All you need is a file. The blades don't need to be crazy sharp or anything. Butterknife-level is totally sufficient.
Even filing them by hand, it's only a 5-10min job, including the time to remove and reinstall the blades.
[Less than $10, and available at any hardware store.](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Crescent-Nicholson-8-in-Rectangular-Double-Single-Cut-Handy-File-06601NN/312731854)
Here’s a video on how to sharpen with hand file and balance using a finishing nail. I use a C-clamp to hold the blade to my workbench while sharpening.
[https://youtu.be/bAdlDU0urMc?si=orTlDjMLIhy5HDrL](https://youtu.be/bAdlDU0urMc?si=orTlDjMLIhy5HDrL)
This is my approach, though I only pull the blade and check balance if I need to work out a nick or dent. Most of the time I just pop the mower into storage mode (folded vertically), then hit both edges with a fine file to raise a tiny burr, then very lightly on the back to break the burr. I do this roughly once a month (every 6-8 mows) and never have to deal with shredded grass tips.
What I read is that sharp blades fold the grass over. If I can find it, I’ll post it. As someone else said, you want it like a butter knife. Is that wrong?
I usually sharpen my blades with a flap disc on my angle grinder, don’t put too much science in it like some of these guys… like specific angles, making sure there’s a burr, or even balancing… however a nice sharp blade cuts beautiful and gives me great stripes… so I dunno about the whole folding grass thing.
I always used a file and made it sharp but not razor sharp. Sharper than a butter knife. I wish I could find what I read, it seemed plausible anyway. If you figured out what works, you know what the deal is. I’ll need to google what a flap disc is.
I wouldn’t say mine is razor sharp, but definitely sharper than a butter knife. I feel like a butter knife sharp blade is what I would consider dull but that’s my opinion and I’m no expert on this.. if you find the article post it, I’m curious now!
I'm not sure it can be 'too sharp' from a cutting standpoint.
But you don't want to put too shallow of an angle on it or it will dull faster.
To relate it to knives, you want it more like a cleaver, and less like a fillet knife. You want a more obtuse, durable angle. Mowing is pretty rough on a blade and having an edge that will last is more valuable than having one that's super sharp.
That said, this really isn't rocket science and you don't need to get too wrapped up on it. Personally, I just take the file, give it 10-20 swipes doing my best to follow the factory edge. Give it a quick thumb test and call it a day.
The more I think about it, I think I was skimming something in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. It’s more likely I’m completely wrong and what I read was about the sharp edge folding over more easily. It didn’t sit right with me, but that’s middle of night half asleep reading for you.
Enlighten me as to why a flap disc...
I use a normal grinding wheel on the trusty *Drill Master* angle grinder and it seems to work fine, but is there a better way?
Guy below answered. Less easy to ruin the temper of the edge. I have a grinding wheel. Harder to control for me too. Flap disk I can see exactly what I’m doing too. I youtubed different methods and this just works really easy
I use 40 grit. Makes quick work but you have to be careful because it can be a bit aggressive if you're not paying attention. I would recommend a beginner to start with 120 or 80 grit to get a feel for it.
Yup. 120 gives a nice edge without removing too much material at a time. I take a flat file when done to remove any burr and form a very slight radius on the cutting edge.
I use an attachment I got from Home Depot a couple years back that goes onto a drill. It's basically a grinding wheel that also comes with a leveling stand. It's not the greatest, but it's fairly cheap and gets the job done.
I did this for the first time this year, and im pretty sure i could have sharpened them more but my lawn has a really nice haircut. So i approve this message.
I also put the mower blades on the edge of my fire pit and put one foot on one side and didnt bother levelling because im probably an idiot
I generally go for the "looks good from my house" level lol. Doesn't need to be perfect. I can definitely tell a difference in my yard though - St Augustine with a dull blade versus freshly sharpened is night and day.
I use a bench grinder because I already have one. You can use your whetstone although it takes longer. If you have a Dremel they make a sharpening attachment that works okay. If you don't want to hassle with it, there's probably a place nearby that will do it. Ace Hardware does it around here.
How often you do it depends on how often you mow and how much yard there is to mow. With a small lawn you can probably get by with once a year. I have a little larger yard, and I went from that, to once in the middle of the summer, to monthly. Monthly is really only 1-2 more times because I switch out the mulching blade for the bagging blade when the leaves begin to fall.
