How to Sharpen a Fiskars Reel Mower and Adjust Blades. 

I know this is an old video but I just got one of these so I thank you for making this video. And I just have to say, you must be a good neighbor if all the other neighbors want to stop by and talk to you. It's always good to talk with your neighbors. Not enough of that in this country ! :)

I rewatch this every summer and it's always entertaining and educational. Cheers

I just bought one of these yesterday. I'm impressed with the quality. Need to give mine a few tweaks. Thanks for the video!

Just an excellent straight forward easily understood guide to sharpening, etc. the Fiskars Reel mower. Thank you very much!

I reviewed this again before sharpening my mower -- its still a great video and a great reference for recalling how I did this a couple of years ago. Thanks again

Glad you found it helpful :-) A bit of time on sharpening and adjustment makes a big difference in how well the mower works for me, particularly with long/fine grass. Cheers, Dennis

Dennis.....great video.....I recently picked-up a push mower, and am loving it.....your video was just what I was looking for.....just the right amount of detail.....as a fellow Canadian, I just loved the ending -- Molson -- haven't had one in a while, as family is living in Japan.....Again, great job....!

Thanks Freddy. I have fond memories of Barcelona and the work of Gaudí...my all time favourite architect. Cheers, Dennis.

Dennis, thank you so much for this very useful how-to video. I'm a woman in my 60's and no one in Tulsa sharpens reel mowers any more. I actually got the strangest looks. So needless to say this video was invaluable to me. My mower hadn't been sharpened in 5 years, so needless to say it was getting quite difficult to push and required numerous passes. (I thought I was just getting old and weak. Whew! What a relief; I'm just getting old.) I, too, am an admirer of this mower. Love how it powers through small sticks and such. Couldn't have kept it going without your help. Will pass this knowledge on.

Thank for this, I love the mower also. Just bought one and have used it for a week now.

Great ending! Just two suggestions. 1) spinning the blades backwards is what sharpens them so I like to spin them backwards as I’m applying the compound. At the very least when it’s complete and I’m cleaning the compound off. I noticed when I run through sand it tends to dull then quicker so it just makes sense to me that the compound would dull them if I spin the blades in the direction they are spinning while cutting. 2) I’ve found that while any beer is better than no beer, a good beer still beats whatever that was. lol Great video. Thank you for sharing. I was having a difficult time finding a way to sharpen mine without buying the kit.

Awesome. Thanks for the video. I've been putting off sharpening mine because I thought it would either be a pain in the neck or a lot of shipping cost. I'm going to love mine again too!

I just got an older Fiskars reel mower at a yard sale. I haven't used one in about 30 years. I love the idea of using the hose/drill combination. Great video! Give a reel mower a little TLC and they will last your lifetime.

Enjoyed the ending, nice touch!

You're most welcome Kyle :-) Adjustment after the sharpen process is as important as the sharpening process. I should have illustrated that a bit better, but just follow the Fiskars procedure on their site. Perfect adjustment changes as you snug all the bolts back up..so you may need to experiment a bit to get it just right.

My beloved first gen model has gotten hard to push. Thanks to you I understand better how to fix my blades! And I guess I'll have to figure out why it's hard to push too... Great video! Lacking kids I have to resort to curious passerby wondering what the mower is like to push....

This is very informational! This will be a winter project while we're still locked up at home. Love the end!

Love the ending. Exactly why I bought a fiskers. 5 years of early mowing expertise developed by the little ones. I also love that I can mow at 6:30 a.m. . Cool part trick. Wish I would have seen this before ordering the sharpening kit.

Yeah you need that beer that's hard work watch the little one cut the grass lol Thanks for sharing

Now I can't wait for the off season so I can try the mower maintenance I've just learned. Thanks! Love that lawn mower beer. Cheers.

Just an update, but this video is now 11 years old. The mower is still going strong, and used pretty much every week. The front wheels needed to be removed/cleaned and greased (2024) but other than than, this mower just keeps going. RU-vid had turned off comments a while back due to my use of the "Chariots of Fire" music for a few seconds..but it looks like we're back in business now with respect to comments being visible. Go figure!

Did this to my 2 yr old Fiskars and its cutting like new again! Thanks Dennis, from an Ontario dude now living in Colorado.

thank you for the video. now i can sharpen my fiskars mower. excellent work thank you.

Great job! I appreciate the work you did.

Great review this is going to come in handy thank you!

the end is perfect !

