Saw Blade Cleaning

[Keith Starosta]

Last night, I was going through some of the stuff I have piled up, trying gain on the mess in the shop. I came across my Systematic dado set and started to look at the teeth on the two main blades and all of the chippers. There seems to be quite a bit of pitch buildup along all pieces of the set. My question is, which product and what method have you found works best when cleaning the "gunk" from your saw blades? Thanks in advance!

Keith

[Lee Schierer]

The best stuff I've heard of is Simple Green. I have used Simple Green and Sudsy amonia. Both are availble in a variety of locations. If it has carbide do not use oven cleaner as it can weaken the silver solder joints that hold the carbide in place.

[Jim Becker]

Simple Green is about the best thing for this job and it's safe to use.

[Dick Bringhurst]

Simple Green. Dick B.

[Joe Scarfo]

I use a 5 gallon bucket w/ 1/2" of water/amonia 1 to 3 mix...

Cleans'em right up quick and cheap.

tks
Joe in Tampa

[Steven Wilson]

CMT 2050, I find it works better than Simple Green

[Kent Cori]

Another vote for Simple Green. It works pretty fast, is inexpensive and has many other uses around the house and shop.

[Maurice Ungaro]

CMT Spray on stuff. Nice

[Dan Stuewe]

Ok, bottom line what do you have to do to clean your blades?

Soak for xx minutes? Then scrub with ???

or

Spray on and scrub with ???

Then what? Rinse with water and dry off every nook and cranny (especially those anti-vibration slots)?

Sorry for the questions from a lazy cleaning challenged guy (wait till I get up the nerve to ask about cleaning oil-based paint brushes!).

[Chris Padilla]

Another vote for CMT 2050. I'm going to pick up a big bucket of this stuff so I can just dump the whole blade in there...in fact, maybe I'll "store" my blades in the bucket of 2050! :D

Dan, I spray it on, let it soak for several seconds, and then take a toothbrush to it and/or my fingernail as needed.

The 2050 just needs wiped...no rinsing.

[Terre Hooks]

I've yet to buy some Simple Green, so I always use a splash of Mr. Clean and some hot water. I let the blades soak while I surf the internet and then make a quick scrub with an old toothbrush.

I'll dry them and then shoot'em with some WD40, wipe them clean and rub some paste wax on them.

[Mark Stutz]

Keith,
I just recently started using Simple Green. It works great and is environmentally friendly. Prior to that I used sudsy ammonia--89 cents or so a bottle. I would soak the blade overnight or longer. Most of the pitch would soak off, but the rest easily came off with a soft toothbrush.

Mark

[Byron Trantham]

I use oven cleaner, gloves and a toohtbrush. Works VERY well BUT it's not friendly. :( I will try Simple Green. :D

[Andy Haney]

Not a counter to any of the other statements, as I haven't used any of those products to clean blades. Simple Green does get positive remarks every time I've seen this question asked.

I've had fantastic success with the pink stuff I got at Woodcraft. It dilutes in water to working strength and cleans up the pitch quickly.

Andy Haney
Ottawa, Kansas

[Pete Bova]

It seems Simple Green is the product of choice. My question is about using WD40 on the blades after. Won't it put a residue on the wood when cutting?

[Paul Hingco]

I use Rockler brand cleaner. It comes a nice little container you can sit you blade on but keeps it elevated slightly so as to allow the liquid to get all over. Also comes with a brush and smaller container for router bits. I think it was like $15 when they go on sale.

I've also used the bit and blade cleaner from Boeshield. That cleaned the blades but started to take off the printing on the side of the blade. No huge deal if it was a single blade but it kind of made putting on my dado blades a little longer because I had to figure out which outside blade went where.

[Paul Hingco]

Ok, bottom line what do you have to do to clean your blades?

Soak for xx minutes? Then scrub with ???

or

Spray on and scrub with ???

Then what? Rinse with water and dry off every nook and cranny (especially those anti-vibration slots)?

Sorry for the questions from a lazy cleaning challenged guy (wait till I get up the nerve to ask about cleaning oil-based paint brushes!).


Check out Marc's site. thewoodwhisperer.com . He did a video on how he cleans bits and blades using the Rockler system. Basically pour the entire bottle in the containter. Let the blade sit in the container for a few minutes. Take the brush and brush every tooth out. Then make absolutely sure the blade is dry. I use a rag to get most it dry and then follow with compressed air.

Oh and I also rinse the cleaner out after brushing. Not sure if Marc does that.

[Paul Hingco]

I use oven cleaner, gloves and a toohtbrush. Works VERY well BUT it's not friendly. :( I will try Simple Green. :D


Doesn't the oven cleaner weaken the bond of the carbide to the blade?

[Neil Brooks]

Doesn't the oven cleaner weaken the bond of the carbide to the blade?

I think you just stepped in it ;)

The answer -- on this site -- from a guy FROM Freud -- IMPLIES that ... given time ... it will.

