Sickle Sharpening

[Brandon Webb]

What do you guys use for sharpening sickles? I had a real sharp one but I have mowed and mowed and it's finally dull. I've been looking for one of the old McCormick ones but everyone is so proud of them. I figured these farmers probably had some new type of sharpener laying around.

[Former Member]

I use a 4 or 4.5" electric grinder Brandon
Makes quick work of it and it does a good job

[Matt Kirsch]

I don't know if there is a modern equivalent to a vintage sickle sharpener... Never seen Dad sharpen a sickle, ever. When the sections get dull and worn, he replaces them.

Machines have gotten huge, and they need to be in the field. It would take hours to sharpen all the sections on a 16' mower conditioner, for example. The big operators just slide out the dull bar and slide in a replacement bar with new sections.

Sections have been bolted, not riveted, on the big machines for at least 20 years. A guy with an air ratchet can replace the sections on a 16' bar in about an hour.

Nowadays, all you can find are discbines. Basically, they use rotary blades instead of sickles to cut the hay. Sickles are a thing of the past.

[Jim Becker]

When I was on the farm, we had a stone similar to the ones on the hand crank sharpeners. However, it was mounted on an arbor powered by an electric motor. When I restored my L-22, I clamped the knife into one of the old sharpeners and quickly found the sections, as already ground, were nowhere near the angle the sharpener was trying for. I wasn't going to crank on that thing long enough to reach the edges on those sections. So I reached for the nearest power tool that would do it. In my case it was an air powered die grinder with a cut-off wheel. It worked pretty well just free hand sharpening them. I suspect that Dale's 4"+ electric grinder would be faster and a little easier. Sharpening with a power grinder doesn't take long. I can't imagine replacing sections just because they are dull.

[BIGHOSS]

I use a 4" hand grinder with a fairly fine grit disc, as Dale does. I use it to sharpen mower blades, bushog blades as well as sickle bar sections. It is fast, lightweight and easy to use. I clamp the cutter bar to the edge of a workbench and work my way down one direction to sharpen all 1st half of sections. Then I go back the other direction and get the other half. I can sharpen a 7' bar from start to finish in about 30 min.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Here is what we used for years on the farm when cutting hay with the H. one note when using any kind of stationary sharpener you need a way to support the long end of the sickle, either a person or a wire or light rope from a high limb.



We powered it off the flat belt pulley on the side of the H, and always keep some spare sickles sharp and ready to go, in addition to carrying spare knives, rivets, and even a few guards on the tractor when cutting hay. For most people's current use with a cub though, i would suspect the 4 or 4 1/2 inch grinder to be the way to go.

[Bill Hudson]

Here is what we used for years on the farm when cutting hay with the H. one note when using any kind of stationary sharpener you need a way to support the long end of the sickle, either a person or a wire or light rope from a high limb.



We powered it off the flat belt pulley on the side of the H, and always keep some spare sickles sharp and ready to go, in addition to carrying spare knives, rivets, and even a few guards on the tractor when cutting hay. For most people's current use with a cub though, i would suspect the 4 or 4 1/2 inch grinder to be the way to go.

John,

I used (when Dad wasn't around ) the same kind of wheel. It was mounted on a stand and driven with an electric motor. A seven foot bar could be sharpened in about 15 minutes.

Bill

[Bezirk]

I have the same grinding wheel as John, but it is powered with an electric motor it belonged to my Grandad so it has been around for a long time, but it still sharpens the sections very well.
Berlin

[Matt Kirsch]

I can't imagine replacing sections just because they are dull.

Dull, and worn to a nub usually.

I think it has something to do with the serrated sections. They remain usably sharp until the serrations are gone.

[Yogie]

My brother and I used to sharpen all of dad's sickle bars to have them ready each weekend when he came home to mow hay or pasture. We clamped them in the vice biting that little flat piece that runs on the under side and used a flat file. Seems one of us was always cut bad each time that chore came around...
When I picked up my first mower I bought all new blades for less than $20 at TSC.
Makes me sick all that work way back then on worn out blades. 35 years ago he could probably replaced them all for $10 or less...

[CDD]

Picked one of these up at an auction last night for $15. No one knew what it was. Mine has International on it not McCormick-Deering though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ThSnDnz6Rw

[Brandon Webb]

International is the rare one and hardest to find. They made plain McCormick, McCormick Deering and the International.

[jrenn]

I have a deering sharpener but no stone left.Is there any sorce beside auction sales

[Our Pass Thyme]

If my blades need a touch up I try to get by with a flat file. I have 60 or so extra new blades so replacing is no big deal. I only have one triplet and that gets hit with the flat file if it needs it(rarely).