How sharp do you sharpen your bades??????????

[Craftybigdog]

Hey guys I sharpen my own blades and I use a angle grinder Im real careful not to overheat the metal because it weakens it, but my question is how sharp do you get yours heres a baseline you know when you buy a new set of blades do you put even more of an edge on them than that? I usually lightly brush new blades with my grinder what do you think thanks alot guys! One more when do you know the blades are done and you cant sharpen them anymore?

[odin]

MAGNA MATIC 9000 is what we use we just got it month or two ago great piece of machinery.

[Southern Lawns]

We never touch up new blades, not supposed to be razor sharp.

[odin]

meant to also add we get em razor sharp and sharpen the blades first thing even when we buy brand new ones.

[Doc Pete]

Since blades are only about $40 for a set of three, you don't have to put that much effort into deciding when to chuck them. Just look at them and say, "Yup, time to buy new ones. Also, I put a razor end on new ones, since they ain't balanced that well anyway, and should be when running doubles. And Boy, nice sharp blades do cut nice..... you can tell the difference.......
Pete

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Switchless@aol.com
Since blades are only about $40 for a set of three,
Pete

Damn you guys realy need to find a better place to buy blades.

Don't know exactly what mower you have but the 54" has popped out a lot.

I got $5.15 a blade for Silver Streak.

[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER


Damn you guys realy need to find a better place to buy blades.

Don't know exactly what mower you have but the 54" has popped out a lot.

I got $5.15 a blade for Silver Streak.


Yeah, I tried the SS's, but they weren't as strong as the stock Hustlers, and the Hustlers would hold an edge much longer. I figured out the time to sharpen and change blade twice as often, and it was much more economical to use the better stock blades.
Actually, since I do my own sharpening, it's easy to "feel" the hardness of the better Hustler blades when you run them through the grinder/sharpener.
Pete

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Don't buy the .205 blades buy the .250 blades. That was the price for the .250 blades which are the same thickness as your Hustlers.

Strenth; those physics books are hurting your brain.

That is the thickness not strength. I hardly dought you can feel the strength of a blade while grinding it on you angle grinder.

[darryl gesner]

I sharpen by hand with a 12 inch mill ******* file. I've never overheated my blades with this method.:D

[65hoss]

I sharpen and balance new blades. The factory job sucks.

Oh, very sharp also. Pretty close to razor.

[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
Don't buy the .205 blades buy the .250 blades. That was the price for the .250 blades which are the same thickness as your Hustlers.Strenth; those physics books are hurting your brain.
That is the thickness not strength. I hardly dought you can feel the strength of a blade while grinding it on you angle grinder.

Thanks for the info. The Hustler blades are 1/4" already. And to clarify, I use a bench grinder. And, besides being able to see more material come off as I grind the "non" Hustler blade, it takes less pressure to do that. So, to me, this means the Hustler blades are made from harder/better steel. Finally, as I've mentioned, the Hustlers will hold an edge much longer than the SS's.
Thanks,
Pete

[crawdad]

LGF said,
"I got $5.15 a blade for Silver Streak"

Where can I buy them?
Crawdad

[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by crawdad
LGF said,
"I got $5.15 a blade for Silver Streak"Where can I buy them?
Crawdad

Actually, I'd be interested in 1/4" thick blades for a 54" machine at $5.15, too.................OOP's am I being too Dense???
Thanks,
Pete

[dlandscaping]

In stens most blades are only $5 for me.
I have a neighbor that does grinding all day for his job. He handles all our blades in return to fix his mower loan him a hand when he needs it. He uses a hand sander thing. It is circular. It does an awesome job. Blades stay shard for 50hrs + and he grinds to the middle. The blades dont heat up either. Ive used our bench grinder once and will never again. Blades are hardly sharp after grinding dont stay sharp either and it heats it up.

[awm]

man i wish i had a friend like that.
i change every day in busy times.
50 hrs would be a dream come true.
knock about 20-30 mins. wk off each day.
course thats taken them off an puttin them on.

[bobbygedd]

what do u guys mean by, ummm, sharpen blades?

[hoagie]

I'm w/ you bud... I never sharpen my blades. Dull blades are better for the grass...

[Craftybigdog]

:rolleyesYOU GUYS ARE JOKING RIGHT

[HLC]

Yeah, didn't we just have this discussion a few weeks ago. You need to have that 1/16" thick edge on the leading edge because sharp blades make the grass grow too fast:dizzy:

[dr grass]

We sharpen our own blades. we run it down to about 1/16 - 1/32 of an inch. the problem with putting a "razor sharp" edge is that it CUTS the grass off, causing it to start growing again immedately. with the edge, it BREAKS the grass off, stunning it. thus, the grass will not grow for 3 days. also, razor sharp edges dull alot quicker. balancing your blades are also just as important because you can throw your bearings out from the vibration. as for you guys that rarely or never sharpen your blades .... please post some pics of these lawns ... i need a good laugh! hope this helps!

