Pitch/sap build up on Band Saw Blade

wndopdlr

wally
Senior User
Like the title says, I have a signifcant build up of pitch on the inside surface of my band saw blade. I have not removed the blade, but suspect the build up is on the tires as well.

How do I remove this? I have used WD-40 in the past successfully to remove pitch from table saw blades, but I am concerned about it on the tires of the band saw.

Any suggestions?
 

stevenjohn21

New User
Stephen
After a lot of use on the bandsaw I’ll get an old toothbrush and give the band wheels and blade a quick scrub along with the guides and if I’m not feeling lazy then I’ll get a rag with a bit of pine sol and wipe down the blade with it.
This will usually pro-long me having to clean it regularly. If you are cutting a lot of pine then unfortunately it’s inevitable that you will get a lot of pitch build up. Just one of the regular cleaning maintenance with a bandsaw.
 

knottyalder

New User
Russ
fold blade and soak in bottom of trash can overnight. $15/gallon at HD. and I dilute it 4 parts water/1 part cleaner. That’s 5 gallons of blade cleaner for 15 bucks. Also use it for router bits and TS blades.
BC6ECBE2-A070-4B14-89CB-CB56AADD5DCE.jpeg
 

bainin

New User
bainin
I just soak a rag with Bit+Blade cleaner, then carefully pinch the blade and manually run it backwards turning one of the wheels.. Would not suggest trying this in the forward direction :)

On tougher stuff, i start like this, then move on to a toothbrush , holding it against the blade while turning it backwards.

b
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
I remove blade, spray it with LA's Awesome from Dollar Tree, and let it soak for a few minutes. Using a brush, also from Dollar Tree, scrub blade and then rinse with water. On the wheels, I use deodorized mineral spirits, applied with a rag, wiping down residue. Let blade dry, spray with WD-40, wipe off excess and reinstall.
 

joec

joe
User
I just finished a heart pine project and had to clean my bandsaw multiple times. I wet a rag with lacquer thinner and cleaned the blade and wheels with it.
 

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