Easily Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades With An Affordable 3-Piece Amazon Find

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Most of us want our lawns to look their best: lush, dark green, and nicely mowed. But with time and use, lawnmower blades can dull and begin cutting unevenly and less efficiently. Needing to push the mower with extra effort and the lawn looking patchy after mowing are signs that it's time to sharpen your mower blades. This is a task that most DIYers can master with relative ease and can save you the cost of hiring a professional or buying replacement blades. While it may seem intimidating, using a file from the TARIST 3-Piece Diamond File Set from Amazon can make this task feel much less daunting. Utilizing electroplated diamond-sand technology and steel blades, they are durable, long-lasting, and well-suited to sharpening mower blades by hand. 

Attached to their ergonomically designed handles are a round, half-round, and flat file; each file blade is 8 inches long. Although the set contains three files, only two of them have a flat face appropriate for sharpening your lawnmower blade. The round and half-round faces are not practical for creating a flat, smooth cutting edge.

One of the advantages of using a file instead of a bench grinder is that there is no danger of metal filings flying about. Still, practice basic DIY safety and wear protective work gloves to keep your hands and fingers safe next to the ever-sharpening edge of the blade. Working where you have plenty of light is also important so you can see the improvement in the cutting edge as you file and avoid any accidental contact.

To sharpen your lawnmower blade with one of the flat-facing files, you'll need to remove the blade(s) from the lawnmower. If your mower is gas-powered, disconnect the spark plug to prevent an accidental start-up. Remove any gunk that may have built up on the blade and then clamp it securely in a vise. If you don't have a vise, clamp it to a workbench. 

With the blade secured, align one of the flat-facing files to the angle of the blade's edge. Carefully stroke the file evenly down the edge in a single direction. Keep going until you have a smooth and sharp edge. Next, flip the blade around, clamp it, and repeat this process on the other side of the edge.

Although it is highly unlikely when using hand files, sharpening mower blades can leave them unbalanced. To test whether your blade is balanced or not, hang it through the arbor (the mounting hole in the middle of the blade) on a small nail. If it rotates to one side, use the file to remove more material from the bevel on the low side. Once sharpened and balanced, simply reattach the blade to the mower deck.