Skip The Metal File: Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades With A Tool You Already Own

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Cutting your grass is tedious but necessary if you want a lush, healthy-looking lawn all summer. But it's easy to forget all the maintenance tasks that go into having a lawn mower that's up to the job. Not only do you have to stay on top of buying and adding gas and oil to your machine, but you also need to keep it tuned and make sure the blades are sharp. Without knife-like cutting edges, the mower will tear and damage your turf instead of cutting it smoothly and neatly. On the bright side, sharpening your lawn mower blades may be faster and easier than you expect, thanks to something you likely already own — a Dremel rotary tool with an attachment designed for sharpening garden tools.

There's nothing wrong with using a file on your lawn mower blade, but it can be slow and tedious, often requiring more than a few passes to get the desired result. Using your Dremel tool with the sharpening attachment allows you to take care of this chore quickly and efficiently. That's a good thing, since you should be completing this task no fewer than three times a year.

Before you can start sharpening, you'll need to remove and clean the lawn mower blade. Then you're ready to put it in a vise and get out your Dremel tool and lawn mower sharpening attachment. Screw the attachment into the Dremel and then carefully follow the original blade edge while keeping your tool at about 25,000 rpm. Make sure to wear ear protection, gloves, and goggles. Work slowly, checking your progress often so you don't grind away more metal than necessary. After you've sharpened both sides, check if the lawn mower blade is balanced. If everything looks good, you're ready to reattach it and get back to your yard work.

As fast and easy as the tool can be for sharpening lawn mower blades, it's not the right choice in all situations. The blades on reel mowers, for example, can be challenging and should generally be left to professionals. Additionally, some people have found that it can be easy to accidentally shave off too much when using this implement. Using the gauge and spacers that come with the Dremel Sharpening Attachment Kit as guides should limit this problem, though. 

If you'd prefer to skip the Dremel but also don't want to go back to using files to sharpen your lawn mower blade, angle grinders and sharpening stones are also good options. If there's bending, chips, or dents, forgo the tools altogether and just replace the blades.