Blade cleaning

[WV Sawmiller]

All,

   I am getting ready to send a box of blades back to WM for re-sharpening. I've been guilty of sending some pretty gummed up blades back in the past and am trying to do better from now on. This time I inverted and ran all of them with obvious residue/sap buildup on them through a good wire brushing from the wire wheel on my 6" grinder. Does anyone else do this or does anyone know of any damage this could cause? Any other special tricks you know of and use to clean your blades would be appreciated too.

    I had noted before I find cutting buckeye logs does a good job and ERC seems to have a similar cleaning effect.

    Your thoughts, observations and recommendations are appreciated.

[ladylake]

Try and run lots of water or lube before taking them off which should clean them, I only have trouble with dried out pine logs  building up pitch.   Steve

[samandothers]

The guy I bought my mill from indicated to use the lub and just stick to blade in a log a bit to clean it off.

Mine have not been too bad.

[WV Sawmiller]

LL & Sam&,

   The worst of these were indeed from sawing dry pine. I actually cleaned up and am still using several by running them in some ash I had down even though ash tends to leave some build up too.

    I have been using dish soap from WalMart but it does not seem to be removing the buildup. I will try some PineSol this time too as I am cut around 4,000 bf of fresh cut pine starting Wednesday. I did a site visit this afternoon and the sap is just dripping everywhere. I ask people where possible to let them season a month or two but I have the time and the weather looks good so I better go ahead a cut it. I find liquid WD40 works pretty good as a wipe to clean the mill from flying sap.

[pinefeller]

I like to use diesel fuel as blade lube. doesnt take much, like drip.........drip ..........drip and blades stay super clean a gallon will do maybe 2000bf . if i hit a pitch pocket i just turn it up to a splash for a second then go back to the slow drip.

[Magicman]

Why not make a call to your WM Resharp and ask them? 

[larrydown60]

I use oven cleaner on my table saw blades works good removing the pitch or
CMT 998.001.03 Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner 1-Gallon Plastic Jug 34.00

[WV Sawmiller]

Why not make a call to your WM Resharp and ask them? 

MM,

   Because I know Marty Parsons is on the FF and he is the one who will be getting my blades for Re-Sharp and I am confident he will reply if I am fixing to cause him some heartburn plus I was just interested in what works and doesn't for others. WM already advised me about adding the dish soap and while others swear by that it has not been as effective as I think it should.

   I had some really crusty pine sap from dry pines a week or so back and put them back on at home to cut some stock ash logs and I squirted a little ATF on the blade between the guides and that seemed to help. I am resisting using diesel as long as possible.

[pinefeller]

hmmm just realized i never actually considered cleaning my bands before sending them in! they usually are not too bad and i havnt had my hand slapped by the company i use for them being too dirty...feeling rather ashamed of myself if thats the case though.  is it really a big deal?

[YellowHammer]

I visited the Resharp in Ga, they have a machine with numerous motorized  spinning wire brushes that scrub the blade before they sharpen it.  It a standard step, I think they do it for every blade.

The best blade cleaner and lube I've used is cotton picker spindle cleaner.  It's a water soluble oil and detergent additive designed to clean the high dollar spindles of harvesting machines and leave no residue.  Mix a few ounces in with the water and the bands will not get sappy.  I don't saw a lot of pine, but when I do it works.  It's the best for hickory and oak, no buildup and the bands are oily smooth and clean. 
Deere, Massey all make this stuff, but I get this from the local COOP.

[pinefeller]

YellowHammer Thanks for the tip i dont particularly love using diesel, but it works so darn good, its cheap and easy to come by. if i can find that stuff up here, im definately going to give it a try though, always lookin for a better way. not much cotton picking up here though...lol

[xlogger]

In the last few months I started cutting pine, I've always stay away from it because of low profit but having a little change of heart now. So I've got to deal with more build up on my blades. I have a friend who sells car wash soap and it works well mix with water. But every once in a while you still get some build up. I know several on here are going to say this is bad but I have a axe with about a two foot handle that I slow the blade down and rest it on the blade, till it down and it cleans the blade in just a few seconds with the flow of water running still. You will get the feel of it if you get too close to the teeth.

[Jim_Rogers]

Just before I take off a dull blade I open up my lube valve and let it run full. This will really wet the blade. Then I shut it off completely and let it dry the blade all while spinning at cutting speeds. While drying the blade if there is a lot of build up I hold a straight screw driver on the top side of the blade to rub off any build up, being careful to not touch the teeth. This cleans up the blade nicely before removing it from the mill.

