Details Of Lawnmower Blades
The lawnmower blades are made of tool steel or ordinary steel called mild steel or carbon steel. The edges of the blades made of tool steel remain sharp for longer time and will require lesser sharpening over the age of the blade. Tool steel blade is costly and generally cannot be sharpened at the DIY workshop. The mild steel or carbon steel is cheaper and easy to maintain. The blades have to be kept sharp. If this is not done, grass blades will be torn off instead of being cut. Apart from the obvious ugly look, the growth of grass blades is adversely affected as the moisture retention capacity of blade is reduced.
Sharpening Of Lawnmower Blades the DIY Way
You can sharpen the lawnmower blades your self quickly and easily. This operation can take a very short time. The procedure is very easy and you can do it yourself. The following procedure will apply irrespective of the type of lawnmower. Consult the operation manual of your lawnmower for removal of blades.
1. Be sure to disconnect all the power sources before begin with the process. In case that your lawn mower was a battery powered one, then remove the battery or batteries, depending on the model. Check twice that all the power controls are off to avoid an accidental engine start.
2. The second step will be finished as soon as you remove the blades totally from the mower. You might need external help to achieve it, using a couple of spanners may help a lot, however be sure that it doesn’t slip. BE careful while doing this, because it’s easy to cut yourself whether the spanner slips.
3. Once the blades are out of the mower, you need the number them in order to fit them back later.
4. Fix a blade in a stable holding or a vice to work easily.
5. The sharpen process begins here. You will need a grinder or file for it. Make sure to follow the blade’s contour and sharpen it to your convenience. Sharpen all blades using the same sharpened to a perfect later cutting grass.
6. Time to refit the blades along. Make sure to do it along with balancing, if it exists any.
7. There is an option of sharpen blades without removing them from the mower, however it’s uncomfortable as well as more difficult. You will also need a flexible shaft angle grinder to a perfect sharpened, which will save you time.
8. The last step is the blade balance checking. To carry the blades balancing you need a balancer. A clue to find whether or not the blades are correctly refitted, is checking if the mower vibrates, if so then blades are not well balanced.
