How much water on blade

[sawdusty1]

I am getting alot of caking sawdust on my bandsaw wheel belts. Is this from using too much water on the blade.  I am cutting oak.  Should the water just be dripping or a steady stream flowing on the blade.   

[prittgers]

I used to use a lot of cooling water.  With a lot of pitch or sap, you sometimes find that water doesn't clean and lubricate well. The additive we have been using is a homogenous mix of mineral spirits and silicone which bonds with the surface of the steel. Gummy substances no longer stick to the blades.  Clean blades are cool blades. Cool blades stay sharp and set properly much longer.

I'm sure there are multiple sources for his product.  Woodmizer sells it under part number ADD-1. A drop every 3-5 seconds has been working well for us here.

Parker in Alaska

[m wood]

I have not cut oak to date, so I am no help with your specific question.  The "how much and what type of lube question" has been brought up many-a-time and always generates an interesting thread.  There is a search option at top of page, and by using key terms/words will let you see past threads on the subject.  Try specifics such as; lube, water, oak, "sawdust building up".  Good luck!
mark

[YellowHammer]

Too much water causes several problems, including caking sawdust on bandwheels, erratic cuts, blue stained sawdust residue on oak, etc. 

Water lube is primarily used to clean the pitch and sap off the blade.  Pitch and sap buildup are death to a blade, by overheating.  So with oak, I mix Dawn, others use Pinesol, and Cascade so that  a little drip on the blade will remove the sap and pitch. Keep turning the lube down, increase the detergent mixture, checking that the blade stays bright and shiny.  You will have it about right when roller guide bearings go quiet, and the blade stays clean.
YH

[Magicman]

Just dropping.  It is common for sawdust to become trapped between the blade and bandwheels.  The buildup is gradual and does increase the blade tension a bit, but I have never considered it to be a real problem.  I just clean it all off with each blade change and at the end of each sawing day.

I neither leave a blade on overnight, nor leave tension on the blade during my lunch break.  That just seems to squish the sawdust more firmly into the bandwheel belt and make it more difficult to clean.  Failure to evenly clean all of the sawdust off could cause a vibration.

[customsawyer]

When cutting hard wood I run just water with no soap or other additives. Now and then I will put the lube on at full blast if I am getting any build up but most times it is just on a pulse every few seconds.

[sawdusty1]

Sorry about the newbie question.  I use the Dawn and Pine-sol mixture and have been according to ya'll running too much water.  I noticed, no more than I have run mine, a little more wear on the drive wheel belt than the idle wheel belt and have been rotating them.  Thanks for the advice

[Magicman]

I generally use about 5 gallons of water per day.  Not necessarily saying that is the proper amount, just what I normally use.   

[drobertson]

Moist logs will sometimes cause this, I have flooded many times with no noticeable build up, the feed rate does have some impact on this, but green logs or moist logs will do it more so than a bit dryer, I have noticed some build up from time to time, and I experienced no real issues with it,  but I believe every mill and situation has it's differences,   david

[Peter Drouin]

I cut dry and only turn on [ only water in the summer] full to clean the blade . One or two cuts and turn the water off. That's what I have done for the last 24+ years and works for me. Good luck with your way  :D :D ;D ;)

[dboyt]

I generally don't use any lube, if the log is reasonably freshly cut.  I don't have a problem with pitch build-up with oak, and there is enough moisture in the wood to lubricate the blade.  When pitch build-up is a problem, I use water & Pine Sol.

[WoodenHead]

For cutting pine I use a few glugs of Pine-sol in water and adjust the tap based on how much pitch build-up there is on the blade.  With oak I use straight water and adjust the flow if I see my tension dropping (i.e. primarily for cooling).  Unfortunately an LT15 doesn't have a tension gauge (neither did my LT28).  So, normally I would just open the tap for a trickle.

