Blade cleaning logs

[WV Sawmiller]

   Okay, I confess. I am not the world's greatest at cleaning my blades. I sawed some ash last week and had some sap build up left on the blade. Its still cutting good so have not changed it yet. Yesterday and today I cut some buckeye. Real soft white wood, sawdust looks like sugar and very fine. I cut thin boards yesterday to try out for wood burning and today I sawed a 6' buckeye about 12" in diameter in half to make a couple of benches. I also sawed an 8"X 8' green locust post into quarter rounds for some bench legs. Anyway, when I took the blade off the saw tonight to put it up I noticed nearly all the sap was gone. It looks like a brand new blade again. I'll check closer in the future to confirm that the buckeye is what did such a good job cleaning the blade but I'm pretty sure that's what did it. Its a wood I don't cut often as it doesn't really get particularly big and there is not much of a market for it that I have found. Most of what I cut in the past was just to practice a particular type of cut like making rails or such.

   Anybody else ever notice certain woods actually cleaning your blades?

[drobertson]

dry ERC, anything really that's dried out a little, expect pine, SYP,

[ozarkgem]

Dave would be right on the ERC. Never a dirty blade.

[Chuck White]

Ash really leaves a bad residue on the blade, when sawing, use plenty of blade lube

[WV Sawmiller]

Ash really leaves a bad residue on the blade, when sawing, use plenty of blade lube

Agreed. I use dish soap in water and it is not enough. Have not tried using diesel yet. Looks like maybe I just need to keep me a nice buckeye log there and slice off a couple thin cuts at the end of each day.

[Brad_bb]

So in WV you have green Ash trees?  Not affected by Emerald Ash borer?   I've milled ash here in IL and IN and not had any sap issue.  They are affected by the borer and are not truly green.  They are probably 40 to 60 percent dry.

[Ox]

I find that when I saw a log caked in mud it leaves my blades nice and shiny, like it just went through a grit blasting machine.  I see how shiny they are when I'm changing them out for sharper ones.  ;D

Seriously, though.  I use a kerosene and bar oil mix and I only had a little buildup once.  I heard the difference in the song of the blade and turned up the drip a tad from one drop in 5 seconds to about 3 and all was well again.

[Skip]

We have plenty of ash left in WV , but they are stating to take hit. A logger friend of mine said he noticed that the trees on top of ridges where he is cutting are more affected by EAB than the ones in the hollers (valleys)  ???

[WV Sawmiller]

So in WV you have green Ash trees?  Not affected by Emerald Ash borer?   I've milled ash here in IL and IN and not had any sap issue.  They are affected by the borer and are not truly green.  They are probably 40 to 60 percent dry.

As Skip mentioned our trees are taking a hit. Every ash log I have sawed was damaged and dying from the E. borers. I never knew there were so many ash trees in this part of the country, especially on my property, till the bugs got into them. I guess I thought I had a lot more hickory than I do. I'm trying to salvage what lumber I can. Some are not truly worth it but hate to see them go in the firewood pile. I sawed a couple last week that each yielded only 4-5 boards 1"X6"X8' and a few 1"X1"X6' tomato/bean stakes. The ones I am sawing are truly green/unseasoned.