Blade Sharpening?

[Esby]

Well, today I finally went out and bought my self a new bench grinder. I got a Delta with a 3.5 amp, 1/4 HP motor on it, two 6" grinding wheels(course and fine). Works really well. Just wonder what ya'll use for sharpening your blades?? Is there anything that works better than the other?

[TJLC]

I use a bench grinder to sharpen,it works pretty well,but I am in the process of getting an RBG. I hope it's as good as I have been hearing.

[Eric ELM]

Where have you been Esby? I haven't seen you on line for a while. I use a RBG and I have for the past 15 months, second best thing is hand held grinders, last on my list is the bench grinder.

There have been many threads on this same topic, so I figure you haven't been on line to see these. :)

[awm]

gotta differ here. i cant afford the blade sharpener yet
but find it easier to get my blades the way i want them with
table grinder.ths was not always the case. but with my grinder in my set up ,i can get the blade closer to the way i want it. which is sharp with some body right behind the edg and a quick taper to as sharp as i can get it.some day ill demo the rgb sharpener and im sure ill probably get it.theres just other things got to be got first.
good luck.

[Jay ALC]

Where do you get info about the RBG grinders? I was looking at a Brandelein Machine Fireball grinder which seems to be the best I have found. Thanks.

Jay Archer
Owner/Operator
Archer Lawn Care

[Eric ELM]

Here is the link to where I got mine.
https://www.amleo.com/help-desk/item.php?bg218

[dhicks]

I bought the RBG and it looks pretty sitting on my work bench. Unfortunately, I can't use it. The single page instructions that came with the RBG may be enough information to those that know the process for sharpening blades. But for a novice like me the instructions are vague and leaves plenty of room for mistakes on my part. Oh well... When I take my hedge trimmers in for sharpening by the pro I'll get some instructions on using the RBG.

[Toroguy]

Cont be discouraged by the popularity of the RBG. I also use a Delta bench grinder.

It takes a while to get the right method of sharpening, but once you find that groove, they work just fine. Uness you nick the blade, just running it across the wheel lightly will get you back out cutting. Try to follow the angle on the blade. Place yor blade in the same spot each time to maintain uniformity of angle. I didnt do this at first and my blade tips looked like a roller coaster:)

Dont use the "coarse" wheel, it is to aggressive.

[sdwally]

Our normal way is to use a bench grinder, however in a pinch our operators use a 3 1/2" hand grinder to dress the blades on our large machines. Our bench grinders are no less than 1/2hp and the one used to sharpen blades is 3/4hp with 10" wheels. The bigger the grinder the fast. Once you learn the technic for sharpening blades the normal time per blade is between 3 and 5 minutes.
Don't forget a good blade balancer, there has been some discussion about those too. If you have a lot of blades to sharpen, I suggest buying a good pair of heavy welding gloves. The blades can get quite warm if you have some big nicks to take out. Try a welding supply store to get the gloves.

[turfguy33]

Until this year, I have used a bench grinder to sharpen my blades, it di ok, but it doesn't do as good of a job as a RBG or any grinder that specializes in blade sharpening. I ordered a Magna Matic grinder, with a 1 horse motor....They claim to sharpen a blade in less than one minute, but I'm sure It will take at least a couple for me. I also ordered a really high tech blade balancer that gives the exact weight of the left and right sides. It also has something like a Dial indicator on it that will detect if the blade is bent any, the company said that it is one of the most precise blade balancers out there. I thought about buying a RBG, but decided to get this instead, just to try it out. For the pair, I think the price was $655 with free shipping. Kinda expensive, but I take sharp blades very, very seriously

[TGCummings]

I have an RBG and, after a couple weeks of 'learning' the machine (instructions for it are vague), I now have 'perfect' blades every time. Razor sharp and perfectly angled in no time at all.

-TGC

[swn]

When you guys balance your blades, I was wondering if you took into account all of the grass and dirt that is on the blades. I am sure there is enough to mess up the balance. Just curious if you take the time to clean this off or just balance them. I guess if they are balanced then they are balanced it does not matter what is on them. Probably a stupid question.

For sharpening I use a bench grinder and about every 3rd or 4th time I use a hand held grinder. Again, keeping the right angle is very important. I am like most everyone else, looking into an RGB grinder down the road.

[Premo Services]

swn Just curious if you take the time to clean this off or just balance them. I guess if they are balanced then they are balanced it does not matter what is on them. Probably a stupid question.

I always clean the buildup off of the blades,because there can be more buildup on one side,and that will throw the blade off.

[jeffyr]

I have been using a benchtop belt sander/grinder and it works great (I could hack off a digit with a blade when I'm done). As mentioned though, I have never used the RGB which gets such rave reviews that everyone shells out a wad of cash for it. Yes, I would probably love it. But I also love the dvd player I bought with the money saved by using by benchtop belt sander (not to mention I never bring my blades in for the evil $6 a pop charge.

jeffyr

[turfguy33]

I just received my Magna-Matic in the mail today, had to take it to the shop and give it a try on a few blades.....I must say, it was an excellent purchase. The first time I placed a blade on it, actually only took me like a minute or 2. Then I popped it on my brand new Magna Matic blade sharpener.......Very, Very accurate, I took a little more off one side, and checked it again, then checked the level of flatness on the blades.......Remember, there's more to sharpening a blade than just having a sharp blade....a lot of factors play into a nice clean cut. Sure a sharp blade is awsome, but an unbalanced blade could cause damage to your crank shaft or bearing blocks and decrease forward mowing speeds....
Ok, as you can tell, I'm impressed with my new toys.........You ought to look them up, there website is www.magna-matic.com. Just to give you some insight, they come with either a 1/2 hp or 1 hp motor, a 7 inch grinding wheel, and a 3450 grinding wheel RPM, whereas everyone else has only 1725 RPM's...Alright, I'm done rambling, but I wanted everyone to know that there is more than one good sharpener, so shop around before you assume that there's only one to choose from

[TLS]

Glad you like the Magna-Matic's! I have the balancer, but before I knew about them I bought a Brandelien Machine Fireball Jr. 3/4 HP 8" wheel 3450 rpm. Very busy under there! Really gets down to business at the business end. This is another highly recomended dedicated blade sharpener. Very nice family oriented company. You call and the owner answers the phone!

I cant see how anyone who cuts grass for a living cant afford a blade sharpener and a balancer. There is just no comparison to the end result when using these professional machines. This is an investment folks! And its a TAX wrightoff!

Mow on!

[George777]

My partner and I just bought one from lesco. It woks great. Now I can get the true 30 degree angle. We were sharpening some blades yesterday and cut right through our gloves. we just could not pass up the deal we got.

[Grateful11]

I'm glad to see that Jeffyr is enjoying his stationary belt sander. I mentioned that it was what I used and he took my advise. I sharpened an axe once on mine and had it lying on my workbench and reached for something on the wall and accidently brushed my hand by the newly sharpened axe edge and got one of the worst cuts of my life. He's corrrect, they get most anything to a keen razor edge. I usually run a smooth file once or twice perpendicular to the blade across the cutting edge to knock the very sharp razor edge off. The blade never get very warm either with a good belt. Best of all you can get one for $80 to $300 depending on size and quality.