Mowing the lawn is one of the most exhausting chores to do at home, but it can definitely be done quicker if the lawn mower has sharp blades. Fortunately, we know the troubles you've encountered. In this post, we've researched the best file that you can use to sharpen lawn mower blades and how you can sharpen them to make mowing the lawn a breeze to work with.
When sharpening lawn mower blades, the best file you can use for sharpening is a bastard cut mill file. It's a 10- to 12-inch mill file that can be used for most garden and lawn tools. You will have to manually file the blades, but with a good mill file, you will only need about half a dozen long and even strokes to sharpen your lawn mower blades.
Knowing what kind of file you can use for your lawn mower blades is one thing, but we're sure you'd like to know more about what to do to keep those blades sharp. Keep reading because we will be sharing with you the best practices on how you can sharpen your blades, as well as how you can maintain their edge.
What's The Best File For Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades?
It's a chore that everyone has to do at least once a week unless you'd like your house to be run over by grass—mowing the lawn. This chore can be quite boring and exhausting, but it definitely can be made easy. Mowing the lawn will be done quicker if your lawn mower blades are sharp and in tiptop shape.
Generally speaking, it is very important that you sharpen your lawn mower blades regularly so that it cuts your grass nicely. Normally, you would want to sharpen it every after 25 hours of use, or twice every season. You should also sharpen your lawn mower blades if you hit rocks when you mow the grass.
Sharp lawn mower blades are important because blunt blades can cause your grass to be cut unevenly, and it discourages plant growth. You'll find that the tips of your grass become brown and jagged, and this makes the grass more susceptible to disease. In order to do this, you can sharpen your own lawn mower blades to keep your lawns perfectly lush and green.
The best file you can use for sharpening your lawn mower blades is by using a bastard cut mill file. This 1o- to 12-inch file can be used to sharpen your lawn mower blades, as well as your other garden and lawn tools.
Check out this bastard cut mill file on Amazon.
What Is The Best Way To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades?
Lawn mower blades can be sharpened using manual files and electric grinders. Manual files do need a little bit of extra elbow grease to ensure that the blades are sharp enough to cut the grass. Electric grinders, on the other hand, are a lot faster, but it is a lot more expensive, and you will need to have enough space at home to add the grinder as one of your tools.
Many homeowners prefer to use manual files for their lawn mower blades sharpening doesn't have to be done all the time. A good file will only require about half a dozen to a dozen strokes, and you'll get lawn mower blades that are sharp enough to cut grass. Manual files are also a lot cheaper, and they are easier to store.
Aside from the bastard cut mill file, you can also find several garden tool multi-sharpeners that can sharpen your lawn mower blades, hedge shears, axes, and other tools. It's great to have a multi-use sharpener, especially if you feel like you're not used to using a regular mill file just yet.
Get this multi-use sharpener on Amazon.
For heavy users of lawn mowers, the best choice would ultimately be to use an electric grinder. It will definitely make the job a lot easier, plus you can choose the kind of grinding wheel to use depending on the blades of your lawn mower.
A common tool that a lot of homeowners have is an angle grinder. This grinder can also be used to sharpen lawn mower blades effortlessly, and the discs can easily be found if it needs replacement.
See this angle grinder on Amazon.
However, some first-time blade sharpeners might find that the blade they have sharpened is unbalanced. To fix this, you can get yourself a blade balancer to see where you need to grind off a little more metal.
Get this precision blade balancer on Amazon.
There are more options on tools that you can use to sharpen your lawn mower blades. You can find drill-attachment kits that are made for sharpening lawn mower blades.
Check out this drill-attachment kit sharpener on Amazon.
Or you can get a specific lawn mower sharpener that does the job perfectly each time.
Get this adjustable lawn mower blade sharpener on Amazon.
How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades
A lawn mower blade should be aggressively sharp but not as precise as a razor's edge. A good basis for the sharpness of the lawn mower blade is that you can touch it with your hand without getting cut.
A lot of people have a misconception that razor-sharp lawn mower blades will cut the grass better. Unfortunately, blades that are too sharp tend to roll over the grass and chip the tips off, making the grass' edge look ragged.
Sharpening lawn mower blades is important, and you can do it either with a manual file or an electric grinder. Depending on the tool that you'd like to use, make sure that you don't over-sharpen your blades. Here's how you can do the task:
Sharpening Using a Manual File
- Remove the lawn mower blade according to your manual. Make sure to mark the blade's correct side so you can put it back in the right position after sharpening.
- Using a vise, clamp the lawn mower blade securely.
- Hold the mill file at the same cutting angle as the blade. Start by filing from the inside of the blade, moving towards the outside. Remember to keep following the blade's cutting edge.
- Make sure to smoothen out any rough spots or nicks on your blade. Your blade should be about as sharp as a butter knife's edge.
- After sharpening, make sure to use a blade balancer to check your lawn mower blade before putting it back.
Sharpening Using an Electric Grinder
- Follow your manual and remove the lawn mower blade properly from your machine. Make sure to mark your blade to ensure that you can put it back correctly after sharpening.
- Clamp the lawn mower blade securely using a vise. Prepare for sharpening by wearing the appropriate safety gear when using electric tools like the grinder.
- Before starting, hold your electric grinder against the lawn mower blade. Tip the grinder up and down until you feel that the disc is aligned with the angle of the blade.
- Hold your electric grinder at this angle and move it across the metal using light pressure. Make sure that you don't overheat the blade because it will cause the blade to become brittle. Do not grind away too much metal because it will cause the blade to become unbalanced.
- Make several passes on your blade with your grinder, occasionally checking for the sharpness. To remove the nicks from your blade, hold the grinder at a right angle and make a few passes until the nicks are gone.
- Balance your blade using a precision balancer. If one side tips lower over the other, make a few more passes until the blade passes the balance test. Put back the blade onto your machine, and you can now mow your lawn.
Final Thoughts
Mowing a lawn is hard, but it is the only way to keep the house looking neat and clean. Mowing the lawn can be made easy with perfectly sharpened lawn mower blades that not only makes the grass look greener but it makes the job a whole lot faster. Remember to maintain your lawn mowers, and you'll never have to complain about doing this chore every week.
Are you looking for more information on how to care for your lawn mower? We've got a couple of articles that are perfect for you:
Can I Leave My Lawn Mower Outside In The Rain?
Which Side Of The Lawn Mower Blade Is Up?