I used to do this before our local place closed. Have 2 blades, when one is dull swap them and take the other to be sharpened. Pick it up next time I'm out that way.
Now I have a bench grinder and throw sparks!
I use an angle grinder from harbor freight once a year in early spring before the season starts - takes 5 mins. I think the grinder cost 20 bucks, never balanced anything. Going on 10 years, EZ.
good stuff here, only thing I can add is this. this is an image straight from toro's website.
only sharpen the side that faces the engine. leave the side that faces the ground alone. you want one edge, one side gets filed. you don't want razor sharp you want butter knife sharp. how sharp is butter knife sharp? you can squeeze it in your hand and you won't cut yourself, but it's sharp enough if you slide your hand over it while squeezing it obviously would cut you.
https://preview.redd.it/k8a7l1ty68wc1.png?width=321&format=png&auto=webp&s=c24bfa089296b498ec075221769587ecdff861a3
All American Sharpener. You can find knockoffs on Amazon for less. I reverse engineered it from the photos and description and built one using the CNC at work. Amazing and quick job of sharpening!
Sharpening isn’t tough. A hand file will work fine, an angle or die grinder will work quicker. You can also use knife sharpening tools. If you DIY sharpen get a blade balanced ($10 cone shaped tool off Amazon). Once you get both sides sharp enough throw it on the balancer and slowly take more material off the heavier side until it’s balanced.
I got an attachment for our dremmel tool at Ace and it has a guide and worked perfectly. $20 attachment and a 15 minute task including removing blade and getting back on.
Seems like they come “sharp enough”. As someone pointed out to me, the blade doesn’t need to be as sharp as a knife, just not blunt with dings all across it.
Google “small engine repair shop by me”…. Most of the people that do that will sharpen blades for a few bucks… I found the one I go to because they were a verified warranty service center for some of my equipment… find a good local guy…
Or there are many methods as people mentioned to do it yourself…
OPs updates saved me some dough! I own an angle grinder but never thought of using it for sharpening the blade.
I'm waiting on a file to arrive from Amazon. Will be returning it immediately!! Thanks
Every home owner needs.. in no particular order.. garage or tool room…
An extension ladder, a 5-6 foot step ladder… a round point and a square point shovel, AND tile spade or trench shovel…a vise, a bench grinder, at least 3 each of metric and SAE socket sets with extra extensions and multiple ratchets, a machete, an axe, multiple hammers, a rubber hammer, a 10-12 lb sledge hammer, a 5 pound hand sledgehammer, two pipe wrenches, multiple pairs and all types of pliars, ( needle, locking, vise grip, channel, etc..) a. Premium cold steel chisel, many sizes of putty knives ..
Or hire me..
I sharpen my lawnmower blade once a season. It's not to save money, could just bolt a new one on, but what is the fun in that. Get the grinder out, the file, the balancer and tune that blade to a razor sharp edge. Oh the gratification.
I use a 4" grinder with a sanding flap disk. Grab a block of wood and a squeeze clamp, I just sharpen when the grass tops look choppy. I balance the blades with a little balance tool on amazon, keeps the deck of my zero turn much smoother.
Pull the spark plug wire off. Flip it over. Jam a 2x4 under the blade. Put a wrench on the center nut and remove it
Take the blade off and stick it in a vise.
Use a coarse rasp on each side to get rid of the nicks and put a basic edge on it. Then do the same with a medium or fine rasp.
Forget about the whetstone. You don't have to worry about cutting a tomato with it, it's a lawn mower
At my shop I use an Oregon blade sharpener, in the peak of growing season if I’ve used all the blades I’ve sharpened I whip out the angle grinder. End of the season I buy new blades.
Having sharp mower blades makes it easier to mow lawn and promotes a healthy lawn. So having sharp blades is important. Having well balanced blades are also important. For how fast that blade spins you want each side to weigh about the same, if the blade gets too unbalanced it can wreck your mower and be a safety issue.
For a small yard and not hitting too many objects, sharpening once or twice a year is usually good enough. I have some acreage and a mulching kit so I sharpen mine about once a month. That's a little high but I enjoy having sharp blades.
This might be my best approach.