I really appreciate this video - I've had my mower for 2 years and this actually goes into the dynamics of sharpening it as well as adjusting parts properly. I also found that t hey now sell the lapping compound on amazon - search for Fiskars 6215 StaySharp Push Reel Mower Blade Maintenance Kit

Thanks for this video Is there anyway without file new notches to Lower the cut height pas 1 inch, I would like to cut about 3/4 an inch, thinking of changing the wheels

😆 😆 😆 Loved your video. Very simpitatic. Greetings from the Basque Country 🇧🇮 🇪🇸 🇫🇷. Greg

I love the ending!

Dennis... thanks for sharing. I was needing an idea to connect the drill to the shaft. Perfect. You don't mention the size of hose needed... do you recall? TY

I died when I saw the canadian at the end...priceless. That is a 5 star ending! This video is top of the tops. I dont even own a fiskars and I watched it fully...haha I just got a taskforce 16" reel push mower for 20 bucks at a thrift store and thought I would do a little digging as it needs sharpening. I loved seeing your hose and clamps technique for the axle spin sharpening process. Brilliant! Thanks again

Many thanks for the tips! Here in Brazil we have quite a few reel mower models available (only two I think), and almost nobody knows reel mowers...nor shop vendors! Your tips will be very useful for me.

Great video! I neglected sharpening my Fiskars mower for four Summers, and now I could not sharpen it enough to pass the paper-cut test using the standard Fiskars sharpening kit. Tried at least 8 times, applying the lapping compound and spinning in reverse for about 10 minutes each time, and readjusting the blade height. Will try 80-grit compound, maybe it will help better.

The beer at the end cracked me up!

Great video, thanks and cheers!

Best ending to a "do it yourself" video, ever. Good parenting skills...

Thanks for the video. I have one and the lades were getting caught on the bottom bar. I didn't know how to adjust the blades. Now the mower is working perfectly

Great video!!! Thanks a lot!

Great video -- only video or other instructions that really showed how to maintain the fiskars mower. Thanks. The ending is great too --

Thank you, love the ending.

Hahaha the end was brilliant

Just bought one yesterday. I was wondering how long before I need to sharpen

you are a great man, thank you for taking the time to share with us ☺👍🍺🍺

Thanks for the helpful video! Two questions, if you don't mind: 1--Is the chain a standard bicycle chain? (just thinking if it breaks or needs to be tightened). 2--Are any of the essential parts plastic? (aside from the wheels and housing/chain coverings) Thank you.

Thanks Dennis. I am going to do this myself!

Great video. I'm on year 4 or 5 with mine and I think its finally time to do a little maintenance. The other great thing about this mower besides less pollution is less noise pollution, wish more of my neighbors had them. Also your shoes don't turn green. The negative is you don't get the "smell" of a freshly cut lawn, but apparently that smell is a distress call put out by the grass so its probably a good thing.

Do you have to adjust the blades so that they touch the stationary blade a bit when you sharpen it or just leave it like it is normally (almost touching each other)?

very helpful video man, thanks

great vid! thanks for sharing!

GREAT TIPS thanks for sharing

Gold Hybrid..thanks for the kind words. Kris, none of the mechanical parts are plastic...aside from the wheels. This is what impressed me about the Fiskars product. Cheers, Dennis.

Well done! Thanks

I have tried and tried to get the blades adjusted, but to no avail. I have moved them up and down. Inevitably, one blade catches. If I adjust it so I don't hear any contact, it does not cut the grass. What am I doing wrong? This is driving me crazy. Any help would be appreciated.

Great video, thanks bro!!!!

I really is an art to properly maintain a reel mower...there are even certification courses for drag reel mower operators.

Lifesaver of a Vid my friend as a owner who also loves his mower it's nice to know how to sharpen the sucker, Cheers.

Hi All. I have a Fiskars Reel Mower, and it worked great for the first month, clean sharp cuts. It randomly came to an abrupt stop. The blades wouldn't turn. I troubleshooted via RU-vid to adjust the blades. My question is: Is it possible that the blades could be too close together? As now, it does not cut the grass nearly as well and it is incredibly hard to push. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance :)

Awesome vid

Does it matter what grit of compound to use? 120, 280, 600?

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

Pray tell what are you adjusting for the blade cut?

Loved the end of the video. LOL

Thanks Scottie. My daughter had no idea of the subterfuge at hand during her cameo. She was appropriately indignant :-) I'll make a confession in that the clip was really a field test of a new product we're tossing around (small camera support/stabilizer). I figured the mower sharpening though would be of use as I couldn't find anything good online. Cheers, Dennis.

Super vid thanks for sharing

came for the lapping compound and subscribed for the awesome ending.

Cool, mate!

