Cleaning Saw Blades

Table saw blades need to be cleaned fairly often. I'd guess I get about 500 ft between cleanings. Sugary woods like maple, cherry, and purple heart tend to muck them up more quickly than that while woods like red oak will go further. I like to clean them when I don't have the time to do real woodworking or when I'm feeling too tired to operate the machines safely but still want to be in the shop puttering around.

Heat is the enemy to a good cut. Aside from burning the wood it will loosen the bond that holds the carbide together and cause the blade to dull more quickly. Resin builds on the blade which causes it to rub on the side of the wood rather than to cut through cleanly. When the blade gets junked up you should clean it right away.

	This is my before picture. I've really let this one go too far but sometimes when I'm working on cheap plywood projects I don't care as much about the quality of cut.
	Some people like to use simple green, others like to use oven cleaner, I like to use this resin remover I picked up from woodcraft. There is a debate among woodworkers around oven cleaner. Nobody denies that it removes resin nicely however many say that the chemical in the oven cleaner will loosen the bind of the carbide tip and cause the blade to fail. Others say they've been using oven cleaner without problems and the concerns are just irrational. Since $8 will buy enough solution to last for about 200 blades I figured I'd just buy it and save myself the worries.
	My first step is the dunk the toothbrush on the bottle and paint on the resin remover. I'm not trying to scrub it off in this step because the remover hasn't done its job yet. I'll coat one side, flip it over, then coat the other.
	This isn't a very good example but you can see foam is turning brown as it removes the resin. Sometimes when I do this there is far more resin removed before I've started scrubbing. It takes about 30 seconds to coat each side. By the time I've coated the second side I flip it over and scrub the first side again. It takes almost a minute per side to get it perfect.
	When it's clean I use a rag to remove the resin remover. A rag large enough to clean with both hands at once is a good idea. These coated blades from Freud are nice in that they don't rust. I once got my Leitz 4+1 blade "mostly dry" thinking it would air dry the rest of the way. That didn't work out at all as it rusted into something pretty ugly. I had to clean it carefully with a scotch bright pad to bring it back. Bottom line: Dry it off well.
	This is my "after" picture. I have a few notes: The entire process takes about 3 minutes per blade. Some people just soak the blade overnight instead of using a toothbrush. This zero effort technique appeals to me but I haven't found the perfect container. Also, sometimes you want to use it right away instead of waiting for it to soak. Be careful not to drop the blade. I haven't done it yet but I like to clean while standing on my anti-fatigue mats just in case. I'll say it again, dry it off completely. I clean router bits like this too.

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