[Chuck White]

Sorry about the newbie question.  I use the Dawn and Pine-sol mixture and have been according to ya'll running too much water.  I noticed, no more than I have run mine, a little more wear on the drive wheel belt than the idle wheel belt and have been rotating them.  Thanks for the advice

Wood-Mizer recommends swapping right to left and left to right on the blade belts every 50 hours.
The drive side belt will wear quicker than the idle side belt!

[5quarter]

I never use lube, but in sappy situations, I will clean my blade every few cuts to maintain a clean, cool cut. I use a green pad attached to the end of a stick. I dip it in diesel fuel and clean the top and bottom of the blade while it is running at idle. There have been a couple bad situations where I have had to clean the blade after every board, but it is very rare. Member Kellogg has and awesome blade cleaning system that he devised for his mill. When I have the time and inclination I will build one exactly like it.  ;) There are as many ways to keep a blade cool and clean as there are sawyers. don't be afraid to experiment until you find the best method that works for you.

[francismilker]

I went through these probs when I first got my mill.  What's working for me is using little to no water at all cutting oak and erc.  Occasionally I turn it on full blast and clean the blade and wheels off.  Other than that, no water.  My blades are lasting just as long and I'm not getting a slurry of wet sawdust to deal with on my boards.

[bandmiller2]

Lube is one thing you use the least possible.I ran a friends LT-70 for years and we used absolutely no lube of any kind,I sharpened the bands and had no buildup problem.My own bandmill I use a wick and drained ATF, as diesel is too expensive now.Don't be afrade to try petroleum lubes just don't drip them on like water use a wick or pad. Frank C.

[Stephen1]

Interesting the ones that do not use lube at all. WM has told me lube is not a coolent, it is a buildup reducer. I did notice no buildup cutting the walnut sometimes. I am going to be more viligant on cleaning the belts. I also notice that sap is building on the trailing edge of the blades, I have the lube coming out of a piece of pipe and flows to the front of the blade. I should look at modifiing that

[Magicman]

Sap/sawdust buildup will cause even a sharp blade to do bad things.   :-\

[sawdusty1]

I like the idea of a wick like used on the cook sawmill.  Does anybody with an MP32 have a pic of the system they use so maybe I could try to make one.  What to use for the wick?  I came very close to buying the MP32 because they are only 71 miles from me but I am satisfied with my decision.

[qbilder]

I haven't used lube for some time now. It's been easily two years no lube and I haven't noticed any change in sawing performance. I still get the same amount of time per blade, same rate of feed, etc. The only thing I have ever noticed that causes premature blade wear is dirty logs & bark, which in turn causes the dulled blades to begin wandering. Hitting trapped dirt in the bark is like stabbing your hunting knife into the ground. Only takes once. As for lube, I guess I haven't cut anything that needed it. I get several hours from a fresh blade when cutting something like chestnut oak, and seems like I get all day when cutting hard maple or cherry. I haven't killed a blade cutting poplar, but boy I can mill a lot of it on a blade.             

[NMFP]

I typically do not use lube except for when I am sawing green pine or spruce.  Most all hardwoods I cut dry except dry hickory or white oak.  When I do use lube, I primarily use it to control blade temperature.  Although some do not agree with this theory, here is how I look at it.

Have you ever been sawing and noticed your tension is down and not where it should be?  That is one of 3 things:
1.  A band that has a crack developing
2.  Insufficient device to hold tension such as hydraulic or spring
3.  Band it getting hot and stretching causing low tension.

Sometimes the lube helps, especially with sappy species but in general, lube is primarily to even band temperature so that you do not have the peaks and valleys in temperature fluxuation.

I ran a large mill (8" bands) for a few years and the wheels were liquid filled with ethyl glycol to remove heat from the band and keep consistent temperatures in the band.  There were no lubrication additives such as water or petroleum products.

To each his own as far as how much to use but typically, as MagicMan said, one tank per day is sufficient.  If the band quickly develops low tension sawing a dry log, turn the water open all the way and watch the tension go right back to where it started.

[Peter Drouin]

Most times the blade getting hot or low tension means it's dull.