Sharpen the lawn mower blade on your own
Introduction
The lawn mower is an essential home use machine used in every home. The lawn mower blade goes dull after using it on rough surfaces and hard bushes and grass. Although it is very durable and last for a year. But at least one time you must sharpen the blade of your mower every 6 months for better trimming of your turf. For commercial lawn mowers, you do not need to worry because the company maintenance department maintains your mower and you just call the company number. But if you are a home user, there is always a mess to go to the market with the mower and sharpen the blades. Therefore, in this article, I try to give you a better solution at home to sharpen your mower blade easily.
How Many Types of Blades are used in Lawn mowers
In today’s world, when inventors and manufacturers are busy introducing new products and advanced technology. Similarly, in lawn mowers, different types and shapes of blades are used in lawnmowers and it depends upon the user’s requirements on which type of blades is suitable for their lawn and backyard. The most common type of lawnmower blades are:
REEL BLADES
The reel blades are basic blades that are normally used in reel mowers and manual lawnmowers. These blades come up with a helical shape and cut the grass like scissors cut the paper.
STANDARD BLADES
The second type of blade is the Standard blade which is most commonly used in lawnmowers nowadays these blades are also called deck blades. If you like smooth cutting and efficient blades, then you use these blades. These blades are straight and cut the grass smoothly, giving your lawn a beautiful look.
LIFTING BLADES
The third type of blade which is used in lawnmowers is the lifting blade. These blades are used to send the clippings to the side discharge or bagging. The lift is also responsible for circulating the grass clippings to use in the mulching procedure. There are three categories of lifting blades.
- Low Lift (Under ¾ Inches, less power needed, and low noise).
- High Lift (¾ to 15/16 inches, suitable for bagging).
- Extra High lift (Height horsepower needed, used to cut the tall grass).
MULCHING BLADES
The mulching blades are different from the rest of the blades, these blades are used to keep the grass clippings in the deck and the design cut the clipping into smaller pieces which are used to enrich the grass and lawn. Mulching blades are come up with a wide cutting edge, and not used in the long grass as it create a clog in the deck.
The lawn mowers must be sharpened for the following reasons
Smooth Cutting of Grass:
The first requirement of using the Lawnmower is to smooth and equal cutting of grass. If your mower cannot cut the grass equally and left some bushes and leafs uncut it means your blade needs to be sharpened for better working.
Easy to use:
If your mower blades are less sharp it means that when you use a mower it might be hard on the surface of your lawn because the blade of the mower might not work smoothly so you need to sharpen the blade on priority.
Professional Look:
Another reason for sharpening the lawn mower, is to give your turf a professional look, due to the un-sharp blade your turf does not look beautiful.
Tools and Accessories need to sharpen the blades of the mower at home
There are basic tools and accessories needed to sharpen the blades. These tools and Accessories are available in every home. So, you do not need to buy any kind of tool from the market. The list is as follows:
- Basic Tool Kit.
- Electric Grinder
- Files
- Emery paper
- Gloves
- A piece of Wood
Basic Tool Kit:
The Basic Tool kit comprises Spanners, Adjustable Spanners, Pliers Set, and Screwdriver Set.
Electric Grinder:
Electric Grinder is the most important tool to sharpen the blades. These basic grinders are always available in every home. If you have not available you can borrow from your neighbors. If not arranged you can sharpen the blades using files but its time taking process.
Files:
Files are used for finishing the work. After using the grinder you can use files to smooth the blade surfaces. Due to using, of files, your mower blades are smooth and sharp correctly.
Emery Paper:
Emery paper is used if you see corrosion/rust on the surfaces of the blade. Before sharping you remove the corrosion/ rust using emery paper. It is a very useful paper to remove rust and corrosion.
Gloves:
Always use gloves when starting any maintenance work it’s very mandatory for your safety.
Goggles:
Googles are very important to protect your eyes from any damage during work. Eyes are so precious so always use goggles before starting any work.
Piece of Wood:
A wood piece is used to put the blade on it so that blade doesn’t slip during the sharping process. It is also helpful while sharpening the blades.
Step by Step guidelines to sharpen the blades of mowers
Step 1: Remove the Blade
In the First step, you need to remove the blade by using the appropriate Spanner and screw drive, loosen the nuts and bolts, and remove the blade. Be careful while removing the blade and always use gloves.
Step 2: Visually inspect the blade from both sides
After removing the blade put it in a safe place and visually inspect the blade for any damage, rust, and corrosion on the surface of the blade.
Step 3: Remove the Corrosion using Emery Paper
If you see any kind of corrosion in your blade use the emery paper and clean the surface of your blade using emery paper.
Step 4: Sharp the surfaces of Blades using a Grinder
After removing the rust/corrosion from the blade. Hold the blade carefully and start sharpening the blade. Adjust the speed of the grinder according to your ease. Be careful and try to grind the surface equally on both sides. Use water while grinding for smooth and better sharp blade surfaces.
Step 5: File the Blade
After sharpening the blade using a grinder now use a file and smooth the surfaces of your blade. By file work it will not only smooth the surfaces but the places which are left from sharpening through the grinder can be sharpened by using files.
Step 6: Fix the blade to the mower
After completion of work, fix the blade on the mower and check if there is any loose nut or bolt. Tight the nut and bold carefully.
Step 7: Switch on the Mower
After tightening the nuts and bolts switch on the mower and check if the blades are working correctly and fitted correctly in their base.
Step 8: Secure all the tools
Secure all the tools and kept in a safe place.
Sharpening of Blade without Opening the Blades
If you want to sharpen the blades of your mower without removing the blade then the steps are the same as described above. However, it is difficult to use the grinder on fitted blades. Therefore you use files. Files are easily moveable and you can sharpen the blade edge but it takes time and energy. If you have appropriate tools, open the blade from the mower and then sharpen the blades.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, after reading this article, you will be able to sharpen the lawn mower blade at home easily. Although removing blades from the mower is a lengthy process but once you go through it you find it very easy. After sharpening the blades of the mower you are more confident and next time you will go through the process easily. By sharpening the blades at home you can not only save your time to go to the market or bring the blacksmith home but also save money. I hope you find this article helpful. In case of any questions, you can comment or email us for further guidance.
Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)
About Naveed A Hashmi
In my childhood, I used to see my parents while working in the land, for these reasons today I have been serving the same as our own tradition and culture. I thus love to stay in it, because I want to learn something advanced and new so that I may improve my farm’s contour and help others with my experience.
