Doesn’t matter how deadly the blade is, with constant use and no maintenance that will grow dull. Similarly, brush cutter blades also need maintenance. What kind of maintenance does a blade require?
Sharpening, obviously!
If the blade is dull and you are using it that way, it will tear the grass instead of cutting them. That being said, sharpening the blade might seem intimidating but that’s easy.
However, if you don’t know how to sharpen brush cutter blades, this very guide is for you. Stick to it and you will end up learning the exact way.
Let’s get started then!
Step by Step Procedure
Before we get into the process, it is advisable to take the safety precautions. If not anything you should wear a pair of thick cut-resistant hand gloves. And when you are sharpening the blade with a machine, you must wear protective auto-darkening goggle.
Essential Things
• A workbench.
• A wire brush.
• Clean rag.
• Lubricating oil (moderate amount).
• Soapy water.
• Bucket.
• Sharpening machine.
• Metal file (for manual sharpening).
Step 1
The very first thing you would want to do is disconnect the brush cutter from the power source. You might have turned off the switch but it is highly important to make sure that the machine won’t start in any way.
When removing the blade, you might need to turn the blade side up and if somehow accidentally the switch gets pressed, you can imagine how worse that scenario could be.
Step 2
Again do not forget to wear the protective gears. Now you would want to take the blade off the brush cutter. How you remove it depends on the types of brush cutter you have. Unless you have a brush cutter that has a fuel tank, you can turn the brush cutters up site down and remove the blade.
And before you remove the blade, put a noticeable mark at the bottom side of the blade. Often newbies make the mistake and I did too once. When re-installing the blade they attach the wrong side of the blade which doesn’t cut grass. And requiring them to install again.
So leaving a mark will tell you exactly which side is the bottom side. You can mark by a grease pen, or you can simply put a dot by the paint spray. Or you can stick a colored tape on it.
Step 3
Be very careful when removing the blade, do not hold the blade from the sharp side. Hold it from the other side so that your hands don’t get hurt. You might need one or two tools for removing the blade, I am assuming you got that (Some models come with the essential tools). And if you are wondering which are those tools, wrench or ratchet would work fine.
Blades are attached securely to the cutter with a bolt which is placed in the center. If you do not immobilize the blade before using wrench or ratchet, you won’t be able to unscrew the blade off since it will turn with the wrench.
In order to immobilize the blade, you can use a strong block of wood. Place the wood between the blade and the deck, that will prevent the entire blade from rotating when you unscrew the bolt. You can also use clamp or vise, they will be effective as well.
Step 4
Once you have blocked the blade from rotating, you should be able to unscrew the bolt easily. After you remove the blade you might want to clean the blade off since a lot of grime, clipped grass supposed to be there.
Get rid of all the clipped grass or mud, and then wash thoroughly with water. After washing with water, rub the blade with a dry rag and if possible ass dome soapy water for more effective cleaning.
Step 5
Blades can be sharpened by hand or with the machine. The machine sharpening is obviously highly effective but doing it manually with hand also could be appropriate (will take a good amount of handwork).
However, I am assuming you don’t have a machine so I am going to tell the manual way first. Before you start sharping the blade, put it on the workbench and make it stable. The blade should not move an inch when you press the stone against it. The blade can be stabled by vise or clamp.
Step 6
Put a few sheets of newspaper or any kind of sheet under the clamped or stabled blade. So that when you start sharpening the sheet will catch all the metal filling, will make it easier for you to clean that up later!
Now pick the metal file and run it back and forth on the cutting edge of the blade. Keep rubbing the metal file on the cutting edge until it shines brightly. Similarly, sharp the other side of the blade. The blade should shine brighter like a new blade, do not stop until you see the shiny thing.
Step 7
After you have sharpened the blade properly, reinstall that on the cutter. And remember that mark you put on the bottom side of the blade? Make sure you attached the blade to your brush cutter in the right way.
Sharpening Brush Cutter Blade with Machine
Make sure you wear the protecting gloves and goggles before sharpening the blade with a machine. A regular bench grinder should work more than enough to sharpen a blade like new.
Put the grinder in a stable position so that it doesn’t tip over. Turn the grinder on and run the blade back and forth on the running grinder. The grinder will shine the old blade like a new one within a very short period of time.
Conclusion
Remember what I mentioned earlier, stick to this article and you will end up knowing how to sharpen brush cutter blades? If you are still here, you definitely know how to do it in the right way. And if there is anything you are struggling with, put that on the comment section! I’ll get to it as soon as I can. Be sure to also check out Osha’s guide on how to safely handle portable power tools. Brush Cutter’s are a portable power tool so it is important to handle it safely.