Blade lube for bandsaw

[hermit]

What do you bandsaw millers use to lube/cool blade ? I cut some green hickory and had a real problem with sap buildup. I read another place they used 50/50 mix bar oil and diesel. I wonder about that staining the wood. How about pine sol and water ? dish soap?

 

[Timberframed]

I don't have a bandmill but what about vegetable oil? Some guys here use it on chain mills.

 

[BobL]

I though you could just use water on a BSM?

 

[aardquark]

I've cut a lot of spruce/pine/fir with an older LumberMate, and a slow water drip is enough to keep the pitch from building up on the blade.

 

[Cmccul8146]

I use a mixture of water & dish detergent on my Oscar 228. Owners manual says to never use any flammable mix as lube for bandmill. Only takes 1 or 2 drops about every 2 seconds.

 

[deeker]

On my Norwood Lumbermate LM2000 I use water with dish soap to keep the sap off, at a v e r y slow drip.

Winter I use windshield washer fluid with dishsoap.

Oil will not help. Except to wear out the belts FASTER. Rots them.

 

[stoking]

water and pine sol for softwoods, just water for hardwoods.

 

[Ted J]

This weekend I was cutting two pine logs for 6x6 posts. I had a good deal of sap build up until I found the right drip rate to where the blade was running clean. If it drips too much It just makes a mess of everything...

 

[SPM in King]

Water and pine sol for hard and softwoods. Really works on White Ash. Keeping the blade cool helps.

Steve.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I use plain water in the summer, and windshield washer fluid in the winter. If i'm having a sap problem (not common) I put a tiny bit of dish soap, or pinesol in the water, but 99% of the time i don't use anything in the water.

Rob

 

[hermit]

Thanks For all ideas. I'll try plain water or washer fluid now that it is getting colder. I have an 1989 LT 40 Woodmizer.

 

[mktjqk]

I also have a woodmizer LT40 hydraulic. Cut about 30 fresh pines into 3/4 inch lumber for a guy in south Jersey a few weekends ago. Upped my dish soap concentration to cup in the 5 gallon water lube. Blades stayed sap free all day. I will normally just use plain water unless I see some build-up on the blade, and then just a splash of dish soap.

I also run the drip very fast. Helps to keep the saw dust under control and keep the blade cool. I rarely have to tighten the blade when using a high flow rate, but if I run out and the blade starts to heat up it will stretch a fair amount so I'll tighten after pretty much every log.

 

[04titanse]

I am about as green as they come, only milled 3 small trees so far, but I have been using 1/2 cup of pine-sol with 1.5 gallons of water milling green hemlock and no build up at all.

Sorry didn't realize this was two years old!

 

[Dad2FourWI]

@ 04titanse,

I am even "greener" than you! .... but I am attending a WoodMizer open house tomorrow and I will ask a few questions re the use of soaps and detergents in the tank and see if they have any additional feedback...

I have a lot of Red Pine, White Pine, and soft Maples that I expect might need something to help cut the sap.... I have talked to many that never use a drop of anything when milling oak... but I know how pine rosin can "muck things up"!!!! We run our chainsaws with larger teeth for this same reason... I used to cut pulp for Nekoosa Edwards... and yes, that was over 30 years ago!!!

I will post tomorrow or the next day with what I find out!

-Dad2FourWI

 

[SDB777]

I use PineSol and water.....but I have noticed it does need to be washed off pretty quickly after or it'll 'stain' the timber.

Maybe I'm using too much PineSol?







Scott (and it's cheap) B

 

[excess650]

I use Dawn dishwashing liquid and water and have never had any sap buildup. I can't say that it stains the wood either.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

I asked this question and the general opinion was to just use water... if the log was very sappy the rate of water should be increased.

For winter time, use a water/windshield wiper fluid mix or water/RV winterization fluid (the "pink stuff").

These were the answers I received but like I said, I have yet to try them out!!!

HTH,
-Dad2FourWI