Woodchipper
Member
What do you folks use to clean a 70ish inch bandsaw blade. Mine is getting cruddy and burning hard woods as purple heart. Thanks. I thought of the dishwasher but SWMBO won't like it.
Need to clean the bandsaw blade
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mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
Tons of UTube views for how to do a cleaning: Just one that seemed reasonable for an intro cleaning.
There are MANY more tutorials, I'd watch a few and make an evaluation for those that seemed decent... not all the UTubes are good, so be aware.
There are MANY more tutorials, I'd watch a few and make an evaluation for those that seemed decent... not all the UTubes are good, so be aware.
Gary Beasley
Member
Not getting dull is it? As for cleaning try a brass wire brush on a dremel, advancing the blade by hand. A bit of paraffin rubbed on the blade can help keep the blade clean and reduce the burning.
jttheclockman
Member
This is a topic that gets talked about many times on woodworking forums and there are pros and cons to just about all methods used. But it has been proven that certain toxic cleaning agents are just hazardous to carbide blades. Most people use carbide tablesaw blades so that is why it is discussed more there. But I also use carbide bandsaw blades. Many years ago the cleaner for blades was oven cleaner but that quickly was proven to cause carbide failure but there are still some that still use mainly because they do not soak the blade long and that is a key and rinse it well. Then products like Simple Green were used and many blade manufacturers have advised against that also for the same reasons. I tend to listen to the pros when they suggest not to do things and blade guys know their blades. Now the big thing is laundry soap diluted 50/50. Do not use dish washer solutions.
But what I use and most blade people suggest is Simple Green ProHD. It is a concentrated formula and you can get at Home Depot. It is purple in color. I do not like to soak my blade long because it really does not take long to loosen dirt. I have a spray bottle that I fill 50 with solution and 50% with water. Have a round baking tin and just spray the solution on both sides. Leave about 3 or 4 minutes and if really cruddy will hit with a soft brass brush. Most times a soft bristle brush works well too. After I wipe down with clean wet with water only rag and then completely dry. Good to go. I would never ever scrape a blade as shown in that video with a razor blade or anything. Metal against metal of the teeth will dull it but if you are scraping back of the blade and not hitting teeth, I guess that is OK. Take the blade off and twist and fold as shown. You should know how to fold a bandsaw blade easily if you own one. Then put in a round pan( sometimes I use and just bought a new one that they use for catching oil from cars) they are cheap. That is my new blade cleaning receptacle. Don't forget when you have the bandsaw blade off to clean the tires as well. In fact do a little maintenance goes a long way.
Just my 2 cents on the topic. Good luck.
But what I use and most blade people suggest is Simple Green ProHD. It is a concentrated formula and you can get at Home Depot. It is purple in color. I do not like to soak my blade long because it really does not take long to loosen dirt. I have a spray bottle that I fill 50 with solution and 50% with water. Have a round baking tin and just spray the solution on both sides. Leave about 3 or 4 minutes and if really cruddy will hit with a soft brass brush. Most times a soft bristle brush works well too. After I wipe down with clean wet with water only rag and then completely dry. Good to go. I would never ever scrape a blade as shown in that video with a razor blade or anything. Metal against metal of the teeth will dull it but if you are scraping back of the blade and not hitting teeth, I guess that is OK. Take the blade off and twist and fold as shown. You should know how to fold a bandsaw blade easily if you own one. Then put in a round pan( sometimes I use and just bought a new one that they use for catching oil from cars) they are cheap. That is my new blade cleaning receptacle. Don't forget when you have the bandsaw blade off to clean the tires as well. In fact do a little maintenance goes a long way.
Just my 2 cents on the topic. Good luck.
Last edited:
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
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- 1,036
I was going to post this:
"What kind of blade is it? How many teeth per inch? What have you been cutting with it, and how much cutting has it done?"
With respect, I do not agree with @jttheclockman that most people use carbide tipped bandsaw blades. I don't. I have an assortment of different blades in various widths and TPI. I admit I am a lazy bandsaw blade changer, so I don't always have the optimum blade in the bandsaw when I make a cut. Still, I have narrow blades for curve cutting, medium blades for a variety of uses, and several wide blades for resawing. None of them is a carbide blade. So far, I am getting along fine without carbide tipped bandsaw blades at a price that is north of $150 ... each.
