Table Saw Blade Cleaning

[Rich Riddle]

I needed to clean a Wood Worker II saw blade yesterday and stuck the blade in a solution of Simple Green for thirty minutes. Well this morning I remember after having it in the solution all night, The pitch and gunk easily left the blade but it has a bit of a discoloration to the blade. Any ill effects other than the color? It cut well but just looks a little gray as compared to yesterday.

[John Schweikert]

Should be fine. Evaporust can leave metals a different tone.

The best blade cleaning method I have found is use a 1:1 liquid laundry detergent to water solution. Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then dry off and spray with your choice of Bladecoat or Boshield.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

I soak in "Mean Green" for 15 to 30 minutes then lightly pass a brass detail brush and it comes out squeaky clean then spray a light coat of WD40 and wipe dry with a clean paper towel. :) Works for me, I also use this on router bits.

[Jim Dwight]

CMT makes a pretty good blade cleaner.

[ken masoumi]

I soak in washing soda(not baking soda),I table spoon in one quart quart of warm water.

[Howard Acheson]

Simple Green recommends not using the standard Simple Green to clean carbide tipped saw blades. They make another product that will not damage the weld holding carbide tip to the blade disc.

[glenn bradley]

Howard's got it. "Extreme Simple Green" is apparently OK for blades. Regular Simple Green contains whatever it is that can affect the brazing (think flying tooth-tip). I don't know that one all night dip will create a rocket launcher but, I would use a recommended solution from now on. All that being said, I can also find articles from people who make saw blades that state that even 'oven cleaner' did not hurt their brazing material after soaking for a week(?). I prefer to play i safe. L.A. Awesome's yellow cleaner from the dollar store is one that passed the test and I have used it for many years. I don't even need to soak; just spray on and lightly brush off with a soft nylon toothbrush.

[Jim Dwight]

In my experience, it depends a lot on how long I wait to clean the blade. For an extreme case where I let the pitch burn into the blade, repeated applications of oven cleaner and scrubbing were required. But if you clean when you should, as stuff starts to build up, many cleaners will work and it goes a lot better.

[Peter Quinn]

CMT makes a pretty good blade cleaner.

This or the trend version, pretty much the same thing. Spray, wait 30 seconds to two minutes, wipe it of with a stiff bristle nylon brush or acid brush with the hairs trimmed a little....why wait 30 minutes? As Dwight also mentioned. Lot depends on how long you wait to clean off the gunk after the first signs of it appear.

[Bill White]

A BIG +1 on the washing soda. Inexpensive, bio friendly, and quick.
Bill

[Joe Spear]

I use the regular Simple Green but don't soak the blade for long. About 2 inches of water in a dishpan or bucket that can accommodate a saw blade flat, an ounce or so of Simple Green, lay the blade in for a couple minutes, take out and scrub each tooth with a nylon or brass bristle brush. That works very well, but I clean my blades fairly often and don't let the crud build up very much. I rinse the blade off with clean water, dry with a rag, and spray with WD-40 to make sure the water is gone. I wipe again with paper towels or a rag to make sure the blade isn't slick enough to slip out of my hand.

[Michael Helms]

I've always used oven cleaner spray. Lay the blade on a waste block of wood, spray the teeth, flip and repeat. 10-15 minutes later scrub any stubborn deposits with a tooth brush, rinse, and dry. I hold my breath when spraying, I think this stuff is lye-based, doesn't seem to harm blades.

[Lee Schierer]

, I think this stuff is lye-based, doesn't seem to harm blades.

Oven cleaner will eat the braze material that holds the carbide teeth to the steel body.