My grandpa once brought home a workbench grinder. Anything in the garage with a blade for sharpened. Even did the lawnmower blade
Shovel is a common item many don’t realize needs sharpening too
Wat!?
Like a spade for digging. Don’t sharpen your scoops for clearing snow.
It’s a bladed tool. You can absolutely notice a difference between a sharp and dull shovel. The edge rounds out in use. A quick touch-up with a file helps a ton.
It’s actually really important to keep your lawnmower blades sharp. Makes the whole process much easier, and the engine won’t have to work as hard.
It also helps keep your grass healthy, because a dull blade will rip the grass instead of cutting it. If your grass clippings look frayed, it’s because they’re ripping.
I usually keep a pair of blades. The one off the mower gets sharpened for next time and then I do an oil change + swap yearly.
It’s better for the grass too.
I hate my grass. It needs to suffer, get over exposed to the sun, and never watered.
Can’t wait to replace it with something not grass next year.
Until then, next time I need to cut it, I’m going to use a lawn mower blade supplied by the Chuck-e-Cheese kitchen to do the worst hack job ever.
Slowly replacing mine with a clover/daisy/fern fescue mix and it looks great and does so much better than grass
Painless and smell less
Yep. Grew up with my grandfather working on small engines (read:lawnmowers, either push or driven) and one of things he would do when doing maintenance on them was to sharpen the blades with an angle grinder. Mades mowing a lot easier and generally looks more uniform as well. The other thing was that it almost always is the carb if the engine has issues.
Absolutely! I had no idea until I mowed after that.
Just make sure they’re balanced before putting them back on!
Uh does sharpening really do enough to unbalance it?
It can, yes. Remember these are rather heavy blades spinning really fast, so it doesn’t take much.
It really depends on your definition of balanced and how bad someone is at sharpening.
The blades are torqued down on there, if it’s a combustion engine mower, nothing’s you do to this blade sans taking an inch off is going to make much more vibration than the motor will itself.
The biggest worry is that you put enough vibration into it too cause it to loosen the blade.
If you’re even half reasonable sharpening you’re just taking off a fraction of a gram.
One or two times probably not but more than that likely will. Especially if there were major dents you grinded away. You can buy a cheap plastic tool to check the balance and then just grind away from the non blade side to balance it out.
If you grind the same on each side without trying to get rid of any dents, it would still add up?
Unbalanced blades cleans the inside of the deck though via vibrations
And sometimes the outside of the deck via through-deck action!
Where’s your sense of adventure?
/s
In the side yard, with my legs.
we had a handyman working on the house once and he asked my dad if he had a grinder and my dad brought out this hand cranked grind wheel
My grandparents had one too. I never once saw them sharpen anything, but it moved around the front yard every once in a while, so they must have been keeping it out for something.
My grandparents had one too.
A handyman? Yes, they do tend to move around the front yard.
Squirrelly little fellas
Your grandma is awesome if she’s still lumberjacking around
She’s OK.
She lives in a rowhouse with a tiny yard without a single tree on it. Maybe she need it for something else - or someone.
The plot thickens, do keep us apprised of developments. The polished surface should make it easier to remove contaminants.
That’s mostly why I polished it, though we might be thinking of different contaminants
With the mirrored finish, Gramgram can check her hair after she’s cleaved thine enemies in twain!
Never before have I heard this word, twain, and yet here we are…I’ve now read it twice in the same thread!
~Shia Labeouf~
You’re looking for your car, but you’re all turned around.
He’s almost upon you now.
For Radeon Raskolnikov.
I mean a grinder of that nature wouldn’t be too useful to me, too much too muchery.
But I keep a set of water stones to sharpen my straight razor - though I haven’t had a job I had to shave for in a while.
My EDC knives see more use from them these days.
Definitionally incorrect
Nice sharpening tho.
Rookie question here. Would this process ruin a hardened blade?
I was dunking this into water between the heavy grinding. Heat is the enemy there.
Wanna come over and do some heavy grinding? I don’t mind a little heat, bb
They banned you from shitposting so now you’re just shitposting everywhere huh? Just overflowing?
I’m a shitlord, what can I say?
I’m a little surprised I got banned, but apparently it’s not permanent, so that’s a good thing I guess.
Funnily enough, I used to be a commentator rather than a content generator, and now here I am
Well I got to make a post about it so it’s not all bad. At least not for me.
When it starts smoking use more lube.
Sharpen it until you can pluck a single hair from your head and drop it gently onto the blade and cut it in twain.
You can tell you did a good job if an ethereal slide whistle plays as you do this.
Bug? Knat? Am I seeing a similarity here?
I like to keep mine razor sharp. Sharp enough you can shave with it. Why I’ve been known to circumcise a gnat.
My grandma used to sharpen hers by slamming it down onto my neck. 🤔
This photo is a great illustration of the “Speckled axe” story from Ben Franklin’s autobiography:
It was about this time that I conceiv’d the bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection. I wish’d to live without committing any Fault at any time; I would conquer all that either Natural Inclination, Custom, or Company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a Task of more Difficulty than I had imagined.
While my Attention was taken up in guarding against one Fault, I was often surpris’d by another. Habit took the Advantage of Inattention. Inclination was sometimes too strong for Reason. I concluded at length, that the mere speculative Conviction that it was our Interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our Slipping, and that the contrary Habits must be broken and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any Dependence on a steady uniform Rectitude of Conduct.