Jim Rogers

[Magicman]

I visited the Resharp in Ga, they have a machine with numerous motorized  spinning wire brushes that scrub the blade before they sharpen it.  It a standard step, I think they do it for every blade.

Which was my point.  ReSharp is a professional operation with a professional method of cleaning every blade before it is resharpened.

I am sorta mystified reading about crud buildup on blades?  A dull blade should be just as clean as it was when it was sharp and installed on the sawmill.  For proper sawing, it should remain clean throughout it's time spent on the sawmill.  No blade, even a sharp one, can be expected to saw properly with any buildup.

[WV Sawmiller]

Jim & xlog,

   Thanks for the advice and please don't take this wrong but I think I will continue to use the wire brush on my grinder on my removed blades rather than trying to scrape the sap off of a moving blade. In principle that just sort of scares me a little bit.

Lynn,

   I still don't understand why my dish soap doesn't remove the sap like you and other describe but even a very steady drip/stream doesn't cut some of our WV sap.

[Magicman]

I'm glad that I do not have WV sap. 

[Bandmill Bandit]

Clean blades are a very important thing to be on top of. in my first couple of years it was PITA. That is why I took 2 oz of the wood mizer factory lube to a lab and had it analyzed.

The evolution of my recipe is in the forum somewhere. I have it down where I dont even really have to think about it anymore and there are additives that get put in the mix based on what I am sawing. I have them with me in I litre jugs and add as required.   

The amount of each component gets adjusted for the same reason.

It is very rare to see a dirty blade unless i am not paying attention. 

[Dozer_Man]

WV Sawmiller,

I usually use a mixture of lemon pine-sol and water. Before I change a blade out I open the valve wide open and let it run for 10-20 seconds this is most of the time all it takes. I am not that far from you being in Southwestern Va Mountains and this mixture has worked for me on all sorts of hardwoods and softwoods. The Dish Soap idea didn't work too good for me either. Some folks around here still use diesel fuel with good results.

[redprospector]

When sawing Pondsrosa Pine (which is the majority of what I cut), I use a very secret formula that I developed over time. The only time I get any build up on a blade is when I forget to turn the lube on.
My secret formula is one quart of diesel mixed with.....well, that's it. One quart of diesel. That should last pretty close to a day. I just got one of the Cook' s lube setups, with the felt wiper so I'm anxious to see if I get better mileage with it.

[kelLOGg]

I just got one of the Cook' s lube setups, with the felt wiper so I'm anxious to see if I get better mileage with it.

I think you will get a lot better mileage with it.
Bob

[terrifictimbersllc]

 

 

Blade cleaning in half a minute.

Pull blade under spinning wire cup brush pressed against hardwood block, teeth pointing opposite direction of pull.  Tight pressure on the brush (spindle) against the block,  but not so it starts smoking. There is a fence behind, I use medium-fast RPMs and a vac cleaner so there's no dust.   For tough spots one can lift blade against cup for more pressure and push it back and forth a bit.

If residue is stuck on too hard can either wipe with diesel or Purple and set it aside a few minutes.  Very seldom have to do this.

I use gloves but otherwise no safety surprises.  A wire wheel on a bench grinder would need some engineering to be safe, IMO.

Cleaning on the mill is good when I remember to. Blades aren't usually gummed up much anyway, like MM said above.

[Sixacresand]

Is diesel OK for the rubber belts on which the bands run?  I am more concerned about pitch build up on the band wheels. Any tips for removing pitch from the band wheel belts, other than scraping off with pocket knife?

[redprospector]

I've used water and diesel, and haven't noticed any difference in belt life.

[Tom the Sawyer]

Follow up on the Jesco spindle cleaner.  I have wanted to try spindle cleaner but, in Kansas there aren't any cotton farmers.   :D  I went to the local John Deere dealership and the parts guy looked at me like I was crazy.  Eventually he said he could get it (after I gave him the part # from an internet search).  Said it would be $50 for 5 gallons and about $70 for shipping. 

When I saw YellowHammer's photo, I looked up Jesco Resources' information.  Great, they are based in Kansas City.  Called them this morning and found that the company had been bought out in 2011, and all of their products had been discontinued.  A salesman is searching to see if the new company has a comparable product, but didn't know of one off-hand.