The Family Handyman – August 2019

20 JULY/AUGUST 2019 FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM

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Y

ou can sharpen a mower blade with a

file, a rotary tool or a bench grinder, but

an angle grinder makes it fast and easy.

Sharpen

a lawn

mower

blade

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vise or to your workbench. Wear

gloves, a face shield, hearing pro-

tection and a long-sleeve shirt.

Before you start grinding, hold the

grinder against the blade and tip it

to match the blade’s bevel.

Maintain this angle as you grind.

Keep the grinder moving, using

only light pressure so you don’t

overheat the blade or grind off too

much (Photo 3). If you overheat the

metal, it’ll turn dark blue or black

turning while you loosen it. Mark

the “grass side” of the blade so you

don’t reinstall it upside down.

Loosen the blade nut (Photo 2). If

it’s stubborn, use a breaker bar, or

soak it with penetrating oil for a

half hour and try again.

Clamp the blade securely in a

First, disconnect the spark plug
wire (Photo 1). Next, seal the gas
cap vent hole by putting a piece
of plastic under the gas cap. Tip
the mower with the carburetor
facing up.
Clamp a 2x4 block to the mower
deck to keep the blade from