Big mistake

[Mike Davis]

I used my bandsaw to cut some big beef shank bones that had been in the freezer for a few years. Just never found time to deal with them.

so I went to use it last night and the drive belt has stretched so much that it just spins without driving the blade. I guess it was the fat on the end of the shank that attacked the rubber belt.

i ordered two new ones and now I need to super clean every part of the saw.
what would you suggest for cleaning. I thought lacquer thinner but wonder about the tires.
maybe I should go ahead and replace them while I have it all apart?

 

[nn4jw]

Mike, I'd suggest Dawn dishwashing detergent if what you have there is animal fat grease. It does a pretty good job of regular grease too. It won't hurt your tires. Just use a damp sponge and water with it.

 

[Gofor]

I have used DNA on my BS tires/belts without any deleterious effects that I have noticed. When that happened to me, it was because I forgot to set the belt tension back (LOL).

 

[Jeff]

maybe I should go ahead and replace them while I have it all apart?

You just ordered two new tires so just clean the saw and wheels to remove the beef fat residue and put the new tires on.

Hot soap and water will be good for removing the beef fat/tallow from your saw. Rinse well and dry the metal surfaces to prevent rusting.

 

[Mike Davis]

No, Jeff. I ordered two new drive belts. Hadn’t thought about the tires until this morning.

 

[Willemjm]

I support the Dawn dishwashing soap and a good dry, safe and clean.

LOL, I cut two frozen together roasts on mine once and when my wife found out she would not eat it. They just don’t understand how versatile a wood shop bandsaw is.

 

[Jeff]

No, Jeff. I ordered two new drive belts. Hadn’t thought about the tires until this morning.

Ok, I misunderstood you. The tires are resistant to soap and water but you'd have to test their resistance to mineral spirits or kerosene.
Lacquer thinner won't remove the animal fat and it's probably a disaster for your tires.

 

[smallboat]

I used to clean the meat saw as one of my duties at a summer job. Soap and hot water.

 

[junquecol]

Be glad you didn't cut up a block of frozen salmon! If you had, every visitor to your shop would say "Something fishy is going on here!" Plus you would have new shop buddies, every cat in the neighborhood.