bevel grindstone ? for sickle mower sections

[jCarroll]

Without thinking past arbor size and diameter, I bought a bevel grindstone for sharpening my mower knives. Used it today for the first time, and the bevel angle is too flat - it grinds at the top of the section instead of along the sharpened surface.

Dressing it to the correct angle seems like the wrong approach.

Anybody know the angle spec so that I can buy a correct grinding wheel?

JD model 50 mower - nothing special .....

 

[wolfman]

Who sells such stones? I was looking for a small stone for my electric drill. No find. I have an old one attached to a flexible shaft; it is cylindrical shape about 8 in diameter and 1 in thick.

 

[504-1]

I would just sell you the complete sickle bar grinder, stone an all.

 

[RayP(MI)]

Try a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder. I use a air die grinder with an arbor and 4 1/2 inch disk. Works great, faster than you can do it with a grinding wheeel.

 

[36 Coupe]

I have used all types of grinders over the years.The 4 1/2 inch angle grinder works best.It lets you see the surface being ground.Just clamp the knife to the bench and sharpen each section.Just look at a new section to find the right angle.I have a metal gauge in my shop to get the right the right angle on cutting tools.The 4 1/2 angle grinder has so many uses I cant see how a shop can be run with out one.

 

[bruster]

I've never used a stone myself, just a few quick file strokes was all my JD 350 blades have ever needed.

 

[Lazy WP]

You obviously haven't mowed much hay!!! I have used everything from a 7" angle grinder, to an old home made one that you could change side with. I am back to using my 4 1/2" angle grinder, but I am only mowing 100 acres or so. If I was mowing a bunch again, I would invest in a Shadel sharpener.

 

[PJH]

I actually use a SHARP chainsaw file to touch up between sharpenings. It's small enough that you can do it with the knife in the mower. If it's dull enough that the knife needs to come out, I use the little weld grinder. I haven't used one of those big "V" shaped wheels like the original poster mentioned for 40 years. We've got one around here somewhere, in a box. A little weld grinder is just too convenient, as the others mentioned.

 

[Bill in Colo]

From a guy who's cut lots of tuff mountain meadow hay both with a sickle bar mower, swather and now a dic-bine. First get rid of your guards with ledger plates and replace them with two prong swather type guards and replace the sections with over serrated sections with bolts instead of rivets and never sharpen a sickle again.
Before this I was changing a sickle twice a day afterwards I could usually cut four hundred acres with new sections

 

[jCarroll]

Nobody answered my question, so I bought a 4.5" grinder, and sharpened my knife with that. Worked a little faster than a grindstone, but the big advantage is that you see the surface you're sharpening - whereas the grindstone has you looking at the backside of the section.

And it's neat for sharpening the points of those old guards.

Thanks for the spot-on advice.

 

[showcrop]

I never needed to sharpen mine. They would break before they got dull.