Make your push reel mower as sharp as a new razorblade. The easy way. How to setup reverse configuration to run the reel counterclockwise and using lapping compound, will be showen in a workable solution.
Works great! ru-vid.comUgkxprGGPRQoChQaA8u58dt7miEpxQBKiWeJ More difficult with longer grass, though, but I was expecting that. I have a small back yard, it seemed like overkill to buy a lawnmower with an engine. This is easy to carry in and out of the basement through the bulkhead. Very sharp (be careful). At the back of the mower are little wheels, which I use when pulling the mower backwards, so it's easy to readjust direction. I'm including a photo which shows the before and after for my lawn when it was at its longest. For long grass like that you really have to put some muscle into it, and I needed to go into a new section of grass with some momentum, but when the grass is only an inch or two higher than regular cut height it's quite easy. The lawn is still patchy and full of weeds, but at least it's a good height! A step in the right direction.
@@dans4553 The sharpening happens as the abrasive compound on the blades works against the bedknife; that part -- as well as why reversing the rotation is done in the first place? -- was not so greatly explained. Otherwise, a great how-to, imo.
This technique worked so well, I feel like an idiot that I was cutting my grass with such dull and poorly positioned blades. Another RU-vidr had an elaborate method using a power drill. This one is so simple it's genius. I set it up as directed, pushed my mower up and down the street for less than 10 minutes, and reduced my mowing effort by at least half. THANK YOU!!
I watched this a few weeks ago and thought, I can do this! went and bought a second hand mower and brought it home and it's this exact mower. Picked up lapping compound and grabbed a screw driver and I just had the most fun mowing a lawn ever. Thank you for the tutorial!
Please make more "how-to"s! This is one of the best instructional videos I've seen on You Tube. You will be my (and many others judging by the comments) "go to" for any more that you choose to bestow upon us. :)
I saved this gem of a video to my playlist. I just bought myself a reel mower, same as in the video, to cut the grass between my fence and garden area. I will say this, it was the best cut I've ever seen. Super easy to use and it looks like a professional manicured garden. Now just for the sake of this video, I want to take the wheels off my mower just so I can lap my blades. Thank you for the video and your time. Much love from Southeast Texas ❤
Extremely effective method. I tried few techniques shown in other videos but had given up and was going to throw my mower away. Not anymore. Thank you!
ive been looking for this video FOR DAYS. I remembered watching it years ago when I was college student and I finally have a lawn now after all these years and I got myself a used reel mower and spent days looking for this video.
Hello from indonesia, thanks for your time to share your knowledge and shares. Clean teaching video. I got a used mower from local market, rusty and dull. Had follow your instruction and got good result but not yet perfect. I found troubleshoot that 2 blades at the edge caused jump effect (bumps) when it touch the bed knife. Those 2 blades wide seems not flat. Hope you kindly give me advise what to do to fix those bumps, so those 2 blades side can perfectly contact the bed knife surface and can perform better to do this sharpening methode. Sorry for my worst english, sir.
Wish all youtubes I've viewed over the years were as abley articulated and demonstrated clearly, sequentially, and efficiently with confidence I might add as this one.
Thank you. Very clear and helpful. I wanted to reduce my use of gasoline. I have an electric car, so why not an electric mower? I had an old reel mower in the shed that I had never used. Cleaned and sharpened as you instructed my grass now looks better than ever using no fuel at all. It is actually easier than hauling my old gas mower around the yard. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for posting this video. This method is very easy to do and yields a great result. I've used a drill to backlap previously, but this will be my preferred method from now on. Thanks again!
These are the kinds of people we need in the world and have lost. People that are good with tools and have a common live off the land type sense about them. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world in a concise yet detailed manner and getting straight to the point. Blessings
I have also seen where you skip the step of reversing and simply remove one wheel put the other wheel on the edge of a table then connect an electric drill to the axel and reverse the mower and run for a few minutes. What I learned here was to simple tighten the bottom blade is all I needed. It seems overtime it sacrifices itself.
thanks for the interesting approach.... are you saying the blades sharpen themselves by simply reversing and pushing around for awhile with lap compound... no need for file or sharpening tools???... what if it is rusty and quite dull???
there is no need for file or similar tools. If the blades are ver blunt, make some rounds with lapping compound and when the reel is going easier - you will feel it - then set the bed knife closer and repeat the action twice or threetimes. Under correkt maintenence there should be no rust! Clean after mowing an apply protection. e.g. Diesel.
@@geri1360 aloha, and mahalo for the additional info... will get some lapping compound and give it a try... due to volcanic air pollution (sulfur dioxide, sulferic acid when combined with water, battery acid)... it corrodes even stainless steel.... i use melted wax or recycled oil for trying to prevent rust on some metal tools..... it helps, but still not perfect... never tried diesel.... mahalo again for responding...
Can I assume that the combination of running the blade in 'reverse', coupled with a small amount of lash in the bearings for the reel, combine to ensure that the lapping compound wastes material on the blade(s) at the 'back' edge of the blade, and the (uniform) positive contact of the blade on the bed knife serves to distribute the compound but not remove much material from the front, or leading, edge of the blade? IOW, is the application of this method best suited to a mower with equal (and reasonable) lash in the bearings at each end of the rotor (reel)?
