balancing a lawnmower blade?

[Rapid Robert]

I wanted to clamp a straitedge in a vise & set the blade on there flat like it is in use but my vice is broken. others have said use a nail in the wall/get it level & hang the blade & go that way. is that way accurate? thank you for your time. RR

 

[abdywgn]

I wanted to clamp a straitedge in a vise & set the blade on there flat like it is in use but my vice is broken. others have said use a nail in the wall/get it level & hang the blade & go that way. is that way accurate? thank you for your time. RR

they sell a balancer at hardware/home centers that look like an old tire balancer in minature. it has a cone on top with different sizes to hold the blade, the bottom is a flat disc with a spike in it that the cone fits on. finding a level surface to use it on might be the difficult part. nail in the wall sounds like it should work. may have to try that myself.

 

[abdywgn]

my wife says I speak English but doesn't understand me and I'm sure that description made no sense. here is what I'm talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Precision-Sharpening-Universal-Longevity/dp/B000VYFOJM/?tag=fabo03-20

 

[nutz]

nail is what i saw

 

[Mike69cuda]

One of my Mechanical Engineering pals used to do stuff like that on his desk. Keep sliding the object off the square edge of the desk until it flips off. Mark the spot and you know the balance

 

[nutz]

just balance on a nail heavy side will drop

 

[RustyRatRod]

my wife says I speak English but doesn't understand me and I'm sure that description made no sense. here is what I'm talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Precision-Sharpening-Universal-Longevity/dp/B000VYFOJM/?tag=fabo03-20

I understood perfectly.

 

[mopowers]

A nail on the side of the workbench works fine. It's just a lawn mower.

 

[Bodyperson]

I just try to take the same off of both sides.

 

[413]

Nailed it, it works.

 

[harrisonm]

just balance on a nail heavy side will drop

I use a large nail or the shaft of a medium size screwdriver (the shaft must be round). Place it in the large round hole in the middle, and the heavy side will drop. I have seen professional small engine mechanics do this.

 

[eekvonzipper]

my wife says I speak English but doesn't understand me and I'm sure that description made no sense. here is what I'm talking about:

http://[URL]https://www.amazon.com/...versal-Longevity/dp/B000VYFOJM/?tag=fabo03-20

[/URL]

Yeah, No. Use an Old American Nail!

Country of Origin Taiwan

 

[Car Nut]

I used to do that after I would sharpen my blade. Then I found out it was less work and less time consuming to go out and buy one. More time to work on the car.

 

[Kendog 170]

I use the one in post 3. Works great.

 

[66fs]

I wanted to clamp a straitedge in a vise & set the blade on there flat like it is in use but my vice is broken. others have said use a nail in the wall/get it level & hang the blade & go that way. is that way accurate? thank you for your time. RR

Straight edge works the best. Better than the nail and better than a Balancer. My push mower is 50 years old, my grandfather taught me to use the straight edge.

 

[CFD244]

I've been using the nail method for 40 years......Never a problem.

 

[68gtxman]

I never check the balance after I sharpen the blades. I never noticed a problem with the blades afterward either. I am a mechanical engineer.

 

[68gtxman]

Also, I added “X” blade devices, so I have two blades on each shaft.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2D61F7W?tag=fabo03-20

This gives more opportunity for an unbalanced condition. Still, no problems.

 

[nutz]

Ha i buy an extra set of blades
Then I give a set to the mower shop to sharpen once a year after the 2nd cut
But my mower dose have 7 blades

 

[JDMopar]

I balance my old Craftsman lawn tractor blades by turning around and hitting the rock going the opposite direction!

 

[ProjectBazza]

The nail works "ok" for blades with round centers, but not so much for these:

At our previous house I bought one of those fancy spinning "airplane prop balancer" things that mount on the wall, but after realizing that after the first time I use the mower deck the blades are going to get all sorts grass "junk" on them which will throw off the balance anyway, I stopped being so anal about it. When we moved I left that balancer on the wall, and now I just use the "tire balancer" like the one shown in post #3 on all of my blades, and it works just fine.

 

[Rapid Robert]

good comprehensive info guys & I think JD nailed it!

 

[Dart Frog]

As a Park specialist lead for Oregon second largest city I have sharpened hundreds of mower blades and taught many other people how to do it correctly. The device we used to balance our blades was a bearing assisted device that was attached to the center of the blade with the magnet. Very similar to a nail I suppose. I will say that the straightness of the blade is just as important to vibration and balance as the balance . Speed on a mower blade isn't really that high. Inspect carefully for cracks as blade material is declining.

 

[A56]

and I have to laugh at "blade balancer". It indicates balance but it sure doesn't balance anything.

 

[Rapid Robert]

good point on the straightness