How To Clean A Table Saw Blade

We've always sent our table saw blades out for sharpening. In fact we haven't even bought a new one in 5 or so years. However one thing that we don’t do enough is clean our blades. I read that dirty table saw blades will often act dull because of pitch left on the blade from cutting wood. This blade in particular was having a tough time cutting 4/4 pine.

Follow up:

So I did a little more research on the subject, and it is usually recommended that you follow the manufacturers instructions for cleaning the blade. But of course we couldn't find the manufacturers instructions for cleaning the blade, so we had to take matters into our own hands.

Initially I was going to soak the blade in gun wash. We use it to clean parts all the time, so I knew it would work well on the blade. But right before I was about to pour it in the bin, I thought of something: It may effect the carbide tips of the blade. The last thing I want is a carbide tip to come flying off while we're cutting.

As I said, we don't usually clean our blades, so I had to buy a bin and a new parts brush. I got both at Princess Auto, the bin was $3.99, and the brush was $1.99. I was very happy with the bin, it's the ideal shape/size for cleaning table saw blades.

Next I had to buy the cleaner. I wanted something that didn't have solvents in it. I had 2 choices as I saw it, Lee Valley has a cleaner designed specifically for cleaning blades, or I could use a generic cleaner. Since Lee Valley is about a 20 minute drive from our shop, I decided to just pick up some generic cleaner from Safeway on the way to work. I got Greenworks all purpose cleaner ($3.99).

After soaking the blade for 4 hours, I noticed that some of the pitch was coming off the blade, but there was still quite a bit of buildup around the teeth.The parts brush I bought did nothing, so I was going to use a brass wire brush, but couldn't find it (no surprise there). Instead I used a 3M Scouring Pad. I worked very well, I had all the teeth cleaned in about 5 minutes.

I took the blade out of the cleaner, gave it a quick rinse in the sink, and threw it in a pile of saw dust to dry it off. The end result was quite pleasing. It still doesn't cut as well as when it's freshly sharpened, but we can probably get another month or 2 out of it now.

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