Comments on: Frugal Lawn Care: Sharpening Mower Blades

By: Rent vs Mortgage: Calculating Tangible and Intangible Costs | Frugal Dad

Rent vs Mortgage: Calculating Tangible and Intangible Costs | Frugal Dad — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:01:00 +0000

[...] and any other updates required over the years. Renters are typically responsible for things like lawn care and keeping the interior in good shape (walls, carpet, [...]

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:14:10 +0000

Just don’t do what I did and break the new blade after the 2nd use. Because then I had to buy a SECOND new blade.

By: Jean Ma

Jean Ma — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:27:37 +0000

Very practical. You’ll save money in sharpening however there is always a time when you really need to buy a new blade.

By: Justin

Justin — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:38:59 +0000

Its amazing what a good sharpen will do for the lawn mower. Also, slight tune-ups will definitely extend the life of your mower even though they don’t make them like they used too.

By: Lawn Care Columbia MO

Lawn Care Columbia MO — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:10:44 +0000

Frankly – dull mower blades are one of the reasons a company like mine stays in business. People hate to mow and if the yard looks bad when they do – they call us!

Some people never THINK of just getting their blades sharpened, but I come from a pretty frugal household and it wouldn’t have occurred to me NOT to do it!

By: James M

James M — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:23:49 +0000

I am a certified crazy lawn nut, so take my comments as you will.

Cutting with a dull blade fractures the grass instead of cutting, leaving a larger wound area and makes the grass more prone to disease. You can tell when a blade is too dull because the ends of blades of grass will brown about 48 hours after cutting. With a sharp blade the grass will look considerably “greener” between mowings.

I sharpen my blade every 2 weeks (4 cuttings or so). It can easily be done with a bench grinder ($45) or a cheap angle grinder ($20 + vise) and there really is no issue with messing up the blade balance. I have no training, and have sharpened my blade at least 500 times over the life of my mower. The amount of metal removed is very small compared to the total mass of the blade.

If you keep up with it, sharpening should take no more than 2 minutes (depending on how accessible your tools are).

Don’t be put off with the “bench” in bench grinder, they are very portable, easy to use and come in surprisingly handy. A freshly sharpened spade or tree snip will make gardening so much less of a chore.

By: Michael - Fat Loss Tips

Michael - Fat Loss Tips — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:22:09 +0000

Good post and idea about a 2nd blade. Thanks for the reminder as my blades will have to be extra sharp after all this rain in southern Ontario.

By: KP

KP — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:23:03 +0000

I just bought the lawn mower blade sharpener from Ace hardware (also available on line) that can be used with a drill to sharpen the blade. It comes with instructions. Balancing is easy if you have wise. It was 8 bucks but looks like it could last for 20 uses. Avoid hassle and buy new if you are not good at handyman’s job.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:24:17 +0000

Kevin nice DIY post!

I am glad you went down to the second blade rotation approach– a real time saver.

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:35:21 +0000

@Tammy: Check with a lawn mower repair shop, or similar shop that works on small engines (or a metal cutting shop). They should have a grinding tool available that should be able to put a fresh, sharp edge on your yard tools.