Diesel or Soap Water

[pezrock]

I ran diesel in my blade lube drip today for the first time. Wow, I was shocked at the difference. Clean blade, less noise from blade guides and went through logs like a hot knife through butter. Maybe some of it was in my head but for now I'm sold. I also only drip 2 drops per second. Thoughts? 

[SETexan]

 What ratio to water did you run?

[ladylake]

 
 I used to run water in the summer but have switched to diesel year around.  Steve

[kelLOGg]

I have always used diesel - just a few drops per second also. I give the sawdust to neighbors and use it myself on paths through the woods. I once gave it to a neighbor for use in his chicken coop but he said he couldn't use it because he could smell diesel in it. It surprised me he could detect it with all the pine, cedar and oak present. No one else has ever complained about it and I can't detect it either. He must have an incredible sense of smell.

[JoshNZ]

I remember spraying a bit of diesel on the blade from a squirty bottle and being amazed... Built a dripper and have used diesel in it ever since.

[aigheadish]

I'm a big know-nothing on this topic but I'm surprised the diesel doesn't leave too much oil on the wood...

[customsawyer]

I've used diesel for years. I think a couple of drips per second might be a bit to much. My mill has the lubemizer and I use it at the slowest setting for most sawing. Heart pine and Liveoak get a little more.

[thecfarm]

I thought too much too. Don't take much to lube that blade with diesel. 
I only saw for out buildings. No nice hard wood for furniture. I built a Women cave for the wife. If she could smell diesel, she would have told me.  ;)  ;D

[pezrock]

What ratio to water did you run?

Not quite sure. I just squeezed the bottle until a couple times.

[Nebraska]

A drop per second is way plenty for diesel.(in the logs I saw... not a bunch of pine or other sappy stuff...)  I try to set mine a little a little slower.  I don't use any water.

[ajsawyer]

Have any of you tried ATF? 

[caveman]

Heart pine and Liveoak get a little more.

We use cotton picker spindle lube or diesel.  When cutting hickory, live oak, heart pine or anything else that the cotton picker spindle lube does not readily keep off of the blades, we switch the valve to the diesel lube tank.  If the blade starts to get a little pitch on it, we'll run the blade for a few extra seconds at the end of the cut or increase the diesel drip until the blade is clean throughout the cut.

As a benefit, the used blades are difficult to tell from new ones as they have no rust and are shiny.

I do not worry too much about shorter B57 life as they are relatively inexpensive compared to a ruined pair of live oak slabs or a longleaf pine beam caused by a gummy, diving, stretched out blade.

[JoshNZ]

I would say a drop per second even is a lot. Sometimes I forget to turn it on and after some pitch build up it only takes a few drops to clean it. Back it off until you see build up then open it slightly you might even find you're down at one per 10 seconds for some woods.

It all somehow just dissapears in the sawdust. With black walnut I've been pressure washing everything before I stack it for drying so that there's no bits masking the oxidation/colour change. Anyway sometimes the tap is running a bit fast and Im too lazy to bother tweaking it, I've noticed when washing it the rainbow oil colours across the board, so there definitely is diesel residue but it doesn't seem to bother anything. Can't smell it once dry.

[SawyerTed]

I use Dawn and water.  Lots of Dawn, 1/2 to 3/4 a cup per lube jug full of water. 

I have a 1 gallon sprayer that hangs on the control console, it has diesel in it.  A shot with sprayer before entering the cut cleans up the blade.  Prior to changing blades I give the blade a shot of diesel to clean it up and oil it.

So for me it's both not either or. 

[Crossroads]

When I First moved to Idaho 3 years ago, I went to a mobile job in Lewiston and when I got there my lube system was frozen solid. After that I switched to diesel and have never looked back. Although it doesn't seem to work very well on the western larch sap.

[Mainecoast]

I've been using diesel with a bit of bar oil in it. Works well but the smell is awful. And I hate the kids playing in the sawdust. So I switched to water and soap. I did add the squirt bottle with diesel to clean the blade like others said..also at the end of the day I turn the water off and soap the blade with diesel and manually spin the blades to coat all the parts. Think about it. We're essentially just pouring diesel out on the ground. Then it goes into our wells and poisons us. I can smell the fuel in the sawdust. 

Maybe I'm to green for most but...I grew up on the fish river in northern maine. After I left and returned to where I grew up my neighbor with a trucking business bought an old potato barn to use as a garage. The ground all around his shop stinks of grease and fuel. In the summer it's all you can smell. All that crap running right down into the river now. Luckily he's old and will be done soon. Then I'll clean it up. 

[customsawyer]

I think if you can smell it like that than you are using way to much. I've been using it for years and can't smell it around my mill. A 5 gallon jug will last 30K to 40K bf.  Then again maybe I can't smell.

[1countryboy]

Dawn and pinesol, if needed.  Sawing 30 inch White pine logs down 2 yrs.  If i use any.   Logs have dried out and no sap or sticky.   

On or off road Diesel.  There is a huge difference?  Esp. the off road dye and smell.

[thecfarm]

I only saw a little. But no strong smell around my mill.
Don't take much to lube that blade.

[Southside]

If there is a concoction I have tried it. For Maple, Walnut, etc I will use soapy water, but for pine it's diesel. Lube mizer on the lowest setting and you don't notice it at all. Like Custom Sawyer said, the tank lasts a long time. 

Our off road diesel is ULSD so there is no smell or chemical difference between it and on road aside from the dye. 

[YellowHammer]

I've tried diesel in mine, and I can't turn the Lubemizer down enough.  It smells like an old spill.  I'm going to try some smaller diameter spray nozzles. 

[KenMac]

I've tried diesel in mine, and I can't turn the Lubemizer down enough.  It smells like an old spill.  I'm going to try some smaller diameter spray nozzles.

I certainly am not an expert on my own mill , much less a WM, but I think the Cook's felt rub pads work very well for using diesel. I have about 470 hours on my mill and probably have used about 8 or 9 gallons of fuel for lube and the blades stay clean. Since there are no belts on the wheels there is no down side. I have never smelled diesel on the lumber or in the sawdust.

[KWood255]

I have a WM LT35, with the standard gravity fed lube tank. I would like to try diesel, but I doubt I can regulate it properly with the water jug lube system. It seems to be very inconsistent. Any recommendations on an upgrade? 

[SawyerTed]

I switched from the pvc valve to a hose bib on the lube tank outlet.  It allows better adjustments and stays set.  Once I set it to the flow rate I want a quarter of a turn shuts it off.

[Satamax]

Mix the three!

half pint of diesel, pint of washing up liquid, an imperial gallon of water. That's what works best for me.