True Confession:
I ripped and crosscut old 2x6 construction lumber on the bandsaw this morning to make some practice turning stock. The 3/4 inch 3 TPI resaw blade happened to be mounted and I needed only a few cuts, so tensioned it up and used it. I would have preferred to use a different blade or the table saw, but the bandsaw was the quickest and easiest solution for me at the time.
"What kind of blade is it? How many teeth per inch? What have you been cutting with it, and how much cutting has it done?"
With respect, I do not agree with @jttheclockman that most people use carbide tipped bandsaw blades. I don't. I have an assortment of different blades in various widths and TPI. I admit I am a lazy bandsaw blade changer, so I don't always have the optimum blade in the bandsaw when I make a cut. Still, I have narrow blades for curve cutting, medium blades for a variety of uses, and several wide blades for resawing. None of them is a carbide blade. So far, I am getting along fine without carbide tipped bandsaw blades at a price that is north of $150 ... each.
True Confession:
I ripped and crosscut old 2x6 construction lumber on the bandsaw this morning to make some practice turning stock. The 3/4 inch 3 TPI resaw blade happened to be mounted and I needed only a few cuts, so tensioned it up and used it. I would have preferred to use a different blade or the table saw, but the bandsaw was the quickest and easiest solution for me at the time.
jttheclockman
Member
David, hate to do this to you but you did not read my statement right. 
This is a topic that gets talked about many times on woodworking forums and there are pros and cons to just about all methods used. But it has been proven that certain toxic cleaning agents are just hazardous to carbide blades. Most people use carbide tablesaw blades so that is why it is discussed more there. But I also use carbide bandsaw blades. Many years ago the cleaner for blades was oven cleaner but that quickly was proven to cause carbide failure but there are still some that still use mainly because they do not soak the blade long and that is a key and rinse it well. Then products like Simple Green were used and many blade manufacturers have advised against that also for the same reasons. I tend to listen to the pros when they suggest not to do things and blade guys know their blades. Now the big thing is laundry soap diluted 50/50. Do not use dish washer solutions
I only use a carbide bandsaw blade for ripping and if you do alot like I do they are worth every penny.
I should have tried my new snipping tool.
This is a topic that gets talked about many times on woodworking forums and there are pros and cons to just about all methods used. But it has been proven that certain toxic cleaning agents are just hazardous to carbide blades. Most people use carbide tablesaw blades so that is why it is discussed more there. But I also use carbide bandsaw blades. Many years ago the cleaner for blades was oven cleaner but that quickly was proven to cause carbide failure but there are still some that still use mainly because they do not soak the blade long and that is a key and rinse it well. Then products like Simple Green were used and many blade manufacturers have advised against that also for the same reasons. I tend to listen to the pros when they suggest not to do things and blade guys know their blades. Now the big thing is laundry soap diluted 50/50. Do not use dish washer solutions
I only use a carbide bandsaw blade for ripping and if you do alot like I do they are worth every penny.
I should have tried my new snipping tool.
Last edited:
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
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- 1,036
@jttheclockman is right. I missed the important "table saw" in his comment. He is indeed correct that nearly all table saw blades are carbide tipped. Carbide tipped bandsaw blades are far less common.
I clean table saw blades with commercial blade cleaners that you can buy at woodworking stores and big box stores. The ones I have now are:
Boeshield Blade and Bit Cleaner (Scroll down the page to see the product.):
https://boeshield.com/products/
CMT Orange Tools Blade and Bit Cleaner:
https://www.cmtorangetools.com/na-en/systems-and-accessories/formula-2050-blade-and-bit-cleaner
I bought the Boeshield when I bought my first table saw a few years ago. (I learned woodworking on a radial arm saw.) The fat bottle of CMT was on sale soon after, and I bought it on impulse. Neither of them cost much, especially considering that they have lasted for years.
I had planned to switch to household Formula 409 cleaner when those bottles run out, but I am not close to using them up yet. I clean the blades when they seem to need it, but it doesn't take much spray to clean a blade, so I still have a lot on hand.
-> Now I wonder whether Formula 409 fits jttheclockman's description of cleaners that are potentially damaging to carbide tipped blades. Does anyone know?