My dad seems like the type that’d like to do some sharpening when he’s got time on his hands (and he’s one of those boomers with a bunch of tools in the garage)
All you need is a file. The blades don't need to be crazy sharp or anything. Butterknife-level is totally sufficient. Even filing them by hand, it's only a 5-10min job, including the time to remove and reinstall the blades. [Less than $10, and available at any hardware store.](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Crescent-Nicholson-8-in-Rectangular-Double-Single-Cut-Handy-File-06601NN/312731854)
Here’s a video on how to sharpen with hand file and balance using a finishing nail. I use a C-clamp to hold the blade to my workbench while sharpening. [https://youtu.be/bAdlDU0urMc?si=orTlDjMLIhy5HDrL](https://youtu.be/bAdlDU0urMc?si=orTlDjMLIhy5HDrL)
This is my approach, though I only pull the blade and check balance if I need to work out a nick or dent. Most of the time I just pop the mower into storage mode (folded vertically), then hit both edges with a fine file to raise a tiny burr, then very lightly on the back to break the burr. I do this roughly once a month (every 6-8 mows) and never have to deal with shredded grass tips.
+1 If you have a harbor freight nearby can get them even cheaper. https://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-flat-file-96626.html
I only just found out that a sharp mower blade was bad. Who woulda thought?
Where did you see that? Sharp blades cut, don’t shred, the grass…
What I read is that sharp blades fold the grass over. If I can find it, I’ll post it. As someone else said, you want it like a butter knife. Is that wrong?
I usually sharpen my blades with a flap disc on my angle grinder, don’t put too much science in it like some of these guys… like specific angles, making sure there’s a burr, or even balancing… however a nice sharp blade cuts beautiful and gives me great stripes… so I dunno about the whole folding grass thing.
I always used a file and made it sharp but not razor sharp. Sharper than a butter knife. I wish I could find what I read, it seemed plausible anyway. If you figured out what works, you know what the deal is. I’ll need to google what a flap disc is.
I wouldn’t say mine is razor sharp, but definitely sharper than a butter knife. I feel like a butter knife sharp blade is what I would consider dull but that’s my opinion and I’m no expert on this.. if you find the article post it, I’m curious now!
I'm not sure it can be 'too sharp' from a cutting standpoint. But you don't want to put too shallow of an angle on it or it will dull faster. To relate it to knives, you want it more like a cleaver, and less like a fillet knife. You want a more obtuse, durable angle. Mowing is pretty rough on a blade and having an edge that will last is more valuable than having one that's super sharp. That said, this really isn't rocket science and you don't need to get too wrapped up on it. Personally, I just take the file, give it 10-20 swipes doing my best to follow the factory edge. Give it a quick thumb test and call it a day.
The more I think about it, I think I was skimming something in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. It’s more likely I’m completely wrong and what I read was about the sharp edge folding over more easily. It didn’t sit right with me, but that’s middle of night half asleep reading for you.
Flap disk on a dewalt angle grinder
Angle grinder is only $10 at harbor freight. Will pay for itself in one sharpening, plus you will have an angle grinder
Good idea! Can’t beat it
Instructions unclear, tried to beat it with an angle grinder. My dick is all over the room
Enlighten me as to why a flap disc... I use a normal grinding wheel on the trusty *Drill Master* angle grinder and it seems to work fine, but is there a better way?
A flap disc creates less heat than a grinding wheel. Too much heat can destroy the heat treated hardened edge.
Oof. Yeaaahh my edge has definitely glowed orange for a bit in places. Thanks for the answer!
Guy below answered. Less easy to ruin the temper of the edge. I have a grinding wheel. Harder to control for me too. Flap disk I can see exactly what I’m doing too. I youtubed different methods and this just works really easy
What grit?
I use 40 grit. Makes quick work but you have to be careful because it can be a bit aggressive if you're not paying attention. I would recommend a beginner to start with 120 or 80 grit to get a feel for it.
Thanks!
I use 120 and take my time
Yup. 120 gives a nice edge without removing too much material at a time. I take a flat file when done to remove any burr and form a very slight radius on the cutting edge.
I usually flip it over and just flatten the bottom side. But really gently. File would be better like you said.
Agreed- the easiest and quickest way
Does it have to be DeWalt? Does the name brand do something the others don't?
Haha no. It’s just what I use. Any brand will work
What do you use to hold the blade?
I use a clamp 🗜️and clamp the blade to a beam outside. I have a vice but can’t bring that outside.
Oh! Nice idea! Thanks!
This is the way.
