You don't have to sharpen it because you keep it sharp by using it
 

Just goes to show that everything on the Internet is true.

Who knew that you didn't have to sharpen a blade, because you can keep it sharp by using it. And the way that you know that it's sharp is because the edge is shiny.

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But he's right. You wanna get a firm grip on your tool. Then you can rest it between your legs and wedge it in place.

about 2:25

I'm about to throw out my diamond plates, water stones and files! And I'll never sharpen another lawn mower blade again, because using it sharpens it!

Ah HAH!

So thats why my mower blade is dull at the end of the year. ...its not the cutting, its when its sitting in the tool shed.

I get what he's saying-

but no- do this:


After each use, oxyacetylene torch, heat metal to cherry red, and hammer in a new edge over a vice. (that's the easiest way)

I have one exactly like that,
Works great for a quick chop-down.

Now I'm meticulous about keeping my chainsaws sharp, but I've never sharpened a lawnmower blade .... ever ;). Used to work with a guy that said he sharpened his all the time..... like I do chainsaw teeth.

I then asked him how often he sharpened his line trimmer .... he then got a funny look on his face :D.

Different strokes...

He kind of lost credibility with me when he "sharpened" the edge by using the triangular file at 90 degrees to the blade lol

^^^ I sharpen my mower blades at least 4 times a season. Makes a big diff in the looks of my lawn.
Of course hitting walnuts and small branches doesn't help any. :)

Yeah .... if ya hit stuff and have a walnut farm, it might make a difference :D.

^^^ If you hit them right...they fly like a golf ball off a driver.

It took that long?

Wow, this is interesting.

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These get really really sharp by using it:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1649366266.jpg

Mower blades also have to be balanced. I just change them as needed. New blades are cheap and taking the deck on and off is a pain in the butt.

Hell yeah! You think choppin' weeds makes something shiny which means sharp. Draggin it through the dirt and rocks makes it REALLY shiny which must make it sharp like a razor.

have too? whaaa?!?!? Where I'm going we don't need no stinking balancing!!!! -Doc Brown quote. (1972-2022 and bearings still going strong) :D
edit- because the more bearings spin, the rounder they get.

edit- Although I do have to admit, the pleasure of mounting new blades on a deck is something special (well.. more special than my bench grinder specials....) :)

What I want to know is what is your kill ratio.
I have-
One driver's window. 15 feet
Two rear car windows 100 ft. each
Porsche rear deck lid- 50 feet.
One poor turtle.
One poor rabbit.

I wanted to crack a joke about being "really sad about the windows"- but the yard animals get to me. Still feel bad. I walk through really tall grass now to move everyone out before mowing begins. With the critters, I am not proud.

Maybe more important with a single blade mower. I've never balanced my three blade deck...always runs smooth.

I have sharpened or changed probably a thousand mower blades in my landscaping days, never once was one balanced unless by happenstance.

I've sharpened blades, but never balanced one before. I did recently buy a balancer that I will be using soon. I bought new blades for the mower last year which was awesome. They are great blades too.
I've never balanced or heard of balancing a blade before, but makes sense.
I'd assume that if they were balanced when you put them on, that they should stay pretty balanced unless you keep and sharpen them a ton until you've changed their size/shape/weight a bunch.

I bought a low tech balancer for $6 on Amazon. I'm going to give the whole balancing thing a shot.

You know how you get that vibration after hitting a rock? It's because the blade that has a chunk missing is out of balance.

When you changed one of your "thousand" blades, they were balanced from the factory.

Some folks call it a sling blade... mmm

And I quit balancing blades years ago. I sharpen them twice each mowing season. Use them for about 3 mowing seasons then buy new ones.

This guy saved me a lot of time with his helpful video

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^^^ Thanks Otto... lol ;)

Old Tools... I've found it's best to just keep using them and not let them rust away in a corner of the shed.

Recently I bought a "Made in China" bamboo broom handle for $8.00 from the hardware store.
And guess what, Zero flex so it was awful to use! No "spring"... Just awful.

I threw it away and replaced it with an Australian made old school wood handle that cost $12.00.
- So $20 bucks all in to find out what I already should've known. :rolleyes:

Gator blades work great!

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/products/lawn-and-garden/mower-blades/gator-mulching-blades/c/g6-mulchingblade-p

You bastids ... that's what y'all are....

I've always been perfectly content with my regular ol' unsharpened blades :D.

Yep, that's what I put on the mower last year after recommendations from the board, and they are much, much better than the OEM blades that I'd previously bought and installed. I think the OEM blades were alloyed with lead. I swear they dulled just running the blades through the air. THe Gator blades will still dull, of course, but are much, much better at holding their edge.