I'm Believer - Diesel To Cut Pitch

[SawyerTed]

Ok I've used Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and water (per Wood-mizer instructions)  for blade lube exclusively until today.  It has worked good enough until yesterday.  Sawing mixed pine logs just like I have off and on since I started in March.  Yesterday the build up on the blades was excessive.  I was getting waves with sharp blades.  I also put windshield washer fluid and dishwashing liquid in the water yesterday.

Today I decided to try a little diesel on the blade.  I put a little diesel in a small dishwashing liquid bottle.  When I saw a bit of build up, I put a small squirt of diesel on the blade at the idle side roller guide.   Presto clean blade once the blade entered the log 10".  In a 12 ounce dishwashing liquid bottle I used the equivalent of 3-4 ounces of diesel while cutting 800 board feet of pine. 

I was worried about the amount of diesel required and the possible issues with the wood or parts of the sawmill.  That may be because I never got an idea of the amount of diesel others have been using.  

So if somebody is hesitant to use diesel, it really only takes a few drops every so often. It really isn't enough to make any difference in the wood or the sawmill.

[barbender]

I still intend to set up a diesel felt wiper system on my LT40. Then the only time I would use water is if I was sawing something really dry and wanted to knock the dust down. I'm not much of a fan of water lube👎

[slider]

Cooks sells a nice wiper system.

I have been using diesel in my lubmizer for years with no problems. About one squirt every 6 seconds on the sticky pine.

[Mad Professor]

I worked in a commercial mill for a while.  If we were doing pine we had hand pump sprayers w/diesel to take the pitch off the rollers and parts in the edger.

It's great for cleaning up chainsaws too.

[thecfarm]

A little diesel goes a long ways. Only a few drips every so often. Often enough to keep the blade clean. ;D

[moodnacreek]

There is none of this with a circle mill, normally. Petroleum distillates like kerosene or diesel mixed with liquid dish soap is how we used to make waterless hand soap.

[Lawg Dawg]

I been telling ya!



 

A dab a do ya!

[Southside]

I also put windshield washer fluid and dishwashing liquid in the water yesterday.

When Marty delivered my 70 he had filled the lube tank with washer fluid - I never use the stuff personally but he was rightfully concerned with the temps so I figured I may as well use what he brought.  About half way through the tank  - and that was using at least 2 - 3 times the lube I normally use on pine - I decided to put the stuff into a bottle so I could use it in my truck instead - I honestly see no value in WW fluid when it comes to pitch removal.  One thing I did find out the other day is that WD-40 will do an AMAZING job of removing built up pitch.  I tried some on the feed rollers on my moulder after running some white pine and it basically melted all of the build up away.  Due to the nature of the moulder removing the pitch is normally a rather not so much fun job, but a little squirt and a pass of a steel brush and it was gone.   

[dustyhat]

50+ years my dad ran a circle mill operation sawing hickory and ash only, diesel in a squirt bottle was always hanging there for the sawyer . and all i will ever use today .band or circle saw.

[crowhill]

Lawg Dawg, hope ya didn't do much damage in the roll over of your dump truck!

[Stuart Caruk]

You noted the dishwashing fluid and water. Do you use Pinesol?

I use

5 gallons water + 1/2 cup Pinesol + 2 Tablespoons Dawn dishwashing soap makes a great sawblade lube.

[Old Greenhorn]

Thanks all,, I learned something here. I have not had pitch issues yet, but might when I start working on those tall pines in the spring .  I do have some dusting issues and occasionally some buildup. Funny, but I have a small bottle of Kero within reach of the saw that I use for coaxing my warming fire. I will try that very soon. 

[Southside]

Old Greenhorn - most of my pine is loblolly but I do saw a fair amount of white pine as well, I find the White Pine pitch, is actually more of a problem, so yes you want to have a plan in place for those.  

[SawyerTed]

The WWF is to prevent the water from freezing.  There really isn't anything else in it to cut the build up on the blade.  I've been using dishwashing liquid based on the recommendation from Wood-mizer. So far it has worked ok.  I might try Pine-sol next.  Probably will continue to use the WWF for the antifreeze.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I'm gullible - I'll try the diesel on my next batch of sticky lumber/bands.

