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Thread: Cleaning bandsaw tires

  1. #1
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    Cleaning bandsaw tires

    Hello everyone. I was wondering what people use to clean their bandsaw tires. I have some "Blade and Bit" cleaner that I got from Woodcraft. It melts pitch very quickly. The bottle doesn't say if it negatively affects rubber or polyurethane. My saw manual has no suggestions as to what to use to clean them in it. My saw is a Rikon 10-340. It has yellow tires that feel like a hard rubber, but they may be a polysomething material for all I know.

    I haven't done it yet. I also have some mineral spirits, turpentine, denatured alcohol, and Tequilla on hand. Think any of them will work?

    (The Tequilla isn't for cleaning the tires, it's for me if the only safe cleaning choice is one that requires a time commitment...)

    Thanks,
    Michael

  2. #2
    I'd like to see everyone's responses to this as well Michael. I've been using DNA mostly with good results but I've been wondering about switching to Naptha for it's "rubber rejuvenating" capabilities.
    ~john
    "There's nothing wrong with Quiet" ` Jeremiah Johnson

  3. #3
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    I really dont know the answer to this, but I'm wondering how automotive belt dressing would work?
    Use the fence Luke

  4. #4
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    I just use a brush to scrape off the build up. I have been reluctant to use anything else for fear of degrading the tires.

  5. #5
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    Chris, I don't think I could brush these tires clean. I've been cutting a lot of pine while learning how to set up and use all these new tools. I've only had the bandsaw for 3 weeks, but I have about a hundred 2' long strips of pine and a pile of odd shaped pieces of wood sitting on the floor. (It's going be really easy to start a fire this winter.) At any rate, I'm suprised at how quickly the pitch built up on the tires.

    Hopefully, I'll be making stuff out of some "good" wood pretty soon. For now, I'm gonna stick with the cheap stuff.

    I sure hope that I won't have to clean pitch as often when I stop using pine as my primary stock. (please tell me I won't!)

    Doug does belt dressing cut pitch? I've always retensioned or replaced the offending belt, so I have no experience with it. Is it a cleaner, something that makes the belt tacky so that it won't slip, or a lubricant?

    Michael
    Last edited by Michael Adelong; 11-13-2005 at 11:28 AM.

  6. #6
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    I use a cabinet scraper. I hold it lightly against the tire and rotate the wheel by hand. It takes off sawdust quite nicely.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Adelong
    Chris, I don't think I could brush these tires clean. I've been cutting a lot of pine while learning how to set up and use all these new tools. I've only had the bandsaw for 3 weeks, but I have about a hundred 2' long strips of pine and a pile of odd shaped pieces of wood sitting on the floor. (It's going be really easy to start a fire this winter.) At any rate, I'm suprised at how quickly the pitch built up on the tires.

    Hopefully, I'll be making stuff out of some "good" wood pretty soon. For now, I'm gonna stick with the cheap stuff.

    I sure hope that I won't have to clean pitch as often when I stop using pine as my primary stock. (please tell me I won't!)

    Michael
    First, the good news: Hardwoods don't build up the resin/pitch on the tires nearly as much as pine will. You'll seldom have to clean the tires at all if you use only woods like maple and cherry.

    As for cleaning the pine resin off, one of the best products I've found is Simple Green® cleaner/soap. To keep the mess to a minimum, I'd apply it full strength with a brush, and let it sit for maybe fifteen minutes. Then, you can probably just wipe most of the resin off with a rag. Apply again and use a toothbrush to get the harder stuff off.

    Simple Green® is a water based product, so make sure you dry everything well to prevent the rust monster from invading.

    BTW, this works very well on Tablesaw blades, too, and you can also coil and soak your resin covered bandsaw blades the same way.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Adelong
    Doug does belt dressing cut pitch? I've always retensioned or replaced the offending belt, so I have no experience with it. Is it a cleaner, something that makes the belt tacky so that it won't slip, or a lubricant?
    Michael
    I think it's primarily for stopping the belt squeal that happens when they get a bit dry. It does something to rejuvenate the belt but dont ask me exactly how.
    Use the fence Luke

  9. #9
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    Hi Michael,

    Now that I better understand your situation I would suggest real turpentine. It is a natural solvent for pine resin (that's what it is refined from) and shouldn't harm the rubber tires.

  10. #10
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    I agree with jim .... good info and products


    BTW just out of curiosity is the pine you are cutting air dried or kiln dried?


    thanks
    lou
    Last edited by lou sansone; 11-14-2005 at 6:40 AM.

  11. #11
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    And before this happens again...

    Buy a cheap brush to keep your tires clean. Iturra designs sells one or Woodcraft has one. Or just take a cheap cleaning products brush from the grocery store with a wooden handle, cut it to size and superglue it to the saw so that the brush lightly presses on top of the wheel. I'm amazed that Delta and others can charge so much and not even have the decency to spend a quarter on something so simple. (end of rant).
    BTW, I also use Simple Green on the tire, maybe once a year.

  12. #12
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    John---I seem to remember way back in the days of analog audio casettes, the alcohol based tape head cleaner said to avoid getting it on the rubber rollers, as it would tend to damage them by drying them out. In light of this, I would hesitate to use DNA on the tires.

    Dan
    Eternity is an awfully long time, especially toward the end.

    -Woody Allen-

    Critiques on works posted are always welcome

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Forman
    John---I seem to remember way back in the days of analog audio casettes, the alcohol based tape head cleaner said to avoid getting it on the rubber rollers, as it would tend to damage them by drying them out. In light of this, I would hesitate to use DNA on the tires.

    Dan
    Yeah...I thought about that too Dan. But then I thought that my tires aren't rubber like the rollers that you're talking about. They seem to be more of an elastomeric nylon or something. But reading these responses, it sounds like the ticket is the Simple Green approach anyway. I'll be giving that a try in my next go-around. Thanks!
    ~john
    "There's nothing wrong with Quiet" ` Jeremiah Johnson

  14. #14
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    Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have both Simple Green and turpentine handy so I'll give them a try.

    As soon as I pick up a few nice blades, I'm going to get some oak or something to mess with. This pine also has a nasty habit of caking up on the lower guide rollers.

    Michael

  15. #15
    I was given some 100+ year old yellow heart pine. To use it most effectively it required a lot of resawing. It really makes a mess of the bandsaw, and gets pitch everywhere; blade, tires and guides. I have to shut things down fairly often and clean it all up. The result is a beautiful product, but what a pain. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can at least minimize the cleaning and downtime?

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