Mower blade balancer

[Floradawg]

I used to balance my mower blades by laying a twist drill or small piece of round stock on the bench and lay the blade on it like a seesaw. Today I made this one.

The only dimension that is important is the diameter of the column on the part that the blade slides down on. Most blades have a toothed hole. I found the diameter by turning a piece of delrin in my other lathe taking off small amounts until it fit the blade. If you only have one lathe, do this first. I also tapered the lower step so even if the blade hole was a little bigger, it should still sit in the center. I drilled a 1/2" hole and tried it out. The top pointed end of the hole didn't really locate the pointed end of the screw to my liking. So, I flattened out the end of the hole and used a center drill to make a dimple. That worked well. I didn't include any dimensions because for the most part, they aren't important. I pointed the end of the screw by chucking up the lower assembled part and used a file while it turned in the lathe. It worked well.

[DIYer]

Thanks Floradawg! We've added your Mower Blade Balancer to our Farm and Garden category,
as well as to your builder page: Floradawg's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Mower Blade Balancer by Floradawg

tags: lawnmower, blade, balancing

[hemmjo]

I have an OLD plastic one that work like that. It has steps for different size blades.

One like. Yours it would be easy to make different holders for various blades. Or make bushings for different blades.

[Floradawg]

Yeah, I have seen that type in the past made from pot metal. I haven't seen one in some time.

[motorhead]

I wonder if rounding off the end of the screw work any better than putting a point on it? What do you think?
I am still using an old pot metal one that I bought decades ago. It has several steps on the outside to accommodate different blades.
Have you though about fabbing up a mower blade sharpening fixture that your balancer attaches to? That would make it a "one stop shop."