I'm starting to get a few saw blades for the TS and mitre saws. As I took the dado stack off the ts last night I noticed the blades where a little grimy. What can I use on the blades when storing them to protect and clean the blade?
There are several commercial products available, but I just use a brush cleaner unless they are really gummed up with resin. Then I use an oven cleaner on them. Finally, I clean them with soap/water, spray them with WD-40, and hang them in the blade cabinet or back on the saw. harrym
The only problem with oven cleaner is that it will eat the blade if left on too long. It can be used and it often recommended (and just as often discouraged).
A much more conservative (safer) route is to use "Simple Green" that you can get just about anywhere. If you need a little more "tooth" in the cleaner you can also use a nylon bruch to clean the teeth. But if you use pretty warm water along with simple green you'll find that it's easy to clean blades and you won't harm the solder holding the teeth on.
Simple green should be more than enough to clean your blades and router bits though.
I use silicone protectant often too, but a better alternative (when I have it around) is to use Boeshield T-9. The problem with silicone is that while it's great a preventing rust, it can stain wood and it can interfere with a finish that you're going to put on the wood. (Kind of like how silcone screws with automotive paint it is on the vehicle when you paint it).
Boeshield is more like a wax so it doesn't attract dust and is MUCH better for protecting against rust. I use it on everything but it's about $10 a can. Works great though in a dusty environment as it doesn't attract dust like wd-40 or any other silicone lubricant.
alan
HarryM wrote:
Simple Green is great for a lot of clean-up applications.
Another wonderful product, *if* you can find it, is "Perfex". it's a powder you dissolve in water. Good for taking kids fingerprints off walls, 'de waxing' floors (before applying a new coat), and cleaning 'burner bibs' on electric stoves, among other things.
1 tablespoon of TSP in 'bout 2 cups of warm water - soak blade for 5-10 mins and hit the resin deposits with a vegatable or dish brush - rinse and dry.
Did I say it was cheap? No? Well then, it's cheap - and effective.
Owen Lowe responds:
I've not tried that one. One thing: all I can find in these green days is TSP substitute. TSP seems to be totally off the market. Any suggestions?
Charlie Self
Facts are stupid things. Ronald Reagan
I use Zep "Orange Cleaner" from the cleaning supply section at the Borg. It's $7-8 a gallon here in CT.
I already had it in the shop, as I use it for degreasing bicycle parts. The stuff removes pitch, etc... from saw blades like nothing else.
Simple Green gets used all over my home and shop, but it's not the best degreaser or pitch remover.
Barry
I use this:
It took about 2 hours to make, I found the idea in a book. The "drawers" come out and can sit on the saw during changes, protectid the blades.
Barry
Has anyone ever tried Castrol Super Clean (wear gloves)?
I don't!
I actually have only three, plus a dado set and a 10" sanding disc.
One "main" combo blade, one "old" combo blade for MDF, and one dedicated rip blade. The dado set takes up two drawers.
The rest of the drawers are for future growth.
Barry
My Ace Hardware carries the Lundmark brand of TSP. I didn't see anywhere on the tub indicating it was anything other than the real thing.
As I recall, the problem came with sewage discharges into waterways, which then had so much algae bloom that the water no longer held oxygen for fish.
Charlie Self
"If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function it must have dissent." Henry Commager
Close, you neglected one stage. The algae has to die, then become a consumer of oxygen.
If we could have pumped the gray water from our washing machines to the lawn, as I am doing as I write this between loads of wash and sanding, we'd have conserved water and fertilizer, and made bright green lawns.
Did'ja ever go write an obscenity >
cutting lawns? I haven't mowed the back yard in 6 weeks. Doesn't get enough light to grow that fast. Needs cut though, likely ticks off the neighbors, but alas so little time...
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