I was resawing a fair amount of southern yellow pine on the bandsaw, it's
dry, it's been floor joists in a warehouse for the last 100 years.As I was
cutting I got a whiff of a burning smell & stopped to check. The blade has
a fair build up of pitch, on the teeth, in the gullets ,but mostly on the
back of the blade. The back of the blade is like you smeared a very fine
coat of glue and dusted it with fine sawdust. The tires are coated the same
too. So, what is the best way to clean this? Don't think I can do it with
the blade on, can I? Is it anything to be concerned about or is just normal
with this kind of wood?
Thx,
Chris
"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I was resawing a fair amount of southern yellow pine on the bandsaw, it's
>dry, it's been floor joists in a warehouse for the last 100 years.As I was
>cutting I got a whiff of a burning smell & stopped to check. The blade
>has a fair build up of pitch, on the teeth, in the gullets ,but mostly on
>the back of the blade. The back of the blade is like you smeared a very
>fine coat of glue and dusted it with fine sawdust. The tires are coated
>the same too. So, what is the best way to clean this? Don't think I can do
>it with the blade on, can I? Is it anything to be concerned about or is
>just normal with this kind of wood?
>
> Thx,
> Chris
>
>
Use some mineral spirits on a cloth, hold it on the blade and manually
rotate the blade backwards to clean the blade. May have to use a small
brass brush to scrub also. Be sure to clean the tires also and the guides.
After that, I spray some DryCote on the blade and that helps but pitch is
tough.... I would have thought that any pitch pockets in that old of wood
would have crystallized by now.
Bob S.
Chris wrote:
> I was resawing a fair amount of southern yellow pine on the
> bandsaw, it's dry, it's been floor joists in a warehouse for the
> last 100 years.As I was cutting I got a whiff of a burning smell &
> stopped to check. The blade has a fair build up of pitch, on the
> teeth, in the gullets ,but mostly on the back of the blade. The
> back of the blade is like you smeared a very fine coat of glue and
> dusted it with fine sawdust. The tires are coated the same too. So,
> what is the best way to clean this? Don't think I can do it with
> the blade on, can I? Is it anything to be concerned about or is
> just normal with this kind of wood?
Clean with mineral spirits. Yellow pine is very "fat" (lots of
resin). Most/many softwoods have resin too. One thing, keep the
interior of the saw clean...yellow pine is also hard and that equals
heat. Heat, sawdust and resin = fire.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
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"Chris" <[email protected]> writes:
> The tires are coated the same
> too.
Buy a wheel brush to keep particles off the tires.
Iturra sells them for about $7. Others stores sell them as well.
After I was done posting the original message, I read a few then headed back
over to the garage where I keep the bandsaw, as I entered the kitchen I
could smell a slight whiff of smoke, when I opened the garage door the area
was filled with a haze of smoke. I couldn't imagine where it was coming
from, I thought electrical? I unplugged everything, then I noticed slight
smoke from the bottom of the bandsaw. I felt the machine, it was cool to the
touch, I looked behind it and there was glowing embers in the sawdust. I'm
not great about cleaning up the sawdust around the bandsaw. I don't have
dust collection, I use a shop vac attached by hose to my jointer & planer,
but don't both with the TS or BS. I really don't know what was so hot to
cause this to happen. Maybe a spark from ceramic guides? A slither of an old
nail that was in the wood? I guess I'll never know, but I shudder to think
what would have happened if I had not went back there. I'll be mounting a
smoke detector now and I'll have to be better about the pile of fine
sawdust.
A cautionary tale!
"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I looked behind it and there was glowing embers in the sawdust. I'm not
> great about cleaning up the sawdust around the bandsaw.
> A cautionary tale!
Something to keep in mind.
You were lucky.
This was started by a welding spark that smoldered about 12 hours. I worked
in this building and we are one of three business that were not totally
destroyed. We're rebuilding elsewhere.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=O25ujRrSN8A&feature=related
http://fallenbrothers.com/community/showthread.php?t=5456
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/
On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 15:23:26 -0500, "Chris" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I was resawing a fair amount of southern yellow pine on the bandsaw, it's
>dry, it's been floor joists in a warehouse for the last 100 years.As I was
>cutting I got a whiff of a burning smell & stopped to check. The blade has
>a fair build up of pitch, on the teeth, in the gullets ,but mostly on the
>back of the blade. The back of the blade is like you smeared a very fine
>coat of glue and dusted it with fine sawdust. The tires are coated the same
>too. So, what is the best way to clean this? Don't think I can do it with
>the blade on, can I? Is it anything to be concerned about or is just normal
>with this kind of wood?
>
>Thx,
>Chris
>
Cleaning the blade and tires are parts of a total bandsaw tune up.
Mineral spirits, like others have stated, will clean the metal blade.
Some solvents may attack rubber. I believe Duginski talks about using
sandpaper wound on a stick to clean some kinds of bandsaw tires.
Chris wrote:
> After I was done posting the original message, I read a few then
> headed back over to the garage where I keep the bandsaw, as I
> entered the kitchen I could smell a slight whiff of smoke, when I
> opened the garage door the area was filled with a haze of smoke. I
> couldn't imagine where it was coming from, I thought electrical? I
> unplugged everything, then I noticed slight smoke from the bottom
> of the bandsaw. I felt the machine, it was cool to the touch, I
> looked behind it and there was glowing embers in the sawdust.
That's why I cautioned you about it.
_______________
> I really don't
> know what was so hot to cause this to happen. Maybe a spark from
> ceramic guides? A slither of an old nail that was in the wood?
Nope, just friction.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico