How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades Without Removing Them?

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Lawn mowers are one most essential tools that you use in your gardening. But this tool must be sharpened often to last long and work smoothly.

Operating the mower will only be a cakewalk if you maintain it with utter concern.

Depending on how frequently you use your lawnmower, you should at least sharpen it twice a year. Many users think sharpening is unnecessary and cut the grass with the same rusty blade.

But the issue is that if the blades are worn, the cut will be rough and leave ripped tips on the ends of each grass blade. These can hasten the browning of the grass and make your lawn more vulnerable to pests and disease. The owners of lawns do not want this to happen.

That is why one should sharpen the blade frequently. Sharp blades also make it possible to rapidly and uniformly cut the grass, giving you a nicely groomed lawn.

When Should You Sharpen the Blade?

When Should You Sharpen the Blade
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Once you observe any of these signs below, go straight for the blade’s sharpening without thinking about it.

But, let us remind you that this will not be an easy job. You must know the tools, equipment, and the correct way to sharpen your mower blades.

  • After one mowing, your lawn’s grass appears ragged and lifeless. Also, grass becomes brown and more vulnerable to pests and illnesses.
  • The mowing procedure gets tiresome. It implies that it will take more work to cut the grass properly.
  • The grass on the lawn appears rough-cut rather than smooth, and the mower occasionally tears the grass out from the roots.
  • The mower’s blades appear to be rusted and dull.

But now, the question that will come to your mind is, “Can we sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them?”

The answer is, of course, yes. Yes, you can sharpen the mower blades without having to remove them. Many people also prefer to take the blade off to sharpen it, but if you want to do it like this, you can do it without removing it.

Though it is not a very popular option, people find it laborious to bolt and unbolt the blade. And that is why there is an option to sharpen the blade without unbolting it from the machine.

You need to use a somewhat different technique than usual to sharpen your lawn mower’s blade. At the same time, it is fastened to the machine’s body.

Also Read:- Do You Need To Sharpen New Mower Blades | A Complete Guide

How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades Without Removing Them?

How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades Without Removing Them
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Various ways to sharpen lawn mower blades are:

  • Bench grinder
  • Hand file
  • Angle or rotary grinder
  • Use of a drill
  • Sharpening stone
  • Use of a sandpaper

Following are the complete step-by-step guidelines to sharpen the blade without removing it.

Tools need for the sharpening of the blade are:

  • Blade Grinder (or choose any other blade sharpener)
  • Safety gloves and goggles

Step-By-Step Guidelines to Do the Sharpening

We suggest you follow the step-by-step guidelines as it is, and you will have a perfect sharp mower blade without removing it from the device.

Step 1. Make the Proper Preparation For the Sharpening

Make the Proper Preparation For the Sharpening
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First thing first, collect all the required equipment and tools beside you, like the blade grinder, safety gloves, goggles, the balancing block, the brush, and so forth.

It is crucial to unplug your electric lawn mower and unhook all power supplies to prevent any harm or mishap while you are working on the blade attached to the machine. Empty the tank when using a fuel or gas engine to avoid spills.

For physical safety, put on gloves and glasses. You must turn the mower to one side to reveal the blades and begin the process. The blades should then be balanced on any wooden balancer to keep them steady while sharpening.

Before sharpening it, clean or wash your mower blades with the help of the brush or washer to remove all possible dirt and debris; it will prevent any hurdle during the sharpening of the blade.

Step 2. Start With the Sharpening of the Blade

Start With the Sharpening of the Blade
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You can use the sharping of the mower blade by using the best blade sharpeners available on the market. But it would help if you chose the sharpener considering the mower blade’s design, which one will suit you the best.

Once you balance the blade, take the blade grinder and start sharpening the edge of one side of the blade. You must not stop the process until and unless you get the perfect result.

Once you get the sharp and fine edge of the blade on one side, you can switch to the other.

For proper and uniform sharpening, you need to maintain the appropriate angle. When drawing away from the center, you must use consistent strokes; drawing backward is unnecessary while sharpening.

Several methods are available to get lawn mower blades that are neatly sharpened without removing them from the mower.

1. Hand Filling

Your blade will be simple to sharpen. Please remove the hand file and start stroking it on one edge of the blade by pushing it up and down and applying some pressure on it.

Then, please do it again on the opposite side of the blade.

2. Rotatory Tool or Angle Grinder

An alternative method for sharpening the grinding disc is to use a 90-degree die grinder. There is one limitation: you can only sharpen using the disc’s lower end.

3. Bench Grinder

It is very explicitly used for removing the dent in the blade. While using this tool, be aware that you are using the correct blade edge.

Because a good amount of metal will be removed, you must carefully sharpen the blades equally on both sides.

Honing the blade up and down will look fabulous if you maintain the balance and the right angle.

4. Employing A Drill

You can use a drill also for sharpening the blade. Though drill alone is not enough to do the business, you need to add some other equipment according to the type of blade you use.

5. Sharpening Stone

To install a sharpening stone into it, you need a drilling machine. Then turn on the drill, increase the speed, and expose the dull blades.

Apply a few strokes while using the blades, then determine when it is finished. Apply a few more strokes and finish the job if the blades are not sharp enough.

6. Employing a Sharpener

It is one of the cheapest and neatest methods for sharpening the blade without detaching it from the mower.

Apply it to the blades’ dull areas to get them clean and sharp.

Recommendations

Keep the following advice in mind if you plan to sharpen the lawn mower’s blades without removing them first:

  • Knowing when your blades are ragged or dull is essential.
  • Once the fuel has been used up, only sharpen the blades. If not, catastrophic harm could happen.
  • Maintain equilibrium when sharpening the blades.
  • Check to know whether you need to sharpen your mower blades.
  • Decide when the mower’s blades need to be replaced.
  • Even after being chipped, blades can still be ground out.

Also Read: How To Restore a Lawn Mower Battery? {A Complete Guide!}

FAQ’s

Which one is better? Sharpen the blade or replace it?

Once you use the mower for 2 to 3 seasons, you don’t need to sharpen it but instead replace it with a new one.

From where to get the suitable blade sharpener?

Blade sharpeners are available in various locations, including your local store and internet retailers.

Which is the correct sharpener for sharpening my mower blade?

The correct sharpener is the one that suits your blade, is affordable, and lasts for a longer time.

How tight should mower blades be?

While walk-behind mower blades should have between 38 and 50 foot-pounds of torque, riding mower blades require between 70 and 90 foot-pounds.

Is it okay to sharpen the new mower?

Not necessary because the mower blade comes in the sharpened stage.

Conclusion

So, now that you know, you can sharpen the mower blade without removing or unbolting it from the machine.

Since it is a little uncommon and unknown among the gardeners as most prefer doing it by removing the blade from the machine. However, it is not impossible to sharpen it without removing the blade.

We covered everything you require to understand about sharpening the blade without removing it from the machine in this article.

It is possible to do this more quickly and effectively without having to deal with the trouble of removing the mower’s blades for sharpening.

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