I had an Oldham blade in the table saw that wasn't cutting
well--tended to burn and leave rough surfaces. I'd cleaned it as
thoroughly as I could and it didn't help. I was about ready to send
it out for sharpening, when I had occasion to cut a piece of UHMW
polyethylen. Well, it didn't do the greatest job on the UHMW, but
ever since it's been cutting wood just as cleanly as when it was brand
new.
Cutting UHMW may not be the cheapest or neatest way to clean a blade,
but it seems to have done the job really well.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
On Jul 28, 9:12=A0pm, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "stu" =A0wrote in message
> > I would guess that a blade cutting better would be more to due with Tef=
lon
> > left behind on the blade, =A0reducing friction and there-by fooling one=
into
> > thinking the blade is cleaner or sharper (honed).
>
> Interesting thread ... if it is indeed cutting better, as the OP indicate=
d
> based on firsthand experience, it can fool me anytime it wants, regardles=
s
> of the reason.
I wish my car would fool me by getting better gas mileage...
R
On Jul 27, 2:03=A0pm, "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I had an Oldham blade in the table saw that wasn't cutting
> well--tended to burn and leave rough surfaces. =A0I'd cleaned it as
> thoroughly as I could and it didn't help. =A0I was about ready to send
> it out for sharpening, when I had occasion to cut a piece of UHMW
> polyethylen. =A0Well, it didn't do the greatest job on the UHMW, but
> ever since it's been cutting wood just as cleanly as when it was brand
> new.
>
> Cutting UHMW may not be the cheapest or neatest way to clean a blade,
> but it seems to have done the job really well.
Interesting. You may have just given away a patentable idea. It
makes sense that the blade would melt some of the plastic and receive
a coating in return. I wonder if running the UHMW through a blade
that was running backwards would help or hurt the effect you
mention...
R
I would guess that a blade cutting better would be more to due with Teflon
left behind on the blade, reducing friction and there-by fooling one into
thinking the blade is cleaner or sharper (honed).
Stu
"Lee Michaels" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> On Jul 28, 6:27 am, "Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> makes sense that the blade would melt some of the plastic and receive
>> a coating in return.
>>
>> Instead of a coating, I'm willing to wager that the UHMW cleans the blade
>> similar to the way a crepe block cleans the sawdust embedded in a sanding
>> drum.
>
> Mebbeso, but John did say he cleaned the blade as thoroughly as he
> could prior to running the UHMW though it, and it still wasn't cutting
> right.
>
> In any event, John should start producing the BladeBlocks (tm) and let
> the suckers....errr...customers determine if they work or not. ;)
> --------------------------------------
>
> Remind me of some teflon I picked up at a scrap yard. I used it for quick
> and dirty bearings for gym equipment. I just banged it into some steel
> tubing and it was ready to go.
>
> I had to cut this up to go into various peices. It ended up coating my
> saw blade. And it did cut easier afterwards, Until the teflon wore off
> anyway.
>
> As for the gym equipment, the more you used it, the better/smoother it
> worked.
>
>
>
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I had an Oldham blade in the table saw that wasn't cutting
> well--tended to burn and leave rough surfaces. I'd cleaned it as
> thoroughly as I could and it didn't help. I was about ready to send
> it out for sharpening, when I had occasion to cut a piece of UHMW
> polyethylen. Well, it didn't do the greatest job on the UHMW, but
> ever since it's been cutting wood just as cleanly as when it was brand
> new.
>
> Cutting UHMW may not be the cheapest or neatest way to clean a blade,
> but it seems to have done the job really well.
Did you do much cutting with the blade after cleaning with the UHMW? My
immediate guess is that the some of the material may have imbedded or melted
on to the blade or remaining debris. After a period of cutting this may all
disappear and the blade may return to its previous state.
If you do not have a lasting condition I highly recommend CMT Formula 2050
for cleaning your blades. This stuff is environmentally safe, made for
cleaning blades and works very fast. I clean my blades a couple of times a
year and the procedure takes be about 5 minutes start to finish on both
sides.
Touché
"Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "stu" wrote in message
>> I would guess that a blade cutting better would be more to due with
>> Teflon
>> left behind on the blade, reducing friction and there-by fooling one
>> into
>> thinking the blade is cleaner or sharper (honed).
>
> Interesting thread ... if it is indeed cutting better, as the OP indicated
> based on firsthand experience, it can fool me anytime it wants, regardless
> of the reason.
>
> --
> www.e-woodshop.net
> Last update: 5/14/08
> KarlC@ (the obvious)
>
>
>
On Jul 28, 6:27=A0am, "Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> makes sense that the blade would melt some of the plastic and receive
> a coating in return.
>
> Instead of a coating, I'm willing to wager that the UHMW cleans the blade
> similar to the way a crepe block cleans the sawdust embedded in a sanding
> drum.
Mebbeso, but John did say he cleaned the blade as thoroughly as he
could prior to running the UHMW though it, and it still wasn't cutting
right.
In any event, John should start producing the BladeBlocks (tm) and let
the suckers....errr...customers determine if they work or not. ;)
R
"RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
makes sense that the blade would melt some of the plastic and receive
a coating in return.
Instead of a coating, I'm willing to wager that the UHMW cleans the blade
similar to the way a crepe block cleans the sawdust embedded in a sanding
drum.
On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:12:38 -0500, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>if it is indeed cutting better, as the OP indicated
>based on firsthand experience, it can fool me anytime it wants, regardless
>of the reason.
Agree. Don't much care whether it cuts better because it's sharper,
cleaner, covered with Teflon, goose grease, or because it's the
dawning of the sign of Aquarius. Important thing is that it "cuts
better"!
Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA
"RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Jul 28, 6:27 am, "Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "RicodJour" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> makes sense that the blade would melt some of the plastic and receive
> a coating in return.
>
> Instead of a coating, I'm willing to wager that the UHMW cleans the blade
> similar to the way a crepe block cleans the sawdust embedded in a sanding
> drum.
Mebbeso, but John did say he cleaned the blade as thoroughly as he
could prior to running the UHMW though it, and it still wasn't cutting
right.
In any event, John should start producing the BladeBlocks (tm) and let
the suckers....errr...customers determine if they work or not. ;)
--------------------------------------
Remind me of some teflon I picked up at a scrap yard. I used it for quick
and dirty bearings for gym equipment. I just banged it into some steel
tubing and it was ready to go.
I had to cut this up to go into various peices. It ended up coating my saw
blade. And it did cut easier afterwards, Until the teflon wore off anyway.
As for the gym equipment, the more you used it, the better/smoother it
worked.
"stu" wrote in message
> I would guess that a blade cutting better would be more to due with Teflon
> left behind on the blade, reducing friction and there-by fooling one into
> thinking the blade is cleaner or sharper (honed).
Interesting thread ... if it is indeed cutting better, as the OP indicated
based on firsthand experience, it can fool me anytime it wants, regardless
of the reason.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/14/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)