Pitch on tool blades

[Josko Catipovic]

I'm getting ready to dimension a load of (12% RH) Pitch Pine. Should I be worried about pitch gumming up my (helical) jointer and planer blades, and if so, what can I do about it?
Thanks in advance.

[Erik Loza]

Very possibly. A toothbrush and some mineral spirits or dedicated pitch remover should handle it. When I was with Felder, many customers swore by the stuff they sold. Harslozer??? Also, I would wax the tables and especially the planer bed. Makes a huge difference in planing performance with wet wood. Felder Supergleit, if you want to buy something specific. Hope this helps,

Erik

[Mick Simon]

Agreed, Erik - here's a link to the stuff. Works better than anything else I've used.

https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/shop/cleaning-agents-sc125483/resin-remover-sp125491

[Bernie Kopfer]

Agreed, Erik - here's a link to the stuff. Works better than anything else I've used.

https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/shop/cleaning-agents-sc125483/resin-remover-sp125491
At that price it better be really good. I’ve found that simple green concentrate is excellent for removing pitch , gunk or whatever builds up on blades, bits and cutters. Particularly effective on bandsaw blades used to cut green wood.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have never tried it, I read somewhere that oven cleaner will also remove pitch

[Robert Hayward]

The Trend cleaner works good for me. Simple Green also works but the Trend stuff does better on my saw blades.

[Kevin Jenness]

I have found that Bostik Bladecote, while it doesn't prevent pitch buildup, makes it easier to remove.

[Earl McLain]

The Trend cleaner works good for me. Simple Green also works but the Trend stuff does better on my saw blades.

Me too. Vast majority of my saw work is hardwood--maple, white oak, walnut, hickory--and regular cleaning really helps in reducing drag, even though i never really see the pitch on the blade. Helps enough to make me wonder how many "hobby" blades get sent in for sharpening when they were actually just grunged up.

To the cost of the Felder product--for a half-liter that doesn't look too bad. I think i paid around $11 for 10 oz. of the Trend 5 or 6 years ago--still have at least half left. Only have to spritz each side, then soft bristle brush and wipe dry. A little goes a long way when it works.

[Rob Sack]

For years I used oven cleaner to remove pitch and clean blades and cutters. Then I found out that oven cleaner can attack metal, especially carbide. That's when I switched to CMT blade cleaner. It is none toxic, safe for blades and tooling, and works faster and better than oven cleaner.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I bought a spray bottle of the Felder Supergleit about 5 years ago. I think I still have about 80% of the bottle left.

A little goes a long way.

[Rod Sheridan]

The Felder Harzloser works very well for removing pitch from blades.

For cast iron tables the Silber Gleit works better than the spray Super Gleit.

Silber Gleit comes in a 1 litre can and reminds me of a slushie, it’s very slippery and lasts a long time.

Regards, Rod.

[Josko Catipovic]

Thanks guys - much appreciated. My concern is, really, should I be doing anything differently while jointing/planing/ripping very pitch-heavy wood? I take it for granted I'll have to clean blades afterwards, although you now have me thinking about not using 'Easy-Off' which was my standby.

[Warren Lake]

mostly easy off oven cleaner, old nasty stuff. Last ply from offshore land had crap glue on it that stuck to the blade in no time worst ive ever seen clean the blade and in not too long covered in brown crap again. had to use what the past shop used but next time will try Garniga.

[Holmes Anderson]

Hand sanitizer gel from the clearance bin. It will stick to vertical surfaces and even hang on the bottom of horizontal surfaces. Solvent exposure time is important. With my straight knife machines the buildup on the planer chip breaker is the main problem. It quickly prevents chips from moving to DC and takes a long time to reach and remove.