On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 10:52 PM, john rieffel
<rieffelj union edu> wrote:
Hi Trekkers,
<snip>
Unrelated: For the sake of longer battery life and better cutting, I'm
interested in sharpening and balancing my blades - any advice? I have
a 10" bastard file, but no bench grinder.
I was using Gator blades and got a lot of vibration, so I replaced them with originals from Harold. Before installing them I did a quick check of balance and was surprised that they were off. I tried using a file, but it took too long so I got out my 4" rotary grinder. I doubt you'll have the patience to use a file.
Finding the true center of the hole is a challenge with no precision tools, but with care you can get pretty darn close. I used a steel rule, an eye loupe and unconventional use of the markings on the rule. I hung the blade on a piece of coat hanger wire that spanned the open jaws of my vise, placing my marked center at the edge of the hole on the wire. Even if my method wasn't ultra-precise, it was sufficient to clearly show the balance was off.
The result is a very quiet and smooth-running deck, even after a season of use has beaten the blades significantly. Makes me wonder if I need to try the Gators again after I get some proper 3/4" to 5/16" hole adapters made and balance the whole affair.
Chris