Helped me with my bosch ahm 38 g , it had a yellow gear and a green pinon gear so looks like it was made to be sharpend this way. Saved me the hassle of finding spockets and a drill for the backlapping.. shes cutting grass like she was ment to now!
Thank u for the compliment. L. comp. bought in the internet, for few money. Google engine valve lapping compound and also "honing compounds - alternatives" here on u-tube. BR
I bought a sharpening kit with a crank. The crank doesn't fit my mower. I never thought about switching the pinions. What a good simple way to accomplish this. Thank you very much.
I agree with others, that this is the best simpliest method I found thus far, why bother with the sharpening kit for another $20-40 after shipping. All that is required is the lapping compound, brush and gasoline.
Gerwich, This is a great instructional video. I'm wondering if you have to reverse the blade turning direction to counterclockwise? I have lapping compound, but I don't have access to a workshop and tools and am wondering if the blades can be sharpened if you don't reverse the gears and they run clockwise? Or will they be damaged. Thank you.
Dear Sheri! You MUST reverse the direction of turning under using lapping compound. Otherwise you will get the opposite effect, the blades will get very, very blunt. U would make damage.
The straight edge of a paper cutting board is to the bed knife of a reel mower as the guillotine knife of that cutting board is to the rotating blade of the mower.
This is the best video on sharpening blades of a push lawnmower. I am a single lady and will be able to do this on my own! But what is lapping compound? The hardware store does not know what it is either.
Nice job! I especially like that you mention when adjusting the screws that a 1/4 turn is a big adjustment [other RU-vid videos floss over this explanation], it is in line with American Lawn Mower Mfg. product manual [pdf file], they mention this is a very sensitive adjustment [they consider a 1/16 turn is a major adjustment]. When you think about it - when you've done the lapping process once [creating equal pressure/drag across the bed knife] the adjustment of a 1/16 turn is plenty to do the job when you lap the next time. I certainly will be subscribing to your channel, I like your approach and insight.
Thank you. But I am confuzzled....your counter clockwise looks very much a clockwise to me....to the right around right down to the left up and to the right..clockwise...your explanation States the opposite?! Why ??]please help me.i hazve a sharpening stone as well as a file bastard standard flat metal file all purpose ...I'm so frustrated...I've pushed headed dragged pulled shoved that dull beast across my lawn with such exertion I'm convinced someone will find me dead with my push mower faithfully in my one hand clasped around its flat bar the other hand flipping the bird and a message i was able to spell out in grass clippings my sweet revenge...the push mower killed me...it was the push mower....
Don’t worry about what is clockwise, as long as you switch around the two gear cogs the reel will spin in reverse which will sharpen it once you put on the lapping paste/valve grinding paste. I am not a handyman (in fact I am a not very handy woman!) and I used this technique to fully sharpen the blades on my reel mower. I did the slicing the paper trick and it worked, very satisfying
Thank you. Your video is really helpful. Most of the video on RU-vid show a way by using power tool to rotate the reel which is not suitable for my mower. While your method is easy and practical!
This is the best video I've seen on this subject. Thank you, very much for the time and energy you gave in showing how to sharpen the blades. The camera man did a great job with the camera, too, which can make or break a video. I just wish to see one thing... to see how tight the blade was after you adjusted the screws, before the sharpening... that's just a little thing. I bought a push mower for $10 at a yard sale, and it looks pretty new, but it's not cutting that well. Maybe, I just need to adjust the blades. If the blades need sharpening, now I know how to do it. Thank you!
Thank you so much, I now have a fully functional reel mower which actually cuts the grass rather than just chewing at it. I used valve grinding paste from a car parts shop. The instructions were very clear and the only problem I had was replacing the ‘C’ clips, but I got them on after a bit of fiddling
Finally a well versed mechanical guru explaining a reel mower. Listen to this guy and look at the lathes, etc. in his shop. Too many others out there just blabbing with no experience. Thanks Sir for sharing your expertise! Restoring a Craftsman reel push mower myself/useful!
Danke!! I just got a reel mower for free that definitely needs adjusting, and probably needs sharpening along with lube. My son has wanted one for a long time.
Enjoy your mower! I bought a seven blade reel in USA last month. For a small lawn, the push mower is the best solution. No gas, no electricity, no noise emission and a perfect cut. BR
Hi! It is a clear video but I do have some questions still. What setting do you have to set the plates and bedknife, what do you have to look out for? And how does the lapping actually work, how does it sharpen, against the floor? Thanks in advance!
Hallo! Sharpening works between reel and bedknife. Tuning of reel and bedknife with setting screws is a value of experience. There should be a little bit of contact, so that the reel is not running too easy or too strong. Good luck.
what is lapping compound just bought a reel mower says good for 2 to 3 years before sharping again 16" american cant wait to use it wish they would have included a parts book
O. M. G. ! I followed the instructions exactly, & also did the test with the sheet of paper after. I got exactly the same results! Amazing video! Thank you so much!
Mr. Gerwich, Back in the 60’s the local hardware store had a machine that the knife guy would take the mower and mount unto. The a grinding wheel on a track would pass over the blades, is that process still around? Is it better than the self sharpening method. Thank you Dan
