There are a few tools you can use to do so, but they all do the same thing. First you have to remove the blade (make sure the mower can't start when you are doing this). Once the blade is off you either need a dremel tool, a bench grinder, or a file. I use a dremel tool. They make a blade sharpener attachment, which I have, but I don't use it because it doesn't work very well with mulching blades. I use the the sanding drum attachment. Whatever you use to sharpen the blade, you are basically removing enough steel from the angled ends to get a nice clean edge while maintaining the correct blade angle. I just hold it in my hand, but it might be a good idea to put it in a vice if you have one. Make sure you wear eye protection if you are using a power tool to sharpen your blade. There are several videos on Youtube showing you how a blade is sharpened and how it should look when you are done. After it's sharp use a blade balancer to make sure the blade is balanced (it looks like a cone and costs a few bucks at most hardware stores).

5/24/07 Hi Guys! Thanks for all the help. Sorry I used my Ebay handle here "RCS14420" instead of my handle and nick name Tbone123. Don't want to confuse anyone. I like this site and have contributed to others as well. I've learned a lot of great stuff on several issues and events from trial and errors over the years as well as posting from others here. I will follow up on the link correction and get back to you. Thanks to all. Have a great Memorial Day; let us not forget what it is for and why. God bless America and the Veterans who have given their lives to make us free! Tbone123 and/or RCS14420.

When the cutting edge gets rounded off about 1/2" to 3/4" from the end or the back edge "sail" gets thin I change 'em. Don't ignore that back sail as they can break off and go flying.

I guess there are a variety of ways to SAFELY raise a mower or lawn tractor. I've taken the deck off several times, just for maintenance, or for replacing a belt or a blade. But for simple blade removal, I've had good success just raising the deck (installed) to its highest setting and simply reaching underneath with a wrench after blocking the blade with a 2 x 4. There's maybe 4 inches of clearance, which is enough to reach under and remove/replace the blades by "feel." Laying a tarp out next to (or completely under) the deck may be helpful, since the job requires laying out flat on the ground and reaching underneath the deck. I've done it this way several times, and it seems to work just fine, and not take terribly long to accomplish the task.