So ... if you like to play it really safe, you might avoid oven cleaner.

No long baths in Simple Green, either.

There really doesn't seem to be any reason to soak a blade overnight, in ... anything.

Lestoil works. I use my 50/50 Simple Green mix, but I'm in and out in 15 minutes.

Lots of ways.....

[Dick Bringhurst]

I don't put anything on the blade after I clean it with SG. Dick

[Jerome Stanek]

I've always use oven cleaner but will try simple green

[Matt Meiser]

CMT2050 and the Bit And Blade cleaner from the Boeshield people seem to be the same stuff other than orange dye in the CMT stuff. At least they smell the same. Both work incredibly well for me. If you let a blade get really bad maybe spray it on let it soak in for 5 minutes and hit each tooth with either a brass brush or old toothbrush then repeat for any missed spots. On a normally dirty blade just once is enough. And if you use a UHMW insert or cut PVC trim or pipe they both take the reside from that right off as well. I always rinse the blade in hot water. I find that if I wipe the worst off the rest flashes off in a few seconds so no rust forms and the blade is ready to go.

Could use soap and water to do the same after WD40, but why not just buy a purpose-made cleaner you don't need to worry about. Its only about $9 for an 18oz bottle of the CMT stuff which goes a long way. Bit & Blade is about the same for an 8oz bottle.

[Rod Sheridan]

I use household cleaner in hot water, followed by a rinse in hot water and then dry the blades with a rag......Regards, Rod.

[mike holden]

I would also agree with the simple green.
One thing people have not mentioned, the scrub brush.
Our club just had a presentation from Freud and the presenter was adamant that a brass bristle brush should NEVER be used on carbide!
I had bought and used a number of brass bristle brushes for cleaning router bits, saw blades, etc. Anyone want to buy a used brush? (grin)
Seriously, he recommended a nylon bristle brush as the best choice. He also suggested simple dish detergent as the cleaning agent.
Mike

[Robert Reece]

One other tip that I discovered when I cleaned about 10 blades one day - Use a piece of 1/8"-3/16" nylon rope to floss the gullets. It is a lot easier than trying to get a brush in there.

So I use Simple green in a 5 gallon bucket. A 10" blade lays down flat in a bucket so I just keep the simple green in the bucket so it is always ready to go. Then I scrub the flats with a nylon brush, floss the teeth, dry it with a towel and blow it off with the compressor.

[Neil Davie]

In an article on "Choosing and using blade cleaners" in Woodsmith's book Table Saw Secrets, they state the manufacturers of Simple Green warn to not use Simple Green for carbide tipped blades as it leaches the carbide from the tips. Instead use Extreme Simple Green. It and Lestoil were top picks in the article.

[Matt Meiser]

Our club just had a presentation from Freud and the presenter was adamant that a brass bristle brush should NEVER be used on carbide!

Curious--did he give a reason why?

[Tom Walz]

Cleaning saw blades

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Cleaning-Saw-Blades.html


soaking saw tips in oven cleaner
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Saw-Tips-in-Oven-Cleaner.html

Can cleaners harm saw blades
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Can-cleaners-harm-saw-blades.html

[Neil Brooks]

In an article on "Choosing and using blade cleaners" in Woodsmith's book Table Saw Secrets, they state the manufacturers of Simple Green warn to not use Simple Green for carbide tipped blades as it leaches the carbide from the tips. Instead use Extreme Simple Green. It and Lestoil were top picks in the article.

Sort of.


Simple Green has been successfully used by many woodworkers over many years as a good "spray - wipe - rinse" cleaner for saw blades. When pitch is fairly fresh (typically within a 12-hr period since deposit) it is fairly easily removed with Simple Green. Older, dried-out pitch is much more difficult to remove. We do not recommend long-term soaking of Carbide blades in Simple Green. Long-term exposure like this can possibly cause cobalt leaching that will, in turn, affect the integrity or carbide. Shorter term "spray/wipe/rinse" applications do not create that kind of problem.

It has been reported to us that long-term soaking of carbide blades covered with older, tougher buildup of pitch in strong, black coffee does a great job of removing pitch without harming the blade.

source (http://www.simplegreen.com/solutions_cleaning_tips.php?sid=&action=artikel&cat=15&id=126&artlang=en&highlight=blade&application=Blades,%20Carbide%20and%20Saw%20Blades )

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Who bug up this thread? It's 6 years old and been recently beaten to death...:)

[Neil Brooks]

Who bug up this thread? It's 6 years old and been recently beaten to death...:)

Change of seasons.

People get bored.

You know :)

[mike holden]

Matt,
He said that it would abrade the corners of the carbide eventually dulling it.
Seems to me that carbide is harder than brass, but brushing is an impact shock - so maybe?

I have never had a problem, but I dont see a downside to switching to nylon bristles so...
Mike

[Matt Meiser]

I really don't either and had the same reasoning as you. But since our dentist gives us each a new toothbrush "free" every 6 months I've got a good supply for the shop.