Saw Cleaning

[SawmillTroy]

I am just wondering if anybody has any special tricks to cleaning the air filters on their saws? I usually blow mine out with the air compressor quite often and blow the rest of the saw off. I didn't know if there was a better way to clean the air filter or if that is the best way. Thanks

 

[SkippyKtm]

Depends on what kind of air filter you have. The one on my Stihl 028 which is a wire mesh with flocking, I cant use compressed air on because you'll blow the flocking out. I use a soap detergent and let it soak, then rinse it with water and let it dry.

 

[smitty299]

hands down dishwasher just don't let the misses catch you

 

[discounthunter]

i use a denture brush on my airfilters then a light blow off with my air compressor.

 

[mikefunaro]

Cleaning depends on the type of filter. Read your owners manual, they're generally pretty good about telling you what you can and cannot do with your filter.

I would recommend being very gentle with compressed air on any flocked filter; if it takes a lot of pressure and volume to get the dirt out you're probably doing some damage, even if you cannot see it.

The little flocked filters on my dolmar come amazingly clean with a quick dunk in soapy warm water.

On most modern saws, manufacturers tell you not to clean air filters unless it's necessary/you're seeing a power loss. I think this is reasonably good advice, since each time you clean it you are doing some wear, there's no sense in accelerating that wear unnecessarily.

 

[logging22]

Compressed air.

 

[StihlyinEly]

The little flocked filters on my dolmar come amazingly clean with a quick dunk in soapy warm water.

Ditto. Even my fine wire mesh filters, which get nicely clean in the field with a toothbrush or a can of compressed air, get the soapy dishwater treatment now and then. And I do that with my flocked filters much more often. The flocked filters respond OK to the toothbrush treatment in the field, but I never push air through them as it seems to me, like to Mike, that it takes too much pressure to clean them without degrading them.

Anyone know whether the wire mesh (like on my 028 AV) is as effective as the flocked ones (like on the MS290, for example)? Sure is a lot easier to clean, and my 028 has a LOT of hours on it and is still running like gangbusters.