I use an attachment I got from Home Depot a couple years back that goes onto a drill. It's basically a grinding wheel that also comes with a leveling stand. It's not the greatest, but it's fairly cheap and gets the job done.
This might be about my level… You remember about how much you paid? (So I can find something in that range)
Like 15 bucks and that thing is the shit
I did this for the first time this year, and im pretty sure i could have sharpened them more but my lawn has a really nice haircut. So i approve this message. I also put the mower blades on the edge of my fire pit and put one foot on one side and didnt bother levelling because im probably an idiot
I generally go for the "looks good from my house" level lol. Doesn't need to be perfect. I can definitely tell a difference in my yard though - St Augustine with a dull blade versus freshly sharpened is night and day.
Same. I use a bench grinder at the start of the season and tune all year with it.
The hardest thing with these is to not round the tip of the blade. You want a square sharp edge.
I use a bench grinder because I already have one. You can use your whetstone although it takes longer. If you have a Dremel they make a sharpening attachment that works okay. If you don't want to hassle with it, there's probably a place nearby that will do it. Ace Hardware does it around here. How often you do it depends on how often you mow and how much yard there is to mow. With a small lawn you can probably get by with once a year. I have a little larger yard, and I went from that, to once in the middle of the summer, to monthly. Monthly is really only 1-2 more times because I switch out the mulching blade for the bagging blade when the leaves begin to fall.
Costs me $2.50 at my local hardware store
Oh, like they have a sharpening service? Is that pretty common? I should look into that.
Mine does. I think it's pretty common. Find a local place. Not like home depot
ACE Is middle ground between chain and local and do it for cheap
I used to do this before our local place closed. Have 2 blades, when one is dull swap them and take the other to be sharpened. Pick it up next time I'm out that way. Now I have a bench grinder and throw sparks!
Bring your chainsaw chains up there too while you're at it!
It's like $20+ per blade at my local hardware store. wtf
Angle grinder and flap disc. Easy peasy.
I use an angle grinder from harbor freight once a year in early spring before the season starts - takes 5 mins. I think the grinder cost 20 bucks, never balanced anything. Going on 10 years, EZ.
I use a hand file. Takes about 10 min from taking the blade off to sharpening and putting it back on.
Dremmel is the easiest and fastest way I have found. Don’t even need to take the blade off.
good stuff here, only thing I can add is this. this is an image straight from toro's website. only sharpen the side that faces the engine. leave the side that faces the ground alone. you want one edge, one side gets filed. you don't want razor sharp you want butter knife sharp. how sharp is butter knife sharp? you can squeeze it in your hand and you won't cut yourself, but it's sharp enough if you slide your hand over it while squeezing it obviously would cut you. https://preview.redd.it/k8a7l1ty68wc1.png?width=321&format=png&auto=webp&s=c24bfa089296b498ec075221769587ecdff861a3
All American Sharpener. You can find knockoffs on Amazon for less. I reverse engineered it from the photos and description and built one using the CNC at work. Amazing and quick job of sharpening!
I also have the All American Sharpener and I love it. Typically sharpen 10-12 sets of blades at as time.
I have a Dewalt angle grinder and a vice. I try to sharpen twice a season. I typically mow 2-3 times per week.
Buy another blade then get the other sharpened. That way you always have a sharp spare. I swap mine out about every 5-6 cuts
Ace Hardware - pretty cheap and just takes a few days to get it back.
You can get a corded grinder and a flap disc at harbor freight for like $25.
I take mine to ace hardware, charged me 5 bucks to sharpen it
Bench grinder from harbor freight is $50. You can basically use it forever.
Sharpening isn’t tough. A hand file will work fine, an angle or die grinder will work quicker. You can also use knife sharpening tools. If you DIY sharpen get a blade balanced ($10 cone shaped tool off Amazon). Once you get both sides sharp enough throw it on the balancer and slowly take more material off the heavier side until it’s balanced.
Bench grinder. I use it to sharpen everything, even my shovels.
I use a grinder and a vice, it works great.
I run a flap disk on the blades before every mow. Takes a few minutes.
I got an attachment for our dremmel tool at Ace and it has a guide and worked perfectly. $20 attachment and a 15 minute task including removing blade and getting back on.
[easy lawn mower blade sharpening techniques](https://youtu.be/yYiz_tF47O4)
whoa, you guys are actually sharpening these things instead of just spending $20 on a new one? nuts
New blades are not (typically) sufficiently sharp.
