how do you clean your thin kirf sawmill blades?

[Robert Long]

 >:( I just spent most of my evening cleaning sawmill blades before sharpening them....

When out cutting custom work I cut logs of many spiecies and when blades get dull I just replace them and move on.....but when I get home I spend lots of time scraping off the hard sap with a paint scraper before putting them on the sharpening system.

What do YOU do?

:-\  Robert

[Tom]

I run the blade lube full bore (water) until the blade is clean.  Then I take it off. 

[Fla._Deadheader]

If the dull one IS clean, wipe it down with an oily rag, before folding.

[treebucker]

Run it full speed with the water off then spray/wipe it with your favorite brew (WD40/diesel/kerosene/etc.) before removing it.

[Brad_S.]

I run a diesel oil drip and do the same- clean it before it comes off. Sometimes I may need to open the drip to saturate the blade and then hold a stick to the blade if there is a heavy, gummy buildup.

[Larry]

Your band should be clean while your sawing...if you have a build up of sap your probably not running nuff lube when sawing.

But if you get sap build up, do as Tom suggested.

And if you have a build up on bands waiting to be re-sharpened just spray them down with oven cleaner and wipe off the sap in bout 5 minutes.

And don't think you can use oven cleaner on carbide table saw blades...it's lye and weakens carbide.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 

And don't think you can use oven cleaner on carbide table saw blades...it's lye and weakens carbide.

  Never knew that, Larry. Thanks

[Robert Long]

Thanks Larry

Now to have a carbide band saw woodmill......

Robert

[Robert Long]

Thanks for the suggestions all......but :-\

Won't the blade run off the pulleys with a lube like 10w or kerosene added and what can be added to the water to help with sap build-up?

Robert

[arj]

I use carb cleaner before I take the blade off the mill, just a lite spray
and it scraps off easily.
                                      arj

[woodmills1]

use 50 50 diesel/bar oil all the time from squirt bottle.  I run it on every blade till clean before removing.  Got tired of scraping.

[Minnesota_boy]

You can add a bit of dish soap to help with the sap or you can do like me and keep the blades really sharp and not run lube at all (well hardly).  ;D

Disclaimer:  There are some species that even I have to run lube to keep the blade from gumming up.

[ohsoloco]

Robert, when I'm cutting something that's really sappy like spruce, pine, or tamarack I mix a few ounces of Dawn dish soap in with my water.  Last year I cut some red pine for someone that had them stacked for over a year.  I figured they'd be easy to cut....y'know, maybe less sappy since they sat for a while  :  I couldn't make more than one cut without the blade getting all gummed up and then taking a dive in the cant.  Put some dish soap in the water and it cleared right up  ;)  

Minnesota_boy beat me to it  :D

[Tom]

For the most part, all I run is water in varying amounts.  Sometimes 1/3 cup to the gallon of dish soap like palmolive.

[getoverit]

PineSol mixed with the lube water helps keep the blades clean when you are sawing pine. With other woods like sweet gum, I just run an extra good stream of water while cutting to keep the blades clean.

Side note:
If you mix dish washing detergent and water for lube, it can cause the water jug to fill with foam and you will be hours trying to fill it up with a hose the next time you fill the tank. Dont ask me how I know this :D :D

[woodmills1]

old pine may be the worst for sap build up.

[ohsoloco]

Lots of old pine in the log pile  :

[Robert Long]

Hey...Minessota-boy

May be we should talk about sharpening to solve the other problems?

Robert

[Brad_S.]

Won't the blade run off the pulleys with a lube like 10w or kerosene added

I don't know if it's the same with a WM, but if too much lube throws the blade on mine, it's a sign the wheel belts are way past worn out. A good crown on the wheel keeps the blade on no matter how much lube is applied.

[rewimmer]

Hello Robert,
I saw a lot of the gummy pine here in Virginia. We use a lot of pine-sol in our water and see a lot of bubbles. We never have sap on the blades when we change them. Something else we have had problems with is sap on the rails and under the guards. I had a brain storm a few weeks ago and cleaned the rails and guards real good. Then sprayed the heavy with PAM and have gone 3 blade changes with no sap on rails. I just wipe the rails with paper towel and spray on more. The buildup under the guards just wipes with a paper towel also. Sam's has the best price on both items.

Robert in Virginia

[Minnesota_boy]

May be we should talk about sharpening to solve the other problems?

I cheat.  I send my blades to Woodmizer Resharp.

I only saw on site which means that lots of times a quite a ways from home.  When I have to spend lots of road time getting to the job and back, I try to put as much sawing time in a day as I can so I come home really tired. (maybe it's because I'm getting old)  I really don't feel much like sharpening blades then, nor do I feel like sharpening on the weekend (sometimes I'm sawing then too) and I've never been able to get my blades quite as sharp as the Resharp guys.  Really sharp blades make really nice lumber.  It impresses the customer who then brag to their neighbors who then hire me to do their sawing.  I haven't advertised in 9 years and usually have more sawing to do than I have time to do.

[DR Buck]

I use the Wood-Mizer blade lube and get almost no sap buildup.   I also keep the blade lube applied at a faster rate if I start to see any buildup begin.

Also, I had a "blade expert" from a well known sawmill manufacturing company  ;D ;D  tell me if I didn't want to spend the money on the WM lube, I could just mix pinesol and a little vegitable oil in the water.   I tried this and wasn't happy with the results.  I may have used to much vegitable oil because the overspray gummed up the mill and made things sticky.   

I'm back to buying the WM lube. 

[Ivey]

 I mostly have only have cut pine, and hickory. I have been using
   water (5gal.) and pinesol lemon fresh (2cups) no sap build up at all
   smells good too!!
         
                       Ivey

[Robert Long]

 eh eh Ivey (I'm Canadian)

I know what you mean, I've used some real nice smelling dish soap once and the people around the mill were talking!

Robert

[Robert Long]

Dr-Buck

Perhaps you were using vegetable oil with transfats.......not good for the arteries of the mill!

:D :D

Robert