Glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I read this post, would've been all over the keyboard! :sidelaughI have stones strategically placed in my lawn that keeps a nice serrated edge on my blades. Failing that I use a small angle grinder.
:sidelaughI have stones strategically placed in my lawn that keeps a nice serrated edge on my blades. Failing that I use a small angle grinder.
Ha ha same here. But I like it that way it keeps the honey bees happy and making honey. I do like to do my first 2 mowings before I sharpen the blades because I leave the grass seed before the first mowing. Then it's time for a good sharp blade cutting. After that whatever.......... :tango_face_grin:I only sharpen blades once a year if that--in my yard the sharp edge lasts about one mowing,or the first tree root or rock the blades hit...usually by the time I've sharpened the blades 3-4 times they are overdue for replacement,they get cracks or chunks busted out from the solid objects they have hit over the years..
Frankly I do not see all that much difference in how the grass looks when cut with freshly sharpened blades --I have felt the edges on blades after one mowing I sharpened and they are already blunt and rounded over..but my yard is far from a golf course ,its more like a collection of green weeds and clover and wild flowers that resemble a lawn once cut..
Same here, tons of rocks and rounded blades. Beat that grass with a club every mowing and it'll eventually give up and be too scared to grow.I only sharpen blades once a year if that--in my yard the sharp edge lasts about one mowing,or the first tree root or rock the blades hit...usually by the time I've sharpened the blades 3-4 times they are overdue for replacement,they get cracks or chunks busted out from the solid objects they have hit over the years..
Frankly I do not see all that much difference in how the grass looks when cut with freshly sharpened blades --I have felt the edges on blades after one mowing I sharpened and they are already blunt and rounded over..but my yard is far from a golf course ,its more like a collection of green weeds and clover and wild flowers that resemble a lawn once cut..
There is a limit to the dullness though. My first mower would start eating the deck drive belt when the blades got too dull.Since I found out that the condition of the lifting wings on the back of the blade is more important than the condition of the cutting edge, I no longer sharpen the blades.
If the lifting wings can't suck the grass up to where the mower blades can make contact, even a razor edge will not cut the grass. Most poor cuts are due to lack of lift.
A sharp edge only lasts until it contacts the grass. If you look at a new blade, the cutting edge is not sharp. Mower blades cut with velocity (close to 200 mph), not with a sharp edge. Witness weed whackers. The wire is 1/16" to 3/32" in diameter. There is no sharp edge, and yet they cut as cleanly as a freshly sharpened mower blade after a single mowing of the lawn.
That all depends upon the grit of the flap discs used. The 36 grit are very aggressive and remove lots of material quickly, good for removing nicks. I use a 60 grit flap disc which sharpens quickly but doesn't remove much material. Usually takes about 30 seconds or less to sharpen one edge. Higher grit ends up polishing and not sharpening as much.Thats what i use to sharpen mine. Although ive heard many people say they are too aggresive.
I've seen that written up and _no_ less than 1/32".This is what many manufacturers including JD recommend when sharpening blades. A is the original angle and B is 1/64 of an inch. If B is to sharp the metal rolls over which in effect dulls the blade. Roger