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 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.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 15:23:26 -0500, "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?

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.

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" wrote in message
...
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/...ead.php?t=5456
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

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