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how do you clean your thin kirf sawmill blades?

Started by Robert Long, January 18, 2007, 08:06:28 PM

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kelLOGg

No body has talked about buildup on both sides of the blade. Sawing heart pine I once got so much buildup on the bottom of the blade that the blade rose right out of the cant. My wiper kept the top clean so I modified it to wipe top and bottom, fore and aft. I was using diesel. Anybody else had such a problem?
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Robert Long

Minesota-boy :-\

I wish we here in Canada had a resharp program, I know how you feel, out all day in the weather and away from home and tired and looking to get home A.S.A.P. and then having to start all over again by sharpening blades.

By the way I take my time sharpening...Once to clean up the edge and make the teeth all uniform before setting them then sharpen the blade a second time to assure it's the way I like it.

Infact I have a magnafying lens with a light mounted on the sharpener to check out the top edge of the teeth. ::)

Robert

Jpitcox84

I was told to get Kerosene and wipe the oil off the blades before you install the blade. Supposed to keep blade tracked better?  Is this true?

Chuck White

I usually flush mine with a good stream of water before I take them off the mill, if that doesn't get it all, I scrape the rest off with a putty knife just before I set them!!

After I set and sharpen my blades, I wipe them down with a rag and ATF!

I don't wipe them off before they go back on the mill, doesn't seem to have any ill affects!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

SawyerTed

Quote from: getoverit on January 18, 2007, 09:25:23 PM
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
Don't run the jug dry, take the nozzle off the hose and put it under the water level in the jug before turning on the water.  You get much less foam that way.  
I run enough dishwashing liquid to make the water very blue.  Haven't had a build up of sap to cause any issues.  If I start seeing some sap accumulate, I turn the water up a bit until it is gone.  
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Peter Drouin

I don't clean them unless I have 1/4" of pitch on the back side. :D :D :D
And I cut dry all the time. :D :D I don't like wet wood. ;D
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

WV Sawmiller

   Invert the blade and knock off the sap with the wire brush on your grinder. Wipe with ATF or WD40.

  Be sure to turn them back right side out or they will cut real funny. ???
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Skipper11A

I use a diesel/bar oil drip with felt wiper on the inside of the blade and a diesel spray on the outside.  The spray is from an automotive windshield washer system.  I no longer have any buildup on my blades, in fact, they are always shiny clean with a layer of diesel/bar oil protecting them.

petefrom bearswamp

Spray with diesel before taking off then off to resharp they go.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: Peter Drouin on June 07, 2018, 06:12:39 AM
I don't clean them unless I have 1/4" of pitch on the back side. :D :D :D
:o :o :o ...... :D :D :D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Peter Drouin

Some make to much on the blade cleaning and setting, The blades are most forgiving. 
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

terrifictimbersllc

I use a floor standing drill press with a cup brush pressed to a board/fence on the drill press table.  Invert the blade and pull it through to clean it.  

If I have one with residue that doesnt come off with that, I spritz it outside with purple cleaner (sodium hydroxide) and after a few minutes with that it cleans easily. 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

YellowHammer

I never have anything to clean off.  I use a blade lube that prevents build up.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

petefrom bearswamp

Mr Yellowhammer, what do you use?
The Eastern white pine I saw builds up a lot of pitch
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

YellowHammer

I use Cotton Picker Spindle Cleaner pretty much exclusively.  It's a water soluble oil and detergent that is added to water and used to clean very expensive spindles of plant matter and dirt.  It's been very effective for me, and my bands come off the mill as clean and shiney as when they were put on.  The oil is odorless, and doesn't stain wood.  

