What is your preferred lubricant?

[AnthonyW]

Well, I was just trying to break the monotany of the issue with a bit of humor...epic FAIL. Oh well 

I had reviewed the previous threads and the question was not posed this way. I thought a survey formatted question would avoid a debate (and it has, thank you all). I had made a list of the options I found and wanted to know if they were any others. Turns out there was one (spindle cleaner) that I didn't see. Now we have a nice reference thread that we can add to if there any other creative options appear.

Thank you all for your time and response.

[Deese]

Stay thirsty my friend :

[YellowHammer]

Poston - Thanks for the compliments, I hates sweet gum pitch.

The stuff is made by Deere, Case, etc.  This is what I can buy locally.
YH


 

[Brucer]

When I tried out the stelite blades, I was told (by Wood-Mizer) that the best lubricant was a mixture of (roughly) 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 cup of liquid dishwashing soap added to 1 container (the one on your sawmill) of water. Mix the oil and soap together first and then added the mixture to the water. This would probably be an acceptable substitute for spindle cleaner.

It worked really well but I found my mill was getting covered with a film of sticky oil that attracted dirt and fine sawdust. I stopped using it shortly after giving up on the stelite blades.

I usually don't have a pitch problem but I will often have the blade overheat in wide cuts in dry wood. As soon as it gets hot it goes slack. Water is much better at cooling blades than oil or petroleum products so I stick with water mixed with an appropriate amount of window washer fluid.

I suspect if I were sawing pine I would find something else ;D.

[Solomon]

Poston - Thanks for the compliments, I hates sweet gum pitch.

The stuff is made by Deere, Case, etc.  This is what I can buy locally.
YH


 

Now there is a viable option.  I like the non flamable  label as that is a very legitimate concern.
If it's not outragously priced say less than 5 buck a gallon, I would buy it for certian applications where fire is more of a concern.
  Looks like a great product to me.
Good Post!    Yellow Hammer,  Thank You for bringing this to the table,  I'm going to google this and order two buckets of it.
  Keep on Sawing Brother!!!!

[Peter Drouin]

I saw dry, if I get a little pitch I use water, in the winter it's the best windshield fluid I can find, some say good for - 20 but not true. I found some at -40 and that works  :D. Most time if you are getting pitch on your blade all the time you're cutting to slow.

[chickenchaser]

Most time if you are getting pitch on your blade all the time you're cutting to slow.

And I thought I was getting faster! 

[delvis]

I used to use a 50/50 mix of off road diesel and ATF.  Then I realized that was ridiculously expensive when water is free and doesn't hurt anything if you spill some on the ground.  I add a good squirt of Dawn dish washing soap every time I fill the mill's water tank and never have a problem keeping the blade clean. 

In the winter we run straight windshield washer fluid if it is cold enough to freeze up.  If it is only cold at night, we run enough WW fluid through to make sure the water is out of the pump and then switch back to water during the day.

[bandmiller2]

I was the sawyer on a LT-70 for two years we used no lube of any kind and had no problems.The mill was set up on a smooth concrete floor and we wanted the sawdust dry. Frank C.

[Magicman]

What species were you sawing?

[Kansas]

Depends on the species. Cottonwood and sycamore, mostly nothing. If we need it, we use diesel. White oak and hickory especially. We have tried about everything and always come back to diesel. We did try soydiesel for awhile. It worked, and was more worker friendly. Problem is, it gells up way too easy.

[NCDiesel]

Diesel is a light bodied lubricant, and serves as such in injection pumps and more(sulfur limits not withstanding).   To prove - do this experiment:   Use a handsaw in dry log one time, then keep the blade coated with diesel and cut again.  I promise you will call diesel a lubricant after that.  (-:   

Granted the difference is not over-the-top spectacular, but noticeable.  I theorize that it might even save you a bit of horsepower, thereby adding to fuel efficiency.  Maybe saving in fuel what you add in diesel???   Or maybe steal from the other side of the equation and add cutting speed???  Your choice.

As you can tell I use diesel.  No changing for weather, cleans and cools as well as lubricates.  I understand the water/pinesol thing though and have no knocks against it.   Definitely cheaper, safer, and easier to use.

I have been thinking about ATF but concerned about staining complaints I have heard and diesel is a better solvent.  But I may give ATF a whirl next year.


Food for thought ....

