How To Easily Sharpen Your Lawn Mower's Mulching Blades

Whether you're planning to sharpen your mulching blades by hand or if you recently got a new powered blade sharpening tool, we have what you need to know to sharpen your lawn mower blades. The easiest way is likely with a tabletop blade grinder, like the VEVOR blade sharpener (about $280 at Home Depot), though these are typically expensive and not accessible to everyone. If you can't get your hands on a tabletop sharpener, using a rotary tool or a drill with a grinding wheel attachment will get your mulching blades sharpened quickly and easily. When working with electric tools like these, it's important to wear eye protection, gloves, and a mask, as well as to be very careful.

If you don't want to use these tools that make it easy to safely sharpen mower blades, you might try a flat mill file (about $9 at Home Depot), but this will take longer and be more difficult. For those who have access to a tabletop grinder, you'll want to ensure that it's set up for a curved mulching blade before you begin. The small guide that holds the blade in place should have room for the bend in the blade to easily move over it. Push the blade under the stone wheel, allowing it to follow the pattern of the curve, and repeat until it's sharpened. Make sure that the machine is set to the correct angle for your blade (approximately 30 to 45 degrees), as different blades will have bevel angles.

When you know it's time to sharpen your lawn mower blades, you may be unsure how to do so with a curved mulching blade. While typical mower blades are flat and simple to sharpen, it's crucial to follow the curve with mulching blades. With some tools, like angle grinders, this may be rather difficult. Instead, using a drill or rotary is often the easiest way to accomplish this job if you don't have access to the super easy tabletop sharpeners. If you're working with a rotary, Amazon has a pack of abrasive grinding wheel bits for under $10, though you'll probably want to use the disc-shaped one. Local hardware stores will also carry sharpening bits for your drill or rotary, like the universal lawn mower blade sharpening kit at Home Depot for about $13.

Start by clamping your blade into a bench vise to keep it secure as you're working. Be aware that any powered tool will cause sparks while you're sharpening, which is why it's so crucial to protect your eyes. Once your grinding attachment is secured to your drill, turn it on and begin sharpening. Ensure you're holding the wheel at the correct angle for your blade. Some sharpening kits may come with guides to help you get the right angle, but you'll have to check that they're suitable for mulching blades. Apply a bit of pressure as you move the wheel over the blade, and it should be sharpened quickly.