Saw Cleaning

[WI_Hedgehog]

If you think about it, a dishwasher is like an automated heated parts washer; the soap is made for cutting through heavy grease and stuck-on particles.

 

[Philbert]

Dishwasher detergent is usually caustic, and might be hard on some aluminum parts. Heated dry could damage some plastics.

But, a lot of guys have reported using them for saws, here on A.S. Maybe experiment with different detergents on some cheap / ‘dead’ saw parts, along with cycle times?

I would certainly consider making room for one, if building out a new shop.

I used an old Crock Pot as a heated parts cleaner, for bicycle parts, for a while. Before I started using ‘Super Clean’. The heat helped when using certain brands of water-based parts cleaning solutions (without sodium hydroxide).

Good to have different options!

Philbert

 

[alanbaker]

It helps to also have a range of poking / scraping / cleaning / reach tools. I have an eclectic collection that I use for cleaning lots of different things: chainsaws, bicycles, garage sale tools, etc.

Among my special ‘tools’ are: toothpicks, wooden shish-kabob skewers, long plastic bristles scavenged from rotary sidewalk snow brushes, dental tools, sharpened popsicle sticks, plastic putty knife, ‘Q’-tips, pipe cleaners, old toothbrushes, a variety of small bottle brushes (including baby bottle nipple brushes), straightened paper clips, small hemostats, etc.

Also, small bottles and mesh strainers for soaking small parts.
,
Philbert

Just pulled a small box of dental tools out of our dump, I mean transfer station, scrap metal dumpster. There were more, but I would have had climb in and they frown on that. My favorite place to shop!

 

[Philbert]

Well, chainsaws have ‘teeth’!

Philbert

 

[cookies]

Wait, you guys have been cleaning your saws?
nothing water based unless being torn down, a easily removed cover or a washable filter , compressed air is whats used to maintain cleanliness but a spritz of diesel/kerosene/mineral spirits/paint thinner then compressed air would help remove sap/hardened oil

 

[Philbert]

but a spritz of diesel/kerosene/mineral spirits/paint thinner then compressed air would help remove sap/hardened oil

. . . especially, if you light it!

Philbert

 

[LarJea]

I have been using Turtle wax bug and tar remover on my saws, mainly because that's what I had around... Works great.

 

[oldbuzzard]

Lot of good info here, I picked up some ideas. I would only add that for cleaning sap off your saw denatured alcohol works great and for getting it off my clothes I use peanut butter!

 

[Robert K Meyer]

Denatured alcohol, miracle cleaner.

 

[bthompson224]

Pros in the bush usually don't have access to a compressor and wouldn't waste their time with soap..they don't care what their saws look like. They only care that they run good.

Kinda where I was going. I was more concerned about the effects rather than the looks.

 

[Hman1024]

Exactly, I should have included the pretext that any intense cleaning is only happening if saw is getting torn down. Otherwise, compressed air and air cleaner cleaning is what happens normally.