I heard you say, “I’m faking it for the camera” . 😂

Cheers great video

Awesome!

yo tengo una cortadora de pasto es muy vieja son de madera los cuacos que tiene buen video saludos

Now you just need to convert the front and back wheels to rollers and you'll be set. :) Nice vid, love the ending.

Thanks for this....my chain is WAY more slack than yours....it actually fell off yesterday, which is how I came across this vid.... seeing yours, I can definately tell that I need a new one....wish I could order it online somewhere. (I bought mine when they were pretty new to the market and I mow 1/4 acre with this mower)

I have a Craftsman 18" reel and I started to lap in but then I noticed that the ends of the bedknife seemed to be hitting more then the middle. Any ideas how to sharpen the bedknife? Or should I just keep lapping it tell things a uniform?

At around the 10:20 mark you are testing the cutting ability with paper strips and when one doesn't cut, you move the blade in by tightening both sides. A bit later, on the left hand side the blades don't cut again but you instead back the blade off to fix the issue. I have the same mower, however significantly duller with nicked blades that will need several rounds of lapping, tightening, and further lapping. If a paper strip won't cut, how can I tell when to tighten the reel in or to back it off? Great vid

Bazinga indeed. My favorite lawn care t-shirt ever.

great video. definitely thinkin of getting one of these mowers. fed up with breathing in pollution

I liked and used your method for sharpening and adjusting. I actually did the sharpening several times but was never able to get it to cut the paper in the center, only on the ends...any suggestions?

Great video! what is the diameter of hose you used to attach the drill? Also, do you grease the bearing of the large rear wheel during maintenance?

I have a different brand but all I really care about is the cutting surface and not the reel itself. I have been using it like just a push grass into a relatively sharp edge and it is more the speed with which it spins and the delicate nature of most grasses and weeds than the sharpness or dullness of the reel.

Thanks for the vid Dennis! I almost sent mine in because the blades don't rotate anymore - they are stuck on the cutting edge.

when you applied the compound.. does the blade has to mo make contact with the bottom metal..?

Great video. I wonder if you could perform the sharpening by using the valve lapping compound and then just push the mover on a driveway or sidewalk to turn the spinning blades. No need to mount the mower on a platform or to use a drill motor or hand crank. This method could be easier if it works! Any comments?

Before you start spinning backwards do you need to raise the bar so it's touching and the blades will rub on it to sharpen it?

How often is this necessary?

Love the video. What if only one of the blades is hitting the main blade, and getting stuck .. how do you adjust for that? is there a simple way to 'undent' one of the blades?

the end the best

I have to same more. Been using it for 5 years. Its time to sharpen and adjust. I do not have the compound you used. What other way can I sharpen them or is using a compound like that is the correct why? I want to make a brush roller infront to brush the grass into the blades so the long ones that lay down get pulled up and cut.

Apologies if I missed it in the video, but what size bolt and tubing did you use?

cool video thnx for sharing from liverpool uk

Question: I had no problem sharpening mine, but then the chain was a bit slack. Within a month after use, the chain kept popping off I see no way to take the slack out, seems like a severe design flaw. Any idea how to tighten or replace the chain?

Hi Dennis, what is the size of the rubber hose you used to rotate the blades?

Awesome video Dennis. Thanks for this.How do you know when it's time to sharpen? When you see some grass not being cut?

So what exactly to they sharpen against? Are the supposed to make contact to the static blade?

nice

The "reel" genius of this video is the home-made power drill attachment. A professional backlapping machine costs over $1000. I'm guessing this setup cost about $5 and will work just fine for most reel mower owners. Brilliant!

Thanks for the tips I just bought a used Fiskar with blades that are a rusty. What do you use to remove rust?

Nice video and very informative. May I suggest removing the plastic blade guard? That really sped up the application and removal of the compound.

Finally I can "reveal" what was used to shoot this piece. All that was used was a Sony RX100 point and shoot camera, in video mode, and a prototype "Morpheus Stabilizer" ( www.kickstarter.com/projects/cinevate/morpheus-stabilizer-for-gopro-smartphone-and-small ) which I really wanted to use as a potential customer would...to shoot a simple how to video. It's pretty cool to see 2000 folks have viewed this clip and just how simple it was to create. The Fiskars is put away for the winter...nice and sharp too :-)

My mower just locked up on me after I dinged a stone. I panicked, and adjusted blades so that they are spinning now but they aren't cutting as well as they were before hand. Any closer and it doesn't spin at all. It's brand new so they are sharp, would you recommend I just file the bur down a little assuming I find it?