I clean table saw blades on one of those orange lids for Home Depot buckets. They are inexpensive and have an inner ring that supports the blade while leaving the teeth open for cleaning. (To flip or remove the blade, use the arbor hole in the center.) I use cheap plastic and brass brushes. You can get them at Harbor Freight and many other places.
My hunch is that @Woodchipper's bandsaw blade is worn and the gullets are full. Woodchipper may have tried cutting something thick with a blade that has too many TPI (teeth per inch). That loads up the gullets, increases friction a lot, and puts a lot of wear and tear on the blade.
When I first got a bandsaw, I used a 12 TPI blade for "general purpose" cutting, and it soon got "cruddy" with the gullets filled with hardened sawdust. I took it to a local shop with bandsaw blade experts to ask about cleaning. They told me that it would be a waste of time to clean it. The blade was gone and useless, and cleaning would not make a difference.
Bandsaw blades are not terribly expensive, so I replaced it and learned better blade practices, matching the blade to the type and thickness of wood being cut as well as the type of cut. I admit to being lazy about changing bandsaw blades, but learning to be fast and efficient at blade changing would be a good investment of time and would result in less overall bandsaw blade wear and tear.
I clean table saw blades with commercial blade cleaners that you can buy at woodworking stores and big box stores. The ones I have now are:
Boeshield Blade and Bit Cleaner (Scroll down the page to see the product.):
https://boeshield.com/products/
CMT Orange Tools Blade and Bit Cleaner:
https://www.cmtorangetools.com/na-en/systems-and-accessories/formula-2050-blade-and-bit-cleaner
I bought the Boeshield when I bought my first table saw a few years ago. (I learned woodworking on a radial arm saw.) The fat bottle of CMT was on sale soon after, and I bought it on impulse. Neither of them cost much, especially considering that they have lasted for years.
I had planned to switch to household Formula 409 cleaner when those bottles run out, but I am not close to using them up yet. I clean the blades when they seem to need it, but it doesn't take much spray to clean a blade, so I still have a lot on hand.
-> Now I wonder whether Formula 409 fits jttheclockman's description of cleaners that are potentially damaging to carbide tipped blades. Does anyone know?
I clean table saw blades on one of those orange lids for Home Depot buckets. They are inexpensive and have an inner ring that supports the blade while leaving the teeth open for cleaning. (To flip or remove the blade, use the arbor hole in the center.) I use cheap plastic and brass brushes. You can get them at Harbor Freight and many other places.
My hunch is that @Woodchipper's bandsaw blade is worn and the gullets are full. Woodchipper may have tried cutting something thick with a blade that has too many TPI (teeth per inch). That loads up the gullets, increases friction a lot, and puts a lot of wear and tear on the blade.
When I first got a bandsaw, I used a 12 TPI blade for "general purpose" cutting, and it soon got "cruddy" with the gullets filled with hardened sawdust. I took it to a local shop with bandsaw blade experts to ask about cleaning. They told me that it would be a waste of time to clean it. The blade was gone and useless, and cleaning would not make a difference.
Bandsaw blades are not terribly expensive, so I replaced it and learned better blade practices, matching the blade to the type and thickness of wood being cut as well as the type of cut. I admit to being lazy about changing bandsaw blades, but learning to be fast and efficient at blade changing would be a good investment of time and would result in less overall bandsaw blade wear and tear.
jttheclockman
Member
I have not read any negative effects of 409 for cleaning blades from blade makers. I have read that many people use it along with just about any other cleaner including the ones you mentioned. If your shop requires alot of blade cleaning those commercial cleaners could become expensive and thus why many people find alternatives. But also many people do not know the damage they can be doing to their carbide blades and having a tooth from a spinning blade come loose can be hazardous. I mention the caution about blade cleaning because it pertains mainly to carbide blades and not all carbide is equal. Non carbide blades such as most bandsaw blades will not be effected as much because of caustic cleaners. When a topic gets posted sometimes it takes different roads and I like to if I can add some further insight into a subject that I may know something about. It may just help one person down the road.
