Tools, Sharpening and Power Machinery - Sharpening old timey push mower blades

I need to know how to sharpen the blades of a old push mower ...(not Gas powered!) nobody in this community does this anymore; all the lawn and garden places I have called think I am crazy for owning this type mower, and they do not sharpen these kinds of blades, but I prefer this mower; it gives one a lot of exercise and is non-polluting!
Anyone have any tips on sharpening?

Hello and Welcome Renn to the Do It Yourself Web Site and my Sharpening forum.

Bad News but it was correct. There just aren't enough reel type lawn mowers around anylonger to justify the costs of buying, maintaining or having the professional machinery to sharpen reel mower blades.

Hand push reel type mowers can not be sharpened without the correct professional equipment. Any attempt to hand sharpen the reels blades will due more damage then good.

Here's why:
In order to cut correctly, each blade has to be sharpened exactly equal to all the others. The bed knife must also be sharpened. Then the reels blades must equally and evenly come into contact with the bed knife edge.

Basically, sharpened and adjusted correctly, the reels 5 or 7 blades, when coming into contact with the bed knife, creates a shearing effect much like a scissors.

Any attempt to sharpen the reels blades or the bed knife without the correct machinery, will ruin the entire assembly.

TIP:
Without having to disassemble any part, you could apply honing grit and attempt to remove some of the dullness. Be aware, this process does take lots of pushing and not much will be gained. Honing grit is available at almost any auto parts store.

Tom_Bartco
Accurate Power Equipment Company.
Small Engine Service and Repair Technician.
Personal Quote:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

thanks for the info on the reel mower...heck it dont seem fair that i cant find a person to sharpen my reel mower!

Hello: Renn

The lawn mower shops that still do this type of sharpening are still out there but most likely within the bigger cities.

Your local phone book is your best source to find one. Once you find one, go there but ask the price first. Hand mowers won't cost all that much but ask first anyway.

Like everything else, time is money to a shop owner. Sharpening this type of blade and bedknife and the machinery needed, plus supply and demand, the costs may have gone higher then you care to pay.

Renn-
Try going to a commercial lawn equipment dealer - many golf courses and upscale landscaping companies use Locke(sp?) mowers which are intermediate-sized ganged reel mowers. If that is fruitless, try talking to golf course maintenance workers, especially the ones caring for the greens. If that fails, keep your eye open for any landscapers using reel type mowers and either copy their number down and call them or stop and ask. I have a Toro SportLawn gas reel mower and the local Toro dealer said he can sharpen the blades, so try Toro dealers. Since yours is the push type, perhaps you can ship it to someone who does do sharpening. Depends on how far you are willing to go.

all you need to sharpen your blades is a power grinder and wallah

Sure hope they got them sharp in the past 7 1/2 years. Check the dates on the posts. And reel mowers are sharpened differently than rotary mowers. My dad always did his with a file and steady hand.