Sharpening Your Lawn Mower Blades By Hand: Should You Try?

Getting lawn mower blades sharpened costs anywhere from $5 to $30 depending on the type and whether they're on or off the mower. Usually, you've also got the inconvenience of taking them to the store and fetching them the next day. But with a few basic tools, you can do the job yourself by hand. Should you try? Let's look at what's involved.

You can sharpen mower blades without removing them, but taking them off makes the job easier for beginners. You'll need a length of 2x4 (or something similar) to wedge between the deck and blades to stop them rotating, and you'll also require a socket or wrench to undo the central nut. Ideally, after you remove the blades, you'll have a vise to hold them, but you could also clamp the blades firmly to a bench. Finally, you'll need a 10-inch file. Good ones — like the WORKPRO W051002 — cost around $10 on Amazon.

Clean the blades first using soapy water and a stiff brush, then clamp them securely with one cutting edge accessible. Using the file, follow the existing cutting angle. Most files only cut forwards, so apply force in that direction, lift, and repeat. There's no need to push hard, just focus and work steadily. The mower blades don't need to be razor sharp. One expert at The Home Depot described it perfectly as "as sharp as a butter knife." This takes 50 strokes or fewer per side. Unless the blades are badly damaged, the whole job might take 15 to 20 minutes.

You can also try to sharpen lawn mower blades by hand using a traditional whetstone or a diamond stone. However, both cost more than a file, and they need water or oil as a lubricant, which can get messy. There are, of course, other tools that make it safe and easy to sharpen your own mower blades, but they do require a power source. A couple are still hand-held though, so those get included here.

Angle grinders are fast but also aggressive, loud, and need a firm grip to maintain control. Accuracy can be difficult, and it's easy to remove more metal than necessary. A similar but much more user-friendly option is to buy a blade sharpener for a power drill. These are small, and much more manageable, and brands like Crafts Man are under $20 for a pack of five, which is a great value. Whichever method you choose, you'll likely find that sharpening lawn mower blades by hand is quicker and easier than you thought. In the long run, it will probably save you money too, so there's really no reason why you shouldn't give it a try.