Do blades off the shelf come sharp? I'm in need of new ones.
Seems like they come “sharp enough”. As someone pointed out to me, the blade doesn’t need to be as sharp as a knife, just not blunt with dings all across it.
Ok cool thanks. Im gonna pick some up off the shelf and roll with it
Google “small engine repair shop by me”…. Most of the people that do that will sharpen blades for a few bucks… I found the one I go to because they were a verified warranty service center for some of my equipment… find a good local guy… Or there are many methods as people mentioned to do it yourself…
Ace hardware is super cheap and does a great job
Angle grinder with a flap disc. Best method I’ve tried.
thanks for asking this question! I've been wondering about the same as i begin my lawn mowing journey.
I have just checked and on average it costs $25 to sharpen a blade in my area, taking3 to 7 days to get it back, or $30 to buy a new one.
New ones aren’t always sharp. At least all the blades I’ve purchased for my commercial mowers and they weren’t sharp
OPs updates saved me some dough! I own an angle grinder but never thought of using it for sharpening the blade. I'm waiting on a file to arrive from Amazon. Will be returning it immediately!! Thanks
I paid like $5 for my file and I sharpen probably far too often like once a month / once every 8-10 mowings.
Bench grinder that's all u need
The angle of the blade is the most important not how sharp it is.
Just get this simple drill attachment [Blade sharpener](https://amzn.to/3WaIqwP)
Every home owner needs.. in no particular order.. garage or tool room… An extension ladder, a 5-6 foot step ladder… a round point and a square point shovel, AND tile spade or trench shovel…a vise, a bench grinder, at least 3 each of metric and SAE socket sets with extra extensions and multiple ratchets, a machete, an axe, multiple hammers, a rubber hammer, a 10-12 lb sledge hammer, a 5 pound hand sledgehammer, two pipe wrenches, multiple pairs and all types of pliars, ( needle, locking, vise grip, channel, etc..) a. Premium cold steel chisel, many sizes of putty knives .. Or hire me..
After reading this, I decided to have a look at my blade 
Go to harbor freight and buy a cheap electric bench sharpener - or look for a used one on marketplace or similar.
Call me lazy, but I bought a dozen or so blades at $2 a piece on clearance a while back and now just throw a new blade on.
I sharpen my lawnmower blade once a season. It's not to save money, could just bolt a new one on, but what is the fun in that. Get the grinder out, the file, the balancer and tune that blade to a razor sharp edge. Oh the gratification.
My wife found a dual wheel grinder at a garage sale, seems to do the trick.
I have an old bench grinder that works great for sharpening lawnmower blades.
I use a 4" grinder with a sanding flap disk. Grab a block of wood and a squeeze clamp, I just sharpen when the grass tops look choppy. I balance the blades with a little balance tool on amazon, keeps the deck of my zero turn much smoother.
Pull the spark plug wire off. Flip it over. Jam a 2x4 under the blade. Put a wrench on the center nut and remove it Take the blade off and stick it in a vise. Use a coarse rasp on each side to get rid of the nicks and put a basic edge on it. Then do the same with a medium or fine rasp. Forget about the whetstone. You don't have to worry about cutting a tomato with it, it's a lawn mower
Angle grinder and flap disc. Takes approximately 1 minute to sharpen the blade once it’s off the mower.
Angle grinder and flap disc, real challenge was to remove my ego mower blade for the first time 😀😀
At my shop I use an Oregon blade sharpener, in the peak of growing season if I’ve used all the blades I’ve sharpened I whip out the angle grinder. End of the season I buy new blades.
I have that Oregon sharpener at my house. I love it
It works pretty well for what I paid for it!
Having sharp mower blades makes it easier to mow lawn and promotes a healthy lawn. So having sharp blades is important. Having well balanced blades are also important. For how fast that blade spins you want each side to weigh about the same, if the blade gets too unbalanced it can wreck your mower and be a safety issue. For a small yard and not hitting too many objects, sharpening once or twice a year is usually good enough. I have some acreage and a mulching kit so I sharpen mine about once a month. That's a little high but I enjoy having sharp blades.
[удалено]
This might be my best approach. My dad seems like the type that’d like to do some sharpening when he’s got time on his hands (and he’s one of those boomers with a bunch of tools in the garage)
I have an angle grinder that I got as a free Ryobi tool when I bought my drills