[MattJ]

Just to add a little interesting science to the mix I used to work at a supplier for proctor and gamble, unilever, etc and the one main difference between name brand and generic detergents (i.e. Tide, Cascade, etc) is that the name brands contain enzymes which are proteins that can break down different contaminants.  Both Tide and Cascade have enzymes that break down protein, and other enzymes that break down starch, cellulose, etc.  Tide cold water has enzymes that work at cold temps better.  I wonder if using these name brand detergents helps remove the sap, lignin, etc? Makes a huge difference removing pasta, grass, blood stains in laundry and dishes.  My guess is that if it does make a difference that Tide coldwater would be the best year round.  The other detergents enzymes would only really work in the summer months.

Matt

[Bibbyman]

I've evolved around to using the cheapest house brand dishwasher soap.  It tends to work better in the Lube-Mizer.  When it starts to freeze,  I'll flush out system with straight windshield washer fluid.  Hopefully, we won't saw below freezing but when we do,  I mix in windshield washer fluid with water.

[bandmiller2]

Majic we were cutting white pine and oak.I sharpened the bands,mostly WM doublehard, we were not troubled with buildup. Frank C.

[Solomon]

Diesel is a light bodied lubricant, and serves as such in injection pumps and more(sulfur limits not withstanding).   To prove - do this experiment:   Use a handsaw in dry log one time, then keep the blade coated with diesel and cut again.  I promise you will call diesel a lubricant after that.  (-:   

Granted the difference is not over-the-top spectacular, but noticeable.  I theorize that it might even save you a bit of horsepower, thereby adding to fuel efficiency.  Maybe saving in fuel what you add in diesel???   Or maybe steal from the other side of the equation and add cutting speed???  Your choice.

As you can tell I use diesel.  No changing for weather, cleans and cools as well as lubricates.  I understand the water/pinesol thing though and have no knocks against it.   Definitely cheaper, safer, and easier to use.

I have been thinking about ATF but concerned about staining complaints I have heard and diesel is a better solvent.  But I may give ATF a whirl next year.


Food for thought ....

We are on the same page Diesel.
I have to use what works, and diesel fuel has been working great for me hands down.

[Stephen1]

I saw dry, if I get a little pitch I use water, in the winter it's the best windshield fluid I can find, some say good for - 20 but not true. I found some at -40 and that works  :D. Most time if you are getting pitch on your blade all the time you're cutting to slow.

Well this is an interesting comment, "sawing to slow" as in the saw head is not moving thru the log fast enough? Or the blade is not rotating fast enough?
I do believe I am not travelling the saw head fast enough, but I am not to sure. I slow down sometimes as I am waving a bit, but maybe my real culprit is my blades are dull. Resulting in me sawing slow to compensate

[diesel pap]

edward from boardwalk says he uses diesel. years ago i used water. i am using diesel now and i like it.

[angelo c]

Guys, lurker here. No milling exp yet...trying to research before. Question is if pitch build up is an issue for blades would a citrus based solvent help prevent it. I know i use a citrus cleaner for my saw blades in the wood shop successfully. Maybe add a lemon to the water-soap lubri cleaner ?

[bandmiller2]

Probibly anything will help if you dump enough on the band. Its hard to beat a sheen of oil, wick applied, nothing really sticks to it. Just seems wrong to dump water on a tool steel band, but this debate will go on forever, to each his own. Frank C.

[mometal77]

Solomon... love george carlin and I agree with you 100 percent... if they wanted to save the planet corporations would be cleaning up the pacific ocean.  I ran into a video on youtube but cannot find it about villages in china were they look like great places to live. Rivers/creeks and they have to bring in there own water over all the chemicals brought in from recycling computers to anything you can think of. Same goes with india they make over 3 billion a year in scrap salvage of big ships. No health insurance there for workers.  Diesel can be the best for anything and makes for a great fire started with sawdust.

[WellandportRob]

I only use varsol and chain oil mixed at a 5:1 ratio.  I cut all year round with no freeze up and it keeps the machine looking good.

[outbackmill]

I cut year round and have always cut dry. I have a older WM and so i'm close to the blade so I took a butter knife and ground a notch in the end. With the depth just short of the gullet of the blade that way you can't hit the teeth and the pitch just flys off, only takes a sec. a couple of times down the log. I,m new on this site and on this I-pad!! My comp. had a power serge take it out,bummer. Anyway does anyone know how to get a photo that i took with my I-pad to my profile ? thanks

[Cguignard]

If it is warm out I use water and store brand pine sol, if it is below freezing I use water, RV antifreeze and store brand pine sol.  Only problem I have had is some times it will freeze in the coper tubing leading to the blade. But a propane torch gets it going again. Than I add more antifreeze.

[Magicman]

At the end of a sawing day during the Winter I always purge my system with undiluted WW fluid to prevent the lines and pump from freezing.