As for the OP, I believe he found that cutting oily resinous woods takes a quick toll on any blade weather a bandsaw blade or tablesaw blade or router bits, or even drill bits. They do get gummed up quickly and this causes extreme heat. Now you start to burn woods as well as have an effect on the blade. Heat is a problem in all woodworking functions unless you are using for specific purpose such as bending woods. Now dull blades can also be a contributing factor. Using the correct blade with correct tooth count and configuration can greatly improve the cutting experience. Changing blades on any tool along with changing bits on routers can add some time but will pay off in a long run. But as I mentioned on other threads we have become a society that has no patience and want to see results fast and thus shortcuts get taken. I am also guilty of cutting things with my saws that should have changed blades for but it is the nature of the beast.
Happy woodworking and stay safe.
As for the OP, I believe he found that cutting oily resinous woods takes a quick toll on any blade weather a bandsaw blade or tablesaw blade or router bits, or even drill bits. They do get gummed up quickly and this causes extreme heat. Now you start to burn woods as well as have an effect on the blade. Heat is a problem in all woodworking functions unless you are using for specific purpose such as bending woods. Now dull blades can also be a contributing factor. Using the correct blade with correct tooth count and configuration can greatly improve the cutting experience. Changing blades on any tool along with changing bits on routers can add some time but will pay off in a long run. But as I mentioned on other threads we have become a society that has no patience and want to see results fast and thus shortcuts get taken. I am also guilty of cutting things with my saws that should have changed blades for but it is the nature of the beast.
Happy woodworking and stay safe.
Woodchipper
Member
penicillin, this is the original blade for my Delta benchtop BS. Might not be the best quality as much OEM stuff is low budget. It has cut a lot of wood in its day. Could be dull but don't see a lot of stuff in the gullet. Might spend a buck and buy a new one.
Woodchipper
Member
Correction: bandsaw is Rikon, 70-1/2 inch blade. Checked Woodcraft but they don't list a blade that short. Guess I'll have to buy a new bandsaw.
howsitwork
Member
No just look in the back of fine wood working for a blade maker and order a selection to do the jobs you want.
I have heard of using diesel to clean a resined up TCT table saw blade but I use Trend blade cleaner. Spray on, leave 10 minutes then use a brass brush t9 scrub any heavy debris off or respray if needed. LOTS of newspaper to catc(h the overspray and muck is a good idea. I've also used this stuff on a cloth to clean a backsaw blade (84" one as I recall) . I have used a brass brush with the blade still mounted turning the wheels backwards to expose a small bit of blade each time . It worked but then took the blade off the clean the tires and make a good job of it as JT commented.
I have heard of using diesel to clean a resined up TCT table saw blade but I use Trend blade cleaner. Spray on, leave 10 minutes then use a brass brush t9 scrub any heavy debris off or respray if needed. LOTS of newspaper to catc(h the overspray and muck is a good idea. I've also used this stuff on a cloth to clean a backsaw blade (84" one as I recall) . I have used a brass brush with the blade still mounted turning the wheels backwards to expose a small bit of blade each time . It worked but then took the blade off the clean the tires and make a good job of it as JT commented.
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,036
As others have already said, it appears to be a worn, dull blade to me, too.
I get my bandsaw blades from a local shop that has huge spools of blades. The pull out how much you want (e.g., 70-1/2 inches) and weld it for you on the spot. It takes five minutes from walking in to walking out with a new blade. They are not the only shop that does it. You may find one close to you.
In case anyone cares, my local shop is Industrial Blade, here in Orange County, California. They take orders from around the country. They are small, but their people have been there for ages and they know bandsaw blades. Here is a link:
If you look, you may find something similar that is close to you.
I get my bandsaw blades from a local shop that has huge spools of blades. The pull out how much you want (e.g., 70-1/2 inches) and weld it for you on the spot. It takes five minutes from walking in to walking out with a new blade. They are not the only shop that does it. You may find one close to you.
In case anyone cares, my local shop is Industrial Blade, here in Orange County, California. They take orders from around the country. They are small, but their people have been there for ages and they know bandsaw blades. Here is a link:
index
www.industrialblade.net
If you look, you may find something similar that is close to you.
Jarod888
Member
Fold it as you normally would. Use a couple of wire bread ties to keep it together. Get an oil changing pan from your local auto parts store. Get a couple of jugs of crud cutter. Emerse the blade in crude cutter for a day or two. This will break down all the junk on the blade. Remove it and use an old toothbrush with some simple green to finish cleaning it.