Shep :alien:

[Floridalandcare]

Dr Grass , Im with you .We sharpen our blades daily and can get them pretty close to razor sharp , we use a hand grinder and a vise(vice). Granted they will dull faster but the cut is beautifull. With dull blades you smash the grass into submission leaving frayed tips that turn white . Your shocking the grass thats why it doesnt start growing right away . Can anyone hear the difference between sharp and dull blades .With sharp blades all you hear is the blades spinning , when they start getting dull you can actually hear them hacking the grass ,Just my 2 cents guys

[Blessed 1]

Just changed my blades on my 255 Toro Z Master 52" 25 hp at 18 hrs. What a difference. No more stingers. Saves bunch of time by not having to double cut. Just got a set of Gators and plan on installing them this weekend. I don't know about any one else but I don't understand the logic of slowing the growth down. I'm in business to cut. Cut mo Make mo!:D :D :D

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by dr grass
We sharpen our own blades. we run it down to about 1/16 - 1/32 of an inch. the problem with putting a "razor sharp" edge is that it CUTS the grass off, causing it to start growing again immedately. with the edge, it BREAKS the grass off, stunning it. thus, the grass will not grow for 3 days. also, razor sharp edges dull alot quicker. balancing your blades are also just as important because you can throw your bearings out from the vibration. as for you guys that rarely or never sharpen your blades .... please post some pics of these lawns ... i need a good laugh! hope this helps!

Shep :alien:

You say so? so my lawns should all have damage and disease?

I guess when you have surgery, the Dr should use a dull scalple?

Leaving brown tips on lawns open them up for disease, bugs, and all kinds of problems. This also defies everything we have been tought in turf care, grounds care, or horticulture.

Have you ever notices a very dence yew trimmed with dull hedge trimmers with all the brown tips on it, think of the grass now?

[Runner]

I think Shep was stating that he DOES sharpen his blades sharp. Not saying that sharp blades cause damage.:) I sharpen my to about a razor's egde, too, because it doesn't matter if they dull that quick, they get changed almost daily, anyway. I just carry a few different sets with me in my "blade caddy", and can just quickly change them in the field, when I wish. (about 3 minutes and mower is back down on the ground, and everything is put back away, thanks to the rechargable impact). As far as new blades go, with the 1/8 inch of paint that comes on them, that is duller than I EVER let my blades get. They ALWAYS get presharpened.

[darryl gesner]

I believe dr grass is saying he doesn't use sharp blades. 1/16 inch edge is more than I ever have before I sharpen them. The only place I run dull blades in on my brush mower. In fact, I've never sharpened them. They get honed on rocks! It shatters woody growth and makes it less likely to grow back...also better on the tractor tires.

[HLC]

darryl,
I'm glad you said that because I was starting to wonder if I was reading dr grass wrong. I, too, go almost razor sharp. I was being a bit of a smart*** in my previous reply.:D

[hoagie]

I'm w/ you bud... I never sharpen my blades. Dull blades are better for the grass...

Just to clarify... I WAS being sarcastic, remembering that discussion from a few wks ago. :D

Razor sharp here too... changed daily. Keep a spare set of razors in the trailer just in case something gets chopped up.

[hoagie]

That whole dull blades making grass grow slower reminds me of another lco in my area who tells me... "we cut everything extra short, it keeps the grass from growing too fast". :eek:

[awm]

on a ztr ,i want a razor but with a lot of angle to give the edge good backing.this to alow taking advantage of the z speed of operation.
with say a lt i want justa good sharp edge.if the edge is done slow enough and correctly this can mow several days ,as it will
hold its edge. the deck is cutting at a slower speed on an lt usually.so u not flying over the ground.jmho
bushhogging 1/64 or more .good thick backing behind a moderately sharp edge.
u be hitting rocks etc

[thfireman]

OK, Heres a question....

Do you all agree on a deep angle on the blade or a shallow angle. I like to have a deeper angle because it seems to hold the edge better as mentioned above. I had a guy tell me a shallow angle slices better but I just cant see where there would be a noticible difference except that the blades would dull faster.

By the way I sharpen my blade razor sharp too!

:p

[lawnworker]

Are we supposed to sharpen are blades? ,hah hah, IN all seriousness they do need to be kept pretty sharp, maybe not like a razor, but sharp enough not to tear the grass.

[Richard Martin]

I get mine pretty sharp and then I blunt the edge on a bench grinder with a real fine wheel. The blunt is about 1/32" or so. This will actually give the blade 2 edges to cut with and it almost seems like it get sharper as it wears.

[awm]

thfireman . both of u are right.
u use my method. if he uses a almost flat angle ,he will have the best cutting around for mabe a yd or two.. then your blade catches up,and by evening u got him beat.really on a high blade speed mower the sharp angle will cut just as good . imho. ps one thing not mentioned is to leave the bottum of the blade alone except for knockin burrs off.ive used a slight sharpen on bottum and to me it just doesnt work as well
a good way to see what we are talkin ,is to try different angles an such on chain saws. that will give u a quicker picture of what slight angle creates in the edge.
cut best i ever saw, for a log or two,
then its back to the file.