How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades Without Removing? 3 easy steps!
Lawn mowers are considered essential landscaping/gardening tools for the houses that contain lawns or gardens but their work efficiency depends on the sharp blades.
So each year before going to mow your lawn, you have to sharp your lawn mower blades for a smooth and healthier grass cut. If you want to know how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing then this article will guide you properly.
It is usually recommended by lawn mowing experts that the blades of your lawn mower need sharpening once or twice a year. Does this mean that the blades once got dull, they stop working? Certainly, not. But their efficiency will obviously be affected.
The Signs which show that your lawn mower blades need sharpening:
- The grass of your lawn starts looking ragged and dull. This leads to the turning of grass into brown and susceptible to diseases and pests.
- The mowing process becomes laborious. It means that you have to put more effort to mow the grass properly.
- The grass of the lawn looks roughly cut rather than smooth and sometimes the mower rips the grass by roots.
- The blades of the mower look rusty and dull.
If you see the above-mentioned signs, then don’t think twice and go for the sharpening of the blades of your lawn mower. But you need to keep this thing in mind that sharpening is not an easy task. You need to look for appropriate tools and equipment and a way for how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing. You need to unbolt the blades from the mower and sharp them by using any kind of blade mowers that suits your mower and then fix them back to the mower and it is good to go.
But for most people find the unbolting and re-bolting hard and laborious. But every problem comes with a solution.
The question that comes to mind that is it possible to sharpen the blades of the lawn mower without removing them? The answer is yes, it is. It is not a popular option but it certainly is possible to do with the right type of equipment.
You May Also Interested: Best lawn mower blade sharpener
How to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing?
Different ways to sharpen lawn mower blades:
- Bench grinder
- Hand file
- Angle or rotary grinder
- Use of a drill
- Sharpening stone
- Use of a sandpaper
Complete guideline on how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them:
Tools needed for Sharpening:
- Blade Grinder (or any other blade sharpener)
- Safety gloves and goggles
Step-by-Step guideline to do the sharpening:
You need to follow the following simple steps to sharp the dull blades of your lawn mower without removing:
Step 1: Make preparations for sharpening
First of all gather all the tools required for the sharpening of blades which include: the blade grinder, safety gloves, and goggles, the balancing block, brush, etc.
The most important thing is to unplug your electric lawn mower and disconnect all the power sources to avoid any injury or accident while you are working. In the case of gas or fuel engines empty the tank to avoid spillage.
To remain on the safer side, use heavy gloves and goggles to protect your eyes during the process, and make sure that power sources are completely disconnected.
To start the process, you have to turn the mower to one side to expose the blades. Then, balance the blades upon any wooden balancer to make them stable during the sharpening process.
Before sharpening, clean, or wash the blades thoroughly with the help of brushes to removes the dirt or any other debris which can cause hurdles in sharpening the blades.
Step 2: Start sharpening the blades
The sharpening of blades can be done in a number of ways by using a number of Best Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener but it totally depends on the design of the mower which one would suit best.
After balancing the blades, take the blade grinder and start sharpening from the edges of the blades and so not stop this process until there is the desired result and you get sharp and fine cutting edge of the blades. After you finished one edge, start doing the other edge.
It is essential to maintain the desired angle for proper and uniform sharpening. You need to make uniform strokes as you are drawing away from the center and you need not draw backward while doing the sharpening.
There are different ways available out there to sharp the blades of a lawn mower without dismantling them from the mower and get nicely sharpen blades.
- Hand file: Take a hand file and start striking it on one end of the blade and by applying some pressure push it up and down. When one side is done, repeat the same procedure to the other side of the blade. Your blade will be sharp easily.
- Angle grinder or rotary tool: A 90-degree die grinder along with the grinding disc is an alternative sharpening option. There is a limitation that you can only do the sharpening using the lower end of the disc.
- Bench grinder: The bench grinder is specifically used to remove the dents from the blades. While using this tool, you need to be careful to expose the right edge of the blade. A lot of metal will be removed so you have to be careful to give both sides of the blades equal sharpening. Maintain the balance and appropriate angle so that sharpening the blade up and down gives a great look.
- Use of a drill: Another way of sharpening is the use of a drill. Drill along cannot do anything, you have to use attachments with it according to the type of blade or any other function you need to get done.
- Sharpening stone: You need a drilling machine to fix a sharpening stone into it. Then switch on the drill and set it to the maximum speeds and exposes that to the dull blades. Apply a few strokes along with the blades and check if it’s done. If the blades are not sharp enough, apply a few more strokes and get the work done.
- Using sandpaper: This is the cheapest method to get neat and sharp blades without detaching them from the mower. Apply it to the dull parts of the blades and get them clean and sharp.
Step 3: Useful tips while sharpening the blades
If you are going to sharpen the blades of the lawn mower without removing, the keep the following tips in your mind:
- You should have knowledge when your blades are dull or ragged.
- Sharp the blades only when the fuel tank is empty. Otherwise, it may lead to a serious injury.
- Maintain the balance of the blades during sharpening.
- Have a proper check that your mower blades need sharpening.
- Know when the blades of the mower need to be replaced.
- Nicked blades are not useless, they can be ground out.
[su_box title=”Conclusion” box_color=”#1cae77″]Your knowledge regarding the lawn mower blades is very essential to keep your lawn clean and healthier. We have given a complete guideline on how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them. All you need to do is follow them properly step-by-step and it will help you to maintain your lawn mower in a sound shape which will ultimately make your lawn look beautiful.[/su_box]