Dado Set Cleaning Tips

Jeff Bower

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5,762
Location
DSM, IA
My dad gave me his old Delta dado set last time I was over. I had told him I was looking to buy one with some xmas money I received. He told me he had 2 and never really uses either so I could have one. He prefaced it with, "It's dirty, probably not sharp, but should all be there." I was happy to have it! Couple nights ago I went out in the cold shop to try and clean it up. I was armed with WD40, a wire brush and a scrub pad. The WD40 worked ok until the tip froze up. I went back into the warm house after that.

So long winded story made short...what do you guys use to clean up and old blade like this?
 

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I spray on router bit cleaner on both sides. Let sit for two or three minutes. Rinse off and dry thoroughly. May need soft brush to get stuff out of tight places. Others have suggested that Simple Green works as well. Same procedure, though Simple Green may need a longer soak. I use the cover of a plastic 5 gallon bucket as a container. Just spray liberally, flip, and repeat.
 
Also use Lestoil as this was recommended here on FWW. It works well on carbide toothed blades as well. I tried Simple Green & it worked well too, but was advised that it had negative affects on carbide (???). :huh: So, rather than chance a problem, I went back to Lestoil. I use the lid from a 5 gal bucket (suggested by Bob) to place the saw blade in & rest in the Lestoil for a few minutes. Then rinse in hot water with a soft brush. I usually do several blades at a time (one at a time to avoid damage to the carbide teeth) reusing the same Lestoil in the lid. Works well. Try it, you'll like it! :thumb:
 
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The original Simple Green could attack metal (the carbide brazing), and was not allowed for anything on aircraft, since a spill could get into the airframe. The second version was called "Simple Green Extreme" which, despite the name, was milder, and safe on metals - saw blades and aircraft. The extreme version went away several years ago, and just has the "Simple Green" name, but it is not the original over-aggressive version.

I use Simple Green as our primary household cleaner (dilute in spray bottles, etc.). It is one of the options I use to clean blades and router bits, although in a higher concentration than the spray bottle that we use all over the house.
 
I guess I'll stop and get some Lestoil, I didn't realize that it was a household cleaner, never heard of it before. :thumb:

I remember the thread Bob posted now but had forgotten about it. I have a Lowes just across the interstate from my office so I'll be picking some up too.
 
After looking at the problem from several angles, I would clean it when the saw IS NOT running...JMHO. ;):thumb:

Jim, I even plan on unplugging the saw just to make sure! :D

I might just need to do my own tests to compare Wood mag's findings. Local Lowes doesn't carry the Lestoil so I'll try one or more of the other suggestions. Thanks again! :thumb:
 
ARM & HAMMER Washing Soda (not baking soda). 1 tbsp dissolved in lukewarm water will instantly remove any crud stuck to the cutters. Use an old tooth brush to get btwn the teeth.

Mack,
Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate, a very strong alkaline (pH=11), which is often used in hard water areas to soften the water in laundry and other cleaning.

Oven cleaners have been condemned for this use by Freud and others since they attack the brazing. I don't know what oven cleaners contain but they are very strongly alkaline. Therefore I would be sure not to soak the blades in Washing soda, and to quickly and thoroughly rinse.
 
Mack,
Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate, a very strong alkaline (pH=11), which is often used in hard water areas to soften the water in laundry and other cleaning.

Oven cleaners have been condemned for this use by Freud and others since they attack the brazing. I don't know what oven cleaners contain but they are very strongly alkaline. Therefore I would be sure not to soak the blades in Washing soda, and to quickly and thoroughly rinse.

Charlie, keep in mind my dado set doesn't have carbide teeth so I'm in the clear. Good info for my other blades though. :thumb:
 
Jeff i got this stuff from lv works like a charm.
I have a $1 plastic bowl thats just the right size (dollar store special) and put very little of this stuff in and use a stiff bristle plastic brush also dollar store .
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30062&cat=1,41080,41165,30062

Then when one tries to refuse to let wife buy tools for one for Xmas one gets presents one does not need that are not worth returning given postage costs.
So rockler has a kit
http://www.rockler.com/router-bit-and-saw-blade-cleaning-kit
I now have one :) u now know why . Have not used it yet. Thing i do like about it is the lid so who knows what the liquid included is like. :)


sent from s4
 
Don't use anything. Use the Christmas money and go buy a nice carbide tipped dado set. Just my 2 cents.

Aside from the sentimental value if this set, I think you'll find it underperforms a good carbide tip set by a pretty fair margin. Applying your Christmas money towards a good new set is still a logical pursuit IMHO.

For blade cleaning, I use just about any household degreaser type spray cleaner we have....all have worked so far....409, Greased Lightning, Fantastic, Simple Green, LA's Totally Awesome, Goo Gone, etc. I give the blades a quick squirt, brush the teeth a little, rinse, and wipe....it goes pretty quickly. For really stubborn gum build up, Freud suggests a kerosene soak.
 
For anything I'm wanting to get rust off of I use Evaporust. I can't say what it does to carbide, but I suspect nothing at all, except remove the rust. Evaporust is environmentally friendly and won;t affect paint, unless for instance the rust is under the paint, so get rid of the rust and nothing left to hold the paint. The last time I bought it was from Harbor freight and was $20 a gallon. I think they had a quart and/or pint size too. Temperature needs to be above 50 degrees or something like that. Needs rinsed and oiled after cleaning to prevent flash rust.

If you're doing lots of rusted items, I suppose electrolysis would be the cheapest (other than manual labor). All you need is a low-tech battery charger, a coat hanger, and Arm & Hammer washing soda.... but that might get back to the issue already discussed.
 
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