[barbender]

You guys that are using water and soap, etc. are just fooling yourselves😁 Really, what takes 5 gallons of water a day, to do a "I'll have to clean these before I sharpen them" job, can be accomplished with about 2 tablespoons of diesel. Really. I worked on an asphalt paving crew, and diesel was used, and liberally, to keep the asphalt cleaned off of tools. I carried a small jug with me all day long. At the plant, regulations required an organic, biodegradable solvent for spraying the beds of the haul trucks. We used many types over the years, they got the organic and biodegradable part I guess, but it didn't do much for dissolving asphalt. I did see a few citrus solutions salesmen brought out over the years, and some of those worked ok, but I can tell you they were a lot more than $3 a gallon😁 When the chips were down, the diesel came out👍

[kelLOGg]

Diesel is all I have ever used and it doesn't take much as has been stated many times. My system is solenoid-controlled so I don't have to remember to turn it off.

[moodnacreek]

Years ago I made a small e. red cedar box to hold my shaper cutters. I used the cedar because that's what was 1/2" and within reach. When I put the cutters away I sprayed them with WD 40. What a mistake. They to this day are coated with a hard red gum that nothing I have tried will remove. They where also glued in the box.

[redneckman]

This very topic came up in another post about a month ago.  I will say again what I said in that post.  I used water / water-dawn  / water - pinesole, and water-cascade.  I was runing into two issues: pitch buildup and heat.  Some people say that heat comes from pitch buildup.  This is true.  However, all the heat is not from pitch buildup alone.  Some comes from the friction of the blade against the dust in the cut, and friction from the tooth making the cut.  I was going through at least 10 gallons of water mixture in a day trying to keep the heat down.  One time, I was cutting chestnut oak.  I went through 25 gallons of mixture.  I had the lubemizer turned as high as it would go.  If I didn't, the blade would get so hot that steam would come off of it when the water hit it in squirts.  When the blade gets that hot, it looses its tension.  I had wavy cuts, stretched, and broken blades.  Plus, the pitch buidup never really went away.  The water and dawn helped, but did not totally clean it. I was very, very frustrated.

I ran into a guy I know one day at the local gas station.  He also has a band mill.  He saw the lube tank, and asked what was in it.  I told him Dawn and water.  He said "throw that junk away and get you some diesel fuel."  So, that is what I did.  All I can say is WOW!  Now, my blades run cooler, cut more true,  and stay sharper longer.  I have not broken a single one, and the fuel cleans ALL the pitch off.  When I put on a new blade, I flood it for about 3 seconds to put a coat of fuel on it before entering the cut.  This lubricates the blade and helps to keep the build up off.  Being a petroleum, DF is a great lubricant. When I get ready to change the blade, I do the same thing.  If there is any pitch on it, after about 3 seconds of flooding, it will be gone.  Another benefit of doing this is that the diesel on the blade will help protect it from rust while in storage.

Another positive from the DF is that it will keeep your mill from rusting.  My mill had 100 hours on it and I rung two bolts off trying to adjust the guides.  The water had gotten into the threads and rusted them.  I am sure water gets into the roller bearings, and that is proablly why they dont last very long.  If the fuel gets in there, it will do less damage than water, which means the bearings should last longer.

Finally, it is much easier to clean the mill once you use DF as a lube.  Before, I had to scrape off the pine sap and grime around the roller guides.  Now, it just wipes off easily.

One more thing, I said I went through 25 gallons of water cutting oak for one day; now I can cut oak for 3 days on 5 gallons of fuel.  There was times when I ran water that I would fill the tank up after every log if the logs were big.

Diesel Fuel all the way for me.  No looking back.

[Southside]

Are you using the same lube tank?  Just wondering how that stands up to the fuel.  

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I run a Norwood Lumbermate 2000 that I bought new in 2002. I mill mostly hardwoods and the blade doesn't heat up or get loaded with sap so a couple of years ago I stopped using lube completely. I run my blades dry and have had no problems.

A couple of months ago I was cutting some white pine and right away noticed a buildup on the blade. I used a squirt bottle filled with diesel and just before entering the cut, with the blade spinning Id shoot 2 shots on the blade. Works great. Nice shiny blade with no build up and you don't need a special delivery system.

Jon

[Stephen1]

I use the pinesol/WW. I find new blades need no lube, used blades seem to need lube.

[Sixacresand]

I apply diesel to the blade as needed with a shop oil pump (squirt can) via a plastic tube. 


  

[barbender]

Six, I like that!👍

[farmfromkansas]

My Cook MP32 mill came with a tiny tank for diesel with a gravity feed.  Just have to set it for a drop every couple seconds, and it keeps everything clean, lubed, and no hot blades.  I smelled the wood, as the enviro nuts seem to think wood contains diesel fuel, and seems all the diesel is in the sawdust pile.  The local people who handle burn permits will not allow you to burn any lumber, just brush piles.