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Diesel for lube

Started by reswire, January 06, 2016, 09:28:59 PM

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reswire

This question is for the guys who use diesel fuel, for blade lube.  I'm thinking about going this route, but I'm curious if it leaves stains or discoloring on the finished board.  I know a few commercial sawyers that use it all the time, so I'm guessing the answer is no.   :new_year:
Norwood LM 30, JD 5205, some Stihl saws, 15 goats, 10 chickens, 1 Chessie and a 2 Weiner dogs...

POSTON WIDEHEAD

I would NEVER use straight diesel for lube.
Cost to much
Makes your belts wear fast......a lot of diesel will make the belts mushy.
May not be good for your lubemizer sprayer motor and the "0" rings. But disregard this is you have a gravity fed drip lube.


I ONLY add liquid soap to my water and have a spray bottle on hand full of diesel.
If my blade build ups....spray to clean with diesel, wash it off with the lube spray and keep sawing.

I have NEVER had diesel fuel show up on my lumber.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

I remember in Scout camp we used diesel on the wood in the campfire to make it burn.  So, be careful.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

trapper

manual lt30 use it on a foam paint brush when build up becomes excessive and when I shut mill off to prevent blade rusting,  Just a hobby sawyer
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

Percy

Quote from: reswire on January 06, 2016, 09:28:59 PM
This question is for the guys who use diesel fuel, for blade lube.  I'm thinking about going this route, but I'm curious if it leaves stains or discoloring on the finished board.  I know a few commercial sawyers that use it all the time, so I'm guessing the answer is no.   :new_year:
I have used diesel strait for the last 10 years with my lubmizer which had to be modified as  POSTONLT40HD said the stock pump wont take petrolium products. I have my lubmizer at a lower setting and the 5 gallon tank of diesel lasts about 60 hours or more. I cut mainly western red cedar and sitka spruce which seems to soak the minute diesel spray without any stain or smell. I cant comment on hardwoods as I dont cut much of that but Im thinking hardwood would(thats a mouthful :D)be less forgiving.....
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

redprospector

I've used straight diesel for quite a while now with no adverse effects. But my mill is home made. I don't know about the lubemizer, I used a universal windshield washer pump. I give it a squirt at the end of each cut, blades stay clean, and no stain or smell that I can detect on the lumber. I use just a little over a quart of diesel a day, so at say $2.25 a gallon that's about $0.56 a day for blade lube. If there's a difference in belt life, I haven't noticed it. But if you use a constant drip, or flood the blade it might make a difference.
I cut mostly Pine and Fir, but I have cut some Gamble Oak, Aspen, Walnut, and Pecan with good results.
This is my experience, your mileage may vary.  :o
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

red

Someone used vegetable oil .
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

kelLOGg

I use it a wipe and have never gotten stain or smell. (Check my gallery for pics). My main customers are wood workers and have never gotten a complaint. One customer, in fact, had me saw reclaimed warehouse beams which he sold to architects and builders at a shocking price. Don't use it as a drip as those with water lube do - that would be a different story.
Bob
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

Ugly Tree

Straight diesel in a drip. No problems with belts or wood. Mostly SYP.
Woodland HM126, Massey Ferguson 3165, 440 and 210 Stihl, a lot of grunt bars.

ladylake



  Water in the summer, diesel in the winter about a drop every 2 to 3 seconds keeps the blade cleaner than a lot of water.  3 gallons last a long time, way cheaper than running washer fluid and still freezing up.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

thecfarm

I have no idea about finished lumber. I have seen the way WM use water and it's a BIG diffeant than the way I use diesel. I use half bar and a chain oil and diesel for a lube,mixed half and half. And the next part is VERY important. Just a drip once every 2-3 seconds. And I mean a drip every 2-3 seconds. Most of you guys saw more in a week than I do all year. So I have no idea about the belts. Mine are still fine after 10 years. I have not noticed any spots on the lumber that I saw. But I do not make furniture,meaning I don't use a finish on my wood,so I have no idea if it would bother the finished product or not.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

coppolajc10

I've not tried, but also have considered.  Regarding belts and diesel wear, has anyone tried the urethane belts from timber wolf?  http://timberwolfbandmillblades.com/proddetail.php?prod=BMX-18.75

their site says "highly resistant to blade lubricants" (btw, can only use this belt on idle side).

