Mdf

[gk777]

I am cutting MDF and have found after many cuts the blade is starting to bog down. What should I use to clean the blade? Is the normal pitch and gum remover good enough to remove the glue residue of MDF?

[Nick]

Probably. But I'm partial to oven cleaner.

With all good wishes,

[gk777]

Not having oven cleaner handy, and even if I did I don't think they would have directions for cleaning saw blades, what is the directions - spray and let stand for 10 minutes? Soak for 5 minutes and wipe off?

I assume I could use this on router blades and such too?

[Ed in Tampa]

I am cutting MDF and have found after many cuts the blade is starting to bog down. What should I use to clean the blade? Is the normal pitch and gum remover good enough to remove the glue residue of MDF?

I never had much problem with pitch cutting MDF but I do know my blades and router bits get dull quickly. When I say quickly I mean quicker than cutting wood. Is it possible your blade is simply dull?
Ed

[charlese]

I never had much problem with pitch cutting MDF but I do know my blades and router bits get dull quickly. When I say quickly I mean quicker than cutting wood. Is it possible your blade is simply dull?
Ed

My guess is - it depends on where the MDF was made. A fir, pine, larch combination of fiber would give a different pitch residue from Southern pine stuff. Although I really don't have any first hand knowledge of MDF manufacture, I can imagine quite a difference from various regions in the country. There's a lot of difference in the fibers and resins between species of even softwoods. Fiber sizes and chemical make up vary quite noticeably. We all know that pitch varies between various species and even boards. It follows that these changes will also exist in wood products. There are synthetic resins and wax added to the fibers (amounts probably depending on species of wood) before pressing.

I remember when a paper mill in Wisconsin purchased RR box cars of Western larch chips to mix with their locally grown "popples" to make a proper pulp for the particular white paper they were manufacturing. The Larch gave an added strength, but was added only in small amounts to avoid undesirable texture and chemical changes.

The earlier discussions about how wood works applies. somewhat, to wood products as well as raw wood.

[gk777]

Ed,
I do not think it is dull, I believe I have glue risidue on the blade I can definitly see it. I only cut 2, 4 x 8 x .75 sheets of mdf, so I do no think my blade is dull. I thought I would at least clean off the risidue that is on the blade first before having it sharpened. Since this was a brand new shopsmith blade I do not think it would be dull after the amount of cuts I made but maybe I over heated the blade and dulled it.

[charlese]

Hi gk! Don't think you have glue on your new blade. It is most likely a combination of resins and wax from the MDF. Take your sharp pocket knife and cut away the residue from the sides and front of your blade's teeth. I believe you will find it flakes off fairly easily. Don't worry about harming your carbide saw teeth as they are a lot harder than your pocket knifes blade. However it stands to reason you don't want to rub your knife across the corners of your blade teeth. Just keep it on the flat surfaces. A brass brush will clean up the small pieces of resin residue on the weld areas behind the tooth.

I have done this many times. It may seem like a long process, but it gives you an opportunity to closely look at each tooth for any small chips in the carbide, and any slightly bent teeth. I'll bet you new blade looks really good under that resin residue.

You can use a blade cleaner if you wish, but the old knife method has worked very well for me. Never have used any cleaners! BTW - knife blades sharpen a lot easier than saw blades.

P.S. I've never had my blades sharpened, but have done the knife treatment too many times to count. Even after years of service they saw like almost new!

[Nick]

If you don't want to get all that intimate with your pocket knife, you just spray on the oven cleaner, let it sit 5-10 minutes, and wipe off.

The active ingredient in oven cleaner is sodium hydroxide -- lye. You can also make lye paste, which works better than the oven cleaner (probably because it has more lye). Dissolve 2 ounces of lye in 1 cup distilled water in a glass container. In a separate container, stir 1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarh into 2 cups of distilled water. Add the cornstarch solution to the lye solution stirring constantly. The resulting mixture will thicken to the consistency of jelly.

Use a nylon bristle brush to apply the paste, let stand 5-10 minutes, wipe off with wet paper towel. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Metal should be above 70 degrees F to work properly; if you warm the surface it will work faster. Also makes a decent paint/varnish stripper and a chemical wood stain, but you'll need to neutralize the wooden surface with a 1:1 water/vinegar mix after stripping/staining.

With all good wishes,

[charlese]

Oh! some guys like the "easy" way. I just can't remember the formulas!

My pocket knife and I are the very best of friends!
A short story -
At one time when being interviewed for a better job, the boss asked, "How many of you guys have a pocket knife?" Two out of the four had one and the others were dismissed. The boss then asked for the knives. I got the job for having the sharpest one!

[greitz]

Great story, Chuck, although it must have happened a while ago. These days you probably would've gotten hauled away by Homeland Security.

Gary