Ask Jon Eakes

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010, Created: Monday, January 15th, 2001

How to clean saw blades.

Lyle from St. Joseph?s Island in Ontario recommends using Easy-Off oven cleaner to clean his saw blades. It works so well that that?s all he uses. Well, I agree and disagree. It does work well, but if you have carbide tips on your saw blades, it could eat away at the braze weld that holds on the carbide. Not a good idea. So for all-steel blades -- OK. For carbide tipped blades -- NO. They actually make special blade cleaners (like the bottle of Walter Gold Matrix that we had for the job) which you can find at woodworking stores and industrial supply stores. I used to always use simple household ammonia. It smells terrible and needs to be covered, but overnight it will soak off just about anything. You can stop rust in an infrequently used shop by a light oil or wax job after cleaning. The surprising discovery I made when I talked to carbide manufacturers is that resins from softwoods left sitting on blades can actually corrode the carbide itself! So clean your blades right after you use them, not three months later. That sap not only creates drag, it can shorten the life of your blade teeth. But the surprising discovery when I talk to carbide manufacturers, is that resins from softwoods left sitting on blades can actually corrode the carbide itself! So clean your blades right after you use them, not three months later. That sap not only creates drag, it can shorten the life of your blade teeth.

Keywords: Blades, Cleaning, Maintenance, Mitre Saw, Rust, Sap, Saws, Wax, Woodworking

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