 572ci. 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
most professional sharpener use a stone mounted on a grinding wheel
your lawn mower blade does not and should not feel sharp like a knife
the blade is moving very fast and does not require the amount of sharpness that your dinnerware does
2006-06-26 02:35:36 · answer #8 · answered by whoisgod71 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it doesn't have to be as sharp as a knife . If you do get a sharpener of some type , you should also invest in a balancer to make sure the blade is balanced
2006-06-26 02:47:12 · answer #9 · answered by jim d 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the blade should be sharp enough that it can slice through a cooked steak. Ever gone to a barber who cut your hair with dull shears? You know how that feels. Instead of cutting, dull mower blades yank and tear, and unnecessarily stress the grass. Grasses are plants, too. You wouldn’t try to prune your prized house and garden plants with a baseball bat, would you?
Additionally, always pick up twigs and sticks larger than 1/4-inch before mowing. It ll go a long way in keeping the blade sharp and minimizing nicks.
Always pick up twigs and sticks larger than 1/4-inch before mowing. It ll go a long way in keeping the blade sharp and relatively free from nicks.
2016-08-10 13:42:52 · answer #10 · answered by tomcat9 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