How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

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The mowing season is here with us and it’s time to groom our lawn garden and give it a new look. Cutting the long grass into medium level makes the lawn more sparkling and attractive. But what do you do when your lawn mower starts to cut uneven patterns of grass that leaves your garden looking rough and untidy? It’s time to sharpen those lawn mower blades.

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Dull lawn mower blades produce uneven lumpy cutting on your grass which makes it more vulnerable to pest and diseases. On the other hand, a sharp lawn mower blade gives a clean, faster and uniformed cut which makes your lawn look spotless and healthy.

How do you sharpen your lawn mower blades?

It’s recommended that you sharpen your lawn mower blades at the beginning of every mowing season. If you are mowing grass in an area with stones and other rough debris, you can sharpen them mid-season.

There are various methods one can use to sharpen a lawn mower blade including; use of angle grinder, drill and sharpening stone, hand file, bench grinder and rotary tool.

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Last update on 2024-10-05 at 10:11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Lawn mower- sharpening lawn mower blades
how to sharpen a lawn mower blade

In this guide, I will show you how to easily sharpen your lawn mower blades using the drill and sharpening stone technique.

  1. Step 1- Put the Engine OFF 

    Ensure the engine is off. You can do this by disconnecting the ignition wire from the spark plug for corded model and remove the battery pack for the cordless model. This is a very essential step as it ensures that the engine can’t accidentally start while you are working on the blades.

    Blades should be removed from the mower if possible when sharpening them for easier operation and inspection of further damage.

  2. Step 2- Remove the nuts and bolts

    Tilt the lawn mower to the side and spot the nuts and bolts that holds the blades underneath to the mower deck. We need to loosen and remove the returning nuts and bolts that holds the blades.

    To ensure that the blades are not mowing, place a wooden block between the end of the blade and the mower deck to block any blade movement.

    Use a ratcheting wrench and socket to loosen and remove the nuts and bolts. Keep them safely because you will return them where they were placed before.

  3. Step 3- Detach the blades from deck

    Once you have successfully removed the nuts and bolts, it’s time now to detach the blades from the mower deck. Ensure that you remove them carefully while marking which side appears down or up because you will need to put them back facing the same bearing.

  4. Step 4- Clean lawn mower blades

    Use penetrating oil and a brush to clean both sides of the blades. You can also use this chance to also clean the lawn mower deck section. You will be able to remove any clogged grass, mud and other debris.

  5. Step 5- Inspect the cutting edges

    Once the blades are clean, it’s time to inspect the cutting edges on each blades for sharpening. A lawn mower blade is designed with a cutting edge on the end of each blade and are positioned at opposite side of the blade.
    Place the blade at an angle with one of its cutting edge facing up.

  6. Step 6- Sharpen lawn mower blades

    Once you have set the blade cutting edge, it’s time now to use a drill and sharpening stone to get the job done. Pick the sharpening stone and place it into a drill-powered sharpener. Pull the start trigger and ensure the drill is running at high speed.

    Slowly run the spinning sharpener back and forth on the tip of the dull cutting edges. After several rounds of back and forth, stop and inspect the sharpness of the blades. Continue with the same process until you attain satisfactory and smooth sharpness.

    Remove the blade and turn the other side of the cutting edge and repeat the same until the blade is sharp on both sides.

  7. Step 7- Balance lawn mower blades

    Balancing the blades. Once you have sharpened the blades, it’s time now to check whether they are both balanced. Balancing is done to ensure that no one side is thicker than the other because sharpening can remove more metal on one side than the other.

    This results to unbalanced blades and using such blades can result to damaging of the motor and overall functionality of the lawn mower. Use a lawn mower balancer to ensure both sides of your blades remain on the same level.

  8. Step 8- Fix the blades back to lawnmower deck

    Once the blades are sharpened and balanced, it’s time to take the blades back to the lawn mower deck in their original orientation. Tighten them using the returning nuts and bolts to make sure they are firmly placed.

    The final step is to now return the ignition wire to the spark plug or the battery pack. When everything is ready, take your serviced lawn mower for a test run and assess the mowing precision.

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Last update on 2024-10-05 at 10:11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Read Also; Types of Lawn Mowers

Follow the above steps to always make your lawn mower blades sharp and functional. Sharp blades mow faster and give a clean cut making the lawn grass grow green and healthy.

sharpening lawn mower blades
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