It can be bought on Amazon or from many Farmers Coops.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Tom the Sawyer

07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

Darrel

Water works well to keep my blades clean in both western juniper and ponderosas pine. 
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

YellowHammer

I don't have an exact recipe, I wing it.  If I have a nearly empty water tank, I put maybe a half dozen glugs, maybe more or less until I see the water turn heavy milky.  Then I turn on the lube flow and watch with the band not moving and when the mix is right, it will wet adhere and crawl down the band.  Then I make a few cuts and see if the band stays clean.  If not, I'll add some more. If the band stays clean, then I'll run the tank down throughout the day, and when it's about half full, I'll just refill it up with plain water, and get back to sawing.  If the band starts to pitch up, I'll pour in some more oil.  Hickory I add pretty heavy, cherry and others the mix will work well even if weak.  I only go through maybe 10 gallons of Spindle cleaner max a year, because when mix is working I can turn the Lubemizer way down, and almost saw dry because the oil film keeps any pitch from sticking.  So the heavier the mix, the less flow needed on the band and the no more scraping wet sawdust, it generally just falls off the boards and the bands are dry, slick and clean.  I mix it pretty heavy for sticky pine and milled up a few thousand boardfeet a couple weeks ago, and had almost no pitch on the bands.

For example, I sawed some hickory a few weeks ago, mixed a pretty heavy milky mix, and the band stayed clean as a whistle.  I refilled the jug with plain water, and the mix was still strong, so I did a days worth of cedar, refilled with plain water again, then sawed a days red maple, and still didn't have any buildup.  So some wood needs more, some need less.

It's the only stuff I use with these days.  Its also keeps me from having to clean my bands before I sharpen them, and will keep them from rusting.  I first learned of this many years ago from a Woodmizer Competition Shootout Sawyer who had a 5 gallon jug of the John Deere spindle cleaner stashed in the back of his service truck for use in the competitions.  

I use the John Deere Spindle Cleaner and also the local Farmers COOP brand, I don't know about the stuff on amazon, but it should be the same stuff.

Here's the way I look at it.  If you have sticky rosin, grease, or paint on your hands, and rinse them with a water hose, the plain water will clean your hands, and get some, but not all off, as water is a very effective but weak solvent.  If you turn the water up higher, your hands still won't get clean, the only solution is to add some detergent or the proper solvent or both.  Then you can turn the water down and your hands will get clean anyway.  Same with blade lube, it only takes the proper solvent or detergent in the lube tank to keep the bands clean, and the solution isn't always turn the water up, its add more solvent.  If you want to run a simple experiment, take a pitchy band in your hands and rub various solvents on it and see which works.  A little diesel on you fingers will work well, some soaps will work well, PinSol ("Pine Solvent") work well at high enough concentrations, I've even used Deep Purple and Green Cleaner from Auto Zone.  Murphys Oil Soap works when mixed with soap, such as Dawn and Cascade, lots of soaps and solvents will work and odds are there are several good candidates in your kitchen or garage.  My point is that you can easily tell if what you have works, and what concentration is good, without ever running the mill.  Simple and useful chemistry.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Peter Drouin

Your right YH. Everyone has to find what works for them. 
If I have to I use a little water. I find the older the log the more it will pitch in pine.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Tom the Sawyer

After reading recommendations from others on the forum, I decided to try cotton-picker spindle cleaner.  First, I had to find it, cotton is not grown in Kansas.  Local coop and JD dealer had never heard of it.  I gave him the JD part number and he said it would be $100 + shipping (5 gallons).  Was on a short trip to central Arkansas, checked at least a dozen places, no one had it.  Finally went on-line and found it (Mississippi), $45 for 5 gallons + $48 shipping.  

Started out using it at 1:10 ration (cleaner to water).  There were a few logs where I still got buildup so now trying 1:8 (1 cup per gallon).  Probably will go to 1:6 on the next batch.  I seldom mill timber logs, most of mine are residential removals, storm-damaged or diseased, so I probably run in to pitchy logs more often. When the drip won't keep up with the pitch, I squirt a little bit of Fluid Film on a wire brush and the blade cleans up quickly.
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

YellowHammer

Wow, the shipping is expensive.  I pay $45 for a 5 gallon bucket, but its common here in cotton country so no shipping.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

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