What sharpening my chains and axes has done to me...

[7sleeper]

Go ONCE around your yard with one of these filled with RoundUp and you will be cutting a LOT LESS in the future.

View attachment 350490

I don't want to be drinking the water in your area!



I use an angle grinder as well. A few swipes, equal number on both sides so leveling is minimal at most, is all it needs.

What was your opinion of the Gator blades?

I have begun using gator blades and will only buy them in the future!

7

 

[Nosmo]

What was your opinion of the Gator blades?

I like them and do not regret buying them. They give a good looking cut.

 

[Gologit]

Grass? Goats! In the winter when you're tired of them and there's nothing for them to eat, you can eat them.

 

[Chris-PA]

I hate mowing the grass, and I think grass is a lousy crop. At least you can eat dandelions. We cut our mostly green weeds with an old 12hp WheelHorse and a crap push mower. And a scythe for some areas. I find the mower to be incredibly boring, but my wife likes it. Just don't be in front of her or leave something on the lawn - wherever she is when she's driving that thing it isn't in this universe, but I don't care as long as it frees me up to do other stuff (like running a saw or swinging an axe).

The field gets cut with a 5' brushhog on the Ferguson TO-20, which is a little more interesting, but still pretty dull. I do kind of enjoy clearing stuff with the 30" hog on the old Gravely 2 wheel.

I love sharpening things, but it is hard to extend that interest to mower blades. I did just make them razor sharp, but only because it saves a lot on fuel. And ultimately it is a waste of time because my wife will drive it over some subtle, easily missed object (like a boulder or a maybe one of the cars).

 

[redfin]

I find the mower to be incredibly boring, but my wife likes it. Just don't be in front of her or leave something on the lawn - wherever she is when she's driving that thing it isn't in this universe, but I don't care as long as it frees me up to do other stuff (like running a saw or swinging an axe).

I think our wives may be long lost sisters. Its "her" tractor and I'm not allowed to cut the grass.

Fine by me but as you said make for dang sure there is nothing in the field of travel before hand.

 

[CenterTree]

I start with a bench grinder on my blades.
Then I get out the belt sander with 80 grit paper...
Then I switch to a 120 grit sand paper by hand, then onto a 440 grit emery paper, followed by a nice 5 micron finish paper.

All this is followed up with a good polishing using #0000 grade steel wool.

I then like to wax and buff to a brilliant mirror-like finish.

For the final touch I spray the finished blades with a light coating of Teflon.

This only takes me about 7 hours per blade (there's 3 on the Exmark), but my grass in worth it.

 

[Chris-PA]

I start with a bench grinder on my blades.
Then I get out the belt sander with 80 grit paper...
Then I switch to a 120 grit sand paper by hand, then onto a 440 grit emery paper, followed by a nice 5 micron finish paper.

All this is followed up with a good polishing using #0000 grade steel wool.

I then like to wax and buff to a brilliant mirror-like finish.

For the final touch I spray the finished blades with a light coating of Teflon.

This only takes me about 7 hours per blade (there's 3 on the Exmark), but my grass in worth it.

Send them out and have them chrome plated!

 

[redfin]

Send them out and have them chrome plated!

Chris I'm mildly dissapointed in you being an engineer. If you are going to to the trouble to plate it Nikasil all the way!

Jeesh! And here I have been depending on you for accurate inforamtion.

 

[Chris-PA]

Chris I'm mildly dissapointed in you being an engineer. If you are going to to the trouble to plate it Nikasil all the way!

Jeesh! And here I have been depending on you for accurate inforamtion.

OK, titanium blades then!

 

[redfin]

Haha, ill raise you to tungsten. My wedding band is tungsten and doesn't leave my finger. It doesn't have a scratch in it. I did however end up with a welding bugar on it. I took it to the jewler where we bought and asked if the could take care of it. Nope.

 

[Dalmatian90]

During the first* morning constitutional today I picked up a Woodcraft catalog and just happened to flip open to four or five pages of sharpening stones and such....which I proceeded to drool over

* Made my first strawberry rhubarb pie of the season Friday. Ate half of it by bedtime. The third time I sat down in the library Saturday, I remembered rhubarb is a laxative.

 

[Chris-PA]

I think our wives may be long lost sisters. Its "her" tractor and I'm not allowed to cut the grass.

Fine by me but as you said make for dang sure there is nothing in the field of travel before hand.

We take every precaution to make sure our delicate lawn is not damaged while mowing:

Lol

 

[Chris-PA]

During the first* morning constitutional today I picked up a Woodcraft catalog and just happened to flip open to four or five pages of sharpening stones and such....which I proceeded to drool over

* Made my first strawberry rhubarb pie of the season Friday. Ate half of it by bedtime. The third time I sat down in the library Saturday, I remembered rhubarb is a laxative.

Umm.....

 

[zogger]

We take every precaution to make sure our delicate lawn is not damaged while mowing:

Lol

Filled tires, wheel weights and chains....

 

[Chris-PA]

Filled tires, wheel weights and chains....

The Kioti has filled tires - it is most definitely not lawn friendly! I used to keep chains on the Wheel Horse year round before I put the ag tires on it. The chains had better traction but they were wearing out and the old hard tires they were on were falling apart.

 

[zogger]

The Kioti has filled tires - it is most definitely not lawn friendly! I used to keep chains on the Wheel Horse year round before I put the ag tires on it. The chains had better traction but they were wearing out and the old hard tires they were on were falling apart.

I still have turf tires on my wheelhorse, i want to step up to better traction. Having the tiller on the back, though, helps a lot. Proly upgrade the tires when I fix or swap out the engine.

 

[Vibes]

I only cut the front where the neighbors can see it. The back will get cut once a month only after the baby rabbits grow up a little. The very top of my yard gets cut when I see the baby turkeys heads are above the grass. I use an old Toro Proline 36 inch walk behind, and a couple MTD push mowers. I have to narrow of a yard for a rider. Lots of trees and bumps also.

I sharpen my mower blades with a stone that goes in a drill. Since I cut a few other lawns with my push mower I have to do them once a month or I would only do it once a year.

I hate cutting grass. Unless I'm getting paid to do it of course. I have 5 lawns that I cut for side income. I still think mowing is one of the stupidist activities ever created by man kind.

 

[CenterTree]

I hate cutting grass. Unless I'm getting paid to do it of course. I have 5 lawns that I cut for side income. I still think mowing is one of the stupidist activities ever created by man kind.

Yeah, and enforced as mandatory (at least around here) by many municipalities in their zoning rules and regulations.

 

[Whitespider]

I find the mower to be incredibly boring...

AGREED... 100% AGREED ‼
I really, really, really, really hate cuttin' the grass ‼
*

 

[ShaneLogs]

A belt sander works amazing for mower blades! Can get them at a razor sharp edge like that