What stihl strimmer to run mulching blade?

[J@mesC]

21 hours ago, Grassyass said:

Just going back to the first post those blades are the Oregon ones , we had problems with them  on our fs460’s  we had the clutch housing break on 3 machines using those blades always seem to be going out of balance, since we have gone back to stihl blades never had any issues, IMO , with metal blades you want 360 or bigger , we have had more problems with the 460’s over the years than the 360 or 410 , maybe just me but had at least 3 or 4 pistons melt, having said that they get a lot of stick .

Coincidentally, ditched the oregon blade and gone back to Stihl one for the new machine... Sounds like it's a wise move!

[Trailoftears]

I've found keeping a battery grinder in the car so useful.Whichever blade you use,so handy to pause on the job and quickly sharpen it up,also the same applies to mower blades.So much easier than going home knackered and having sharpening jobs to do in the shed on a bench grinder.

[Stere]

 

Fancy a try of this new rotary  engine machine....^

 

Im not convinced sharpening mower blades is that critical as didn't notice a new blade making a huge difference to the cut.

 

Must get round to doing the strimmer ones.

 

Have the smaller ( in thickness and sized) 2 tooth oregon mulch blade. The bigger ones are alot heavier. Maybe the 3 tooth ones are kinder to the machines than 2 tooth?

 

 

 

How do you balance blades when sharpening any fancy jig etc?

 

Seen some expensive looking wall mounted thing for it....

Edited June 1, 2023 by Stere

[pleasant]

3 hours ago, Stere said:

 

Fancy a try of this new rotary  engine machine....^

 

Im not convinced sharpening mower blades is that critical as didn't notice a new blade making a huge difference to the cut.

 

Must get round to doing the strimmer ones.

 

Have the smaller ( in thickness and sized) 2 tooth oregon mulch blade. The bigger ones are alot heavier. Maybe the 3 tooth ones are kinder to the machines than 2 tooth?

 

 

 

How do you balance blades when sharpening any fancy jig etc?

 

Seen some expensive looking wall mounted thing for it....

Mower blades shouldn't be sharp,,,they should be dressed and ground at a 30 degree angle, but not sharp, as this will dull very quickly. A clean, but not sharp edge particularly on mower blades will keep its edge longer.

 

I often have to explain this to my customers who complain the blade we have sharpened for them is not sharp.....they expect to cut paper with it! Even brand new blades are not what you would call sharp....even had people hand back a new blade and say 'this ones not been made right- can I have a sharp one'

 

On a mower it is the speed of the blade that does the cutting not the sharpness. At its tip it will be rotating at near 200mph.....you could bolt a house brick to the end and it would still do a reasonable job!

[Willie.]

Hi James - just a quick note that may help.  If you can, try and get a shredder blade guard for whatever machine you go for.  As opposed to running the blade with the normal strimmer guard.

The reason being, the extra depth of the guard means when you "pat" down into the ground with a shredder blade, it shouldn't catch the ground and stop her dead (Which I presume is what happened in your case).  I'm sure you could "adjust" the bottom of the guard with an angle grinder to get it as close to the ground as you dare - but take away the risk of clunking it down into a rock and stopping dead.

Stihl one here 

Guards for shredder blades - For FS 360 / FS 410 / FS 460 / FS 490

WWW.STIHL.CO.UK

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Includes shredder blade, shredder guard and fastening components.<p> <br> <p>Guards for shredder blades, Ø 270 mm for FS 360 C-EM, FS 410 C-EM, FS 460 C-EM, FS 490...

 

[Muddy42]

13 hours ago, Stere said:

 

Fancy a try of this new rotary  engine machine....^

 

Im not convinced sharpening mower blades is that critical as didn't notice a new blade making a huge difference to the cut.

 

Must get round to doing the strimmer ones.

 

Have the smaller ( in thickness and sized) 2 tooth oregon mulch blade. The bigger ones are alot heavier. Maybe the 3 tooth ones are kinder to the machines than 2 tooth?

 

 

 

How do you balance blades when sharpening any fancy jig etc?

 

Seen some expensive looking wall mounted thing for it....

 

I only sharpen mower blades at the end of the season or if I hit a something really badly.  I agree often once I have sharpened I don't notice much difference for normal grass.  However where I do notice a difference is where I am really pushing the limits of the mulching/non-collecting mower in long grass.  Sharper blades seem to slice better and cause less strain on the belts and engine. I suppose the same must be true of shorter grass but I just don't notice it.

 

I sharpen with a big angle grinder and then finish with the bench grinder.  Be careful not to get the metal too hot.  A flapper wheel also works well.  I balance blades on a nail banged into the side of the workbench, but that is not perfect.  You can also try and balance the blade on a few inches of dowel rod. I understand that balancing is quite important for the health of your bearings, axles and engine.

[roys]

For balancing I use the Oregon blade balancer costs about £6 from Amazon or eBay, it is basically a stepped cone on a small spike, simple and works well.

[doobin]

What you need for sharpening is a fibre backed ceramic disc. Cuts clean and cool and can follow the contours. Either on an angle grinder or on a 50mm roloc on a 90 degree die grinder. 36 grit ceramic and you can sharpen a blade in seconds, leaving deep scratches but no heat build up. 
 

Nitro Ceramic Fibre Discs, 50/Pack - SAIC Ltd.

SAIC-UK.CO.UK

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Buy Nitro Ceramic Fibre Discs, 50/Pack Premium quality ceramic, 100% ceramic grains. Topsize layer...

A bench grinder is no use whatsoever for mulch type blades in particular.
 

 

I’ve never found balancing to make

any difference to bearing longevity so I don’t bother on either the John Deere ride on or Kubota compact mid mount. 
 

Edited June 2, 2023 by doobin

[Trailoftears]

Re:blade sharpening,I find the brush knife blades much more effective when (reasonably) sharp,this shows when using them on the vertical plane,i e. Up and down in say,knee high brambles.As to mower blades-whether walk behind or ride on tractor blades,when I observe fuzzy/crazed top edges on cut grass,I take that as a hint to sharpen.As to balancing,I check the blade on a steel ruler clamped in a workbench vice-I dont expect perfection but it shouldnt lurch to one side when centered on a ruler.

[Trailoftears]

Also,I know its a bit non elf n'safety,but with a brushknife with no public/workmates nearby,the guard comes straight off-in big areas of brables etc,it makes a huge difference to fatigue levels-70/80% less drag.Obviously appropriate safety gear/clothing is a given.