For this purpose I therefore contriv’d the following Method. In the various Enumerations of the moral Virtues I had met with in my Reading, I found the Catalogue more or less numerous, as different Writers included more or fewer Ideas under the same Name. “Temperance,” for Example, was by some confin’d to Eating & Drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other Pleasure, Appetite, Inclination or Passion, bodily or mental, even to our Avarice & Ambition.
I propos’d to myself, for the sake of Clearness, to use rather more Names with fewer Ideas annex’d to each, than a few Names with more Ideas; and I included under Thirteen Names of Virtues all that at that time occurr’d to me as necessary or desirable, and annex’d to each a short Precept, which fully express’d the Extent I gave to its Meaning. These Names of Virtues with their Precepts were:
- Temperance. Eat not to Dullness Drink not to Elevation.
- Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation.
- Order. Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.
- Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
- Frugality. Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.
- Industry. Lose no Time. Be always employ’d in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions.
- Sincerity. Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
- Justice. Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.
- Moderation. Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.
- Cleanliness. Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes or Habitation.
- Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.
- Chastity. Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another’s Peace or Reputation.
- Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
…
I enter’d upon the Execution of this Plan for Self Examination, and continu’d it with occasional Intermissions for some time. I was surpris’d to find myself so much fuller of Faults than I had imagined, but I had the Satisfaction of seeing them diminish … This Article therefore cost me so much painful Attention & my Faults in it vex’d me so much, and I made so little Progress in Amendment, & had such frequent Relapses, that I was almost ready to give up the Attempt, and content myself with a faulty Character in that respect.
Like the Man who in buying an Ax of a Smith my neighbor, desired to have the whole of its Surface as bright as the Edge; the Smith consented to grind it bright for him if he would turn the Wheel. He turn’d while the Smith press’d the broad Face of the Ax hard & heavily on the Stone, which made the Turning of it very fatiguing. The Man came every now & then from the Wheel to see how the Work went on; and at length would take his Ax as it was without farther Grinding. No, says the Smith, Turn on, turn on; we shall have it bright by and by; as yet ’tis only speckled. Yes, says the Man; but—I think I like a speckled Ax best.
And I believe this may have been the Case with many who having for want of some such Means as I employ’d found the Difficulty of obtaining good, & breaking bad Habits, in other Points of Vice & Virtue, have given up the Struggle, & concluded that a speckled Ax was best.
Like the Man who in buying an Ax of a Smith my neighbor, desired to have the whole of its Surface as bright as the Edge; the Smith consented to grind it bright for him if he would turn the Wheel. He turn’d while the Smith press’d the broad Face of the Ax hard & heavily on the Stone, which made the Turning of it very fatiguing. The Man came every now & then from the Wheel to see how the Work went on; and at length would take his Ax as it was without farther Grinding. No, says the Smith, Turn on, turn on; we shall have it bright by and by; as yet ’tis only speckled. Yes, says the Man; but—I think I like a speckled Ax best.
And I believe this may have been the Case with many who having for want of some such Means as I employ’d found the Difficulty of obtaining good, & breaking bad Habits, in other Points of Vice & Virtue, have given up the Struggle, & concluded that a speckled Ax was best.
Relevant portion. Previous stuff is the usual be more efficient and good.
You should polish the entire head, it’d look sweet.
My grandma got mighty upset when I tried to polish her whole head.
Do or do not, there is no try.
There’s a dirty joke there somewhere…
Keep it clean, there’s someone’s grandma involved.
Just the tip
Her last name isn’t Borden, is it?
She needs to take somebody’s head with it. Does not work differently.
How sharp is it?
Can you shave with it?
Not even close. That level of sharpness would only matter on axe if you intend to use it as a weapon. Chopping wood with edge like that would just bend it and make it dull prematurely.
Absolutely, that level of sharpness would be detrimental, but was just wondering how much you overdid it.
Or chip the blade.
I don’t think it’s hardened. Softer steel doesn’t tend to chip and harder steel is more difficult to sharpen.
Not very - it doesn’t need to be. Sharpened and re-profiled it with a 80 grit flap disc on angle grinder and took it to polishing wheel + leather strop. The shine is just for the looks.
Good. You probably don’t want a hatchet to be that sharp. You’re not going to be doing anything delicate with it. Sharp blades have the edge bend or break easily.
Completely disagree! I’m into axe’s. Have been four years. Shit, anything with an edge.
I’ll tell you something straight up, a dull axe is dangerous. A dull axe glances. A sharp axe sticks.
Period.
All depends on the quality of the metal, the angle of the apex and the direction you sharpen the blade in.
Parallel bad, perpendicular good
Never used a carving hatchet, eh?
Yeah, edge that sharp serves no purpose on axe. It’ll bend and then be dull again. Shallower point with the burr removed is more durable and stays sharp(ish) for much longer.
Thx, I was looking for this bit of context - somehow the possibility you made it sharp “bcs it’s better” made me uneasy.
I’m glad it’s done properly.
What grit was the polishing wheel and what effect did the strop have after polishing?
I have no idea. It was one of those black fibre ones that you attach to a drill. I had originally used it to polish stainless steel after welding. Stropping is the difference between reflecting light and reflecting image
Oh, you did that with a drill? I was imagining an arduous, hours long, hand polishing job. It looks great!
You know the pic is kinda shit when you need a whole backstory to it.
Does it have wifi? Because I can almost see myself
Welp, I’m moist.
Lol
Moist Von Lipwig?
Shirley Moist, From Lipwigs
