Hi Jason, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but what I have always recommended here, is taking your cylinder reel and soleplate (complete with the bedknife attached)
to a engineer that specialises in sharpening (spin grinding) reels and lapping the knife-blade to suit.
These guys do reels as a matter of course everyday and have the "know-how" and the machinery to achieve a terrific result, which I have had every time.
My advice to you is to invest in a new bottom blade and have a recognised reel sharpener lap it to the correct angle of your existing reel, (ie) to suit the angle that
your reel has been ground to.
This will solve your problem.
He may have given it a "relief" grind.
Having mates help you out and saving a few bucks is great....but with a cylinder mower...it's a different mind-set....fine tolerances and lots of moving parts.
My advice in short...leave it to the experts!!
Please let us know how you get on!!
