Topic: Lawn mower blades

[Badassblades]

Has anyone made a Jig or ever sharpened Lawn Mower blades with a T7 or T8?

[Ken S]

Several forum members have sharpened lawn mower blades. (not me) The search function is not bringing up anything. Most of the mower blade sharpening has been done with older Tormeks, however, the operation would be identical.

Ken

[Jan]

I am sharpening the lawn mower blades on a bench grinder, because on Tormek it usually takes too much time. 

Please read the topic: Sharpening lawn mower blades https://www.tormek.com/forum/index.php?topic=3026.msg15946#msg15946

Jan

[jeffs55]

If you have a mulching type blade you will likely not be able to sharpen them as the part of the blade that creates the uplift to mulch the cut grass gets in the way. I cannot do it on a grinder either for the same reason.

[Ken S]

My guess is that lawn mower blades are like carbide masonry drill bits and knockabout chisels; they get sharpened long after very dull has passed. If the yardsman treated his mower blades the way a fine chef treats his knives, the Tormek would refresh the keen edge quickly. I know, not on this planet.

Ken

[grepper]

Ditto Jan's reply.  My blades always need more than just "refreshing". 

[Elden]

   Most of the blades I have seen, are benefited by the use of an angle grinder. I imagine a very coarse belt would work well. Even after that kind of aggressive grinding, they usually are not nice flat "new" sharp on the bottom of the blade. One small engine repair and sales shop I dealt with told me, they used an angle grinder and finished with an abrasive flap wheel on the angle grinder. He said the last step made the blade very impressively sharp and nice looking, however, that sharpness very quickly disappeared when put to use on the mower. It did impress the customers. His Neary lawn mower blade grinder, sat there gathering dust.

[RichColvin]

I use an angle grinder on my mower & edger blades.  Works well & is fast. 

[bisonbladesharpening]

Don't waste your stone. If it is a mulching blade send them to a
lawn mower repair shop. They do switch-outs fairly cheaply.  Regular lawnmower blades aren't tempered.
Clean the blade first.  Use a belt or bench grinder to match the manuf. angle. 
The important step is to blunt the tip to manuf. specs or the first time it kicks up a pebble it will chip the blade.
Take a good look at a new blade and you'll be able to reproduce it.

[Ken S]

From time to time we get questions about things like lawn mower blades and slicer blades. I think we must consider both possibility and practicality. Certainly it is possible to sharpen most lawn mower blades with a Tormek. The possibility becomes greater when the Tormek is equipped with a coarse Norton 3X or CBN wheel. However, unless you happen to be a Tormek salesman/demonstrator, I would recommend a more practical tool for the job.

The Tormek is well suited for many sharpening jobs. I would use it for what it does well and supplement it with other tools for special jobs. Even Tormek acknowledges this by selling the BGM-100 to adapt its jigs to a dry grinder for heavy reshaping.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

I use a the SVM-45 knife jig to sharpen my mower blade on the Tormek. If I need to remove a lot of steel I'll go back and forth between a dry grinder and the Tormek. It helps keep the blade cool.

I've been doing it this way for many years now. Sharp blades do a much better job of caring for the lawn.

[Ken S]

Good post, Herman. I like to see the Tormek used for what it does well, augmented by other tools when necessary.

Ken

[EllyStF]

I use a the SVM-45 knife jig to sharpen my mower blade on the Tormek. If I need to remove a lot of steel I'll go back and forth between a dry grinder and the Tormek. It helps keep the blade cool.

I've been doing it this way for many years now. Sharp blades do a much better job of caring for the lawn.

Sorry for reviving. Since many years I understand that sharpen cheaper than buying new blades. And of course, it depends on the brand. What is your preferencies here?

[jeffs55]

I would suggest a hand held grinder. The six inch size would be good or eight inches would cover the entire cutting edge of most mower blades. These give you a flat grind edge and like I mentioned you can pretty much cover the whole cutting edge. Of course you would go a little at a time so as not to over heat the blade. I have never done this but my lawn mower mechanic does mine for me and they look like factory edges. You are never going to get smooth edge behind the grind with a round wheel. It would be much like a belt grinder if you follow my suggestion.

[GeoBoy]

Was asked to delete my post .