Maybe I will try some diesel tomorrow.  reswire - were you thinking of straight diesel or diesel/bar oil mix?  any suggestions as to one or the other from anyone?  and to ladylake (or others with b20 using diesel) - do you use the standard b20 lube tank and system from TK for the diesel or a different one?  Thanks, Jake.

Robert Owens

I use straight diesel as lube with no problems. It was recommended by Cooks. My mill has steel band wheels, and after I got the diesel adjusted correctly I have had no issues with it on the boards or making my clothes smell.

uler3161

We keep a spray bottle of diesel on the mill. If the blade starts to get buildup I'll hit it with one or two squirts while it's running and that usually clears it up pretty good. Haven't had any issues other than spray bottles don't seem to last as well as I'd like.
1989 LT40HD, WoodMaster 718

Dan

Kbeitz

Best bottles I found that hold up is the ones made for spraying WD-40 that you buy by the Gallon.
Comes in gt. size.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Dodgy Loner

When Red Clay Hound had the LT15, we used water + detergent most of the time, but I got my hands on a few large, pitch-soaked white pine logs that absolutely refused to be sawed due to pitch buildup. I switched to diesel, and the blades stayed clean and I got perfect cuts even in knotty, pitchy, 16"-wide wood. We continued to use diesel for a while, but it eventually ruined the drip lines and the O-rings in the lube container, so we replaced them and resorted to diesel only when necessary. Red Clay has the LT40 now, and I don't think that he ever runs diesel any more.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: uler3161 on January 07, 2016, 12:08:14 PM
We keep a spray bottle of diesel on the mill. If the blade starts to get buildup I'll hit it with one or two squirts while it's running and that usually clears it up pretty good. Haven't had any issues other than spray bottles don't seem to last as well as I'd like.

smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Bruno of NH

I use 50/50 diesel and bar oil in spray bottle as needed .
Bruno
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

reswire

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the advice.
 
I've been cutting a lot of pine lately, and the pitch build up has driven me crazy!  I usually run detergent in the lube system, but it just wasn't doing the job.  A good friend recommended using diesel, to see if it would make any difference.  It didn't take long before the cuts were straight, and the finish on the board was improved.  My buddy worked in a large commercial band mill company, and he said that was all they used for blade lube.  He did warn me about diesel/dust buildup, and how it has caused commercial mill operations to go up in flames rather quickly..

My only concern, was the damage it might do to finished wood products. However, I suppose most woodworkers plane and sand enough to take care of that! 
Norwood LM 30, JD 5205, some Stihl saws, 15 goats, 10 chickens, 1 Chessie and a 2 Weiner dogs...

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: reswire on January 07, 2016, 10:26:32 PM

My only concern, was the damage it might do to finished wood products. However, I suppose most woodworkers plane and sand enough to take care of that!





Don't bet on planing and sanding to get rid of oil on lumber. I keep all petroleum products AWAY from my bench and table slabs.  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

4x4American

That's yet another great use for brake clean! lol
Boy, back in my day..

Deese

I had a bad problem with pitch building on the blade when sawing big syp logs rich with sap. I was using soap/water (gravity drip setup) and it wasn't cutting it no matter how much I flooded the blade. So, I switched to straight diesel fuel and it solved the problem but created another....It made my belts really slick and I started throwing my blade. I have since switched back to soap/water.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

ladylake


  Deese
 
Try running less diesel, a drop every 2 or 3 seconds is usually enough.  Also I find when I saw all summer with water and switch to diesel if the blades come off when engaging the clutch new belts will cure that problem as the old ones were pretty rounded off.  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

Darrel

Quote from: uler3161 on January 07, 2016, 12:08:14 PM
We keep a spray bottle of diesel on the mill. If the blade starts to get buildup I'll hit it with one or two squirts while it's running and that usually clears it up pretty good. Haven't had any issues other than spray bottles don't seem to last as well as I'd like.

ME TOO
1992 LT40HD

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

losttheplot

I use a spray bottle as and when its needed also.
No known problems so far.

I would think that if petroleum products caused problems the chainsaw millers would know all about it.
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK !

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