Circular saw blades often get dirty and greasy. If you don’t clean up the blade in time, its efficiency will be reduced, and it will create disturbance because of the dullness while working. But cleaning a blade is a difficult process too. But do not worry about that! This article will simply discuss how you can clean circular saw blades easily at home.
Things Needed
- Cleaning solution: You need a non-toxic cleaning solution. Choose the most convenient for you.
- Aluminum container: an aluminum container or tray where you will clean the blade.
- Scraper/bristle brush: a plastic scraper or a soft bristle brush to clean the dirt.
- Brass brush: brass wire brush or steel wool is also needed.
- Towel: a paper towel or piece of cloth to wipe the blade.
- Dryer: A dryer can make your blade dry quickly. However, it’s optional to have.
- Silicone spray: Silicon spray is recommended but not mandatory.
Removing the Circular Saw Blade
It does not matter if its an expensive or a budget circular saw under 50 dollars, the first step is to remove the circular saw blade. It is not a difficult task. The blade can be removed in the following manner. To begin, disconnect the saw from its power source; this is something you should do before touching the blade. Then there’s the spindle lock button next to the blade guard. To engage the blade with the nut, press the button and keep moving the blade until it feels engaging. Now, loosen the nut with a wrench. If the blade is on the right side, turn the nut counterclockwise; turn the nut clockwise if the blade is on the left side. Pull the blade guard above the blade and remove the blade once the bolt has been removed from your saw.
Process to Clean Circular Saw Blades
There are various methods you can use to clean the blade. For instance; If you do not have any special blade cleaning chemicals or if you don’t want to spend some extra bucks on this, you can clean up your blade with detergent or liquid soap. In this method, the blade should be soaked in detergent mixed with warm water for 30 minutes. Then the blade is cleaned with a soft bristle brush and a brass brush. Another method is cleaning your blade with oven cleaner. Although this method can clean your blade instantly, you cannot consider it as a long-term solution. It will harm your blade if this oven-cleaner method is used multiple times.
But in today’s discussion, I will explain how you can clean your circular saw blade with the help of cleaning solutions and other blade cleaning chemicals. This method is the most effective one and helps to keep the quality of your blade. So, without any further due, let me describe this method step by step.
Step 01: Mix the solution with water
The first thing you need to do is prepare the water and solution for your blade. Firstly, pour water and solution into the aluminum container. The ideal mixing water and solution ratio is three-part water with one part of the solution. Meaning if you pour three cups of water, you will have to mix one cup of solution with that. The amount will increase at the same rate. But there’s no exact amount of water or solution that you should pour into. Just prepare it according to your blade size, thickness, and container size.
Step 02: Drench the blade
The second step is to put your blade into the container or tray where you prepared the solution earlier and then soak it properly. Ideally, the blade should be kept drenched under the prepared solution for ten minutes. But you can increase the time if you feel the blade is too much dirt or the dirt is a little bit greasy, which will take some time to be isolated. You can use Luke warm water if the blade has too much greasy dirt in its teeth. Then keep it for a longer period, at least more than thirty minutes.
Step 03: Remove the dirt
After keeping the blade drenched for some time, the dirt will be isolated from the blade. Now it is time to isolate them properly and clean the blade with brushes. As we discussed before, you need two different brushes for two different purposes. Firstly, you need to use a soft bristle brush. This brush is basically for cleaning the basic dirt like dust, wood grains, etc., from your blade. Use the brush to scrub all parts of the blade. You do not have to put pressure while doing this task. Firmly scrub around all the parts, including the teeth. A plastic scraper can also do the job pretty amazingly. You can also use your hand or a piece of clothing if you fail to manage a soft bristle brush or a plastic scraper. In that case, avoid the teeth area of the blade. Even if they look dull, they can easily penetrate your hand. You must wear gloves if you are using a piece of cloth to clean the blade. Because even if the solution says it does not contain any harmful chemicals, it can damage your skin if exposed to these chemicals for a long time.
Now that you have cleaned the basic dirt from your blade, it is time to remove the greasy and sticky dirt from your blade. These kins of dirt are usually seen to be adhered to the teeth area because of the structure. Now use the brass wire brush to clean this dirt. It would be best if you cleaned a little bit harshly this time. Use one of your hands to hold the blade and use the other one to use the brush. Also, remember to avoid the teeth area or to hold it. Scrubbing the blade for 3-4 minutes is good enough to remove all the dirt permanently. You can also use steel wool if you do not have a wire brush.
Step 04: Clean the blade with normal water
After removing the dirt and greasy ingredients from your blade, they will be mixed with the water and make it dirty too. So now you have to clean the blade with clean water for a shiny look. Before changing the water, swash around the dirty water a few times so that the firmly adhered dirt is removed from the blade. Then put out the dirty water and pour normal clean water into the bowl. Swash around a few times and use your hand to clean the blade properly.
Step 05: make the blade dry
So, your blade is now fully clean. Please take out the blade from the aluminum tray and put it on a piece of cloth or towel. Now make it dry if you have a dryer at home. If you don’t have a dryer, do not worry! You can wipe out the water with a paper towel or a piece of cloth. Rub all parts of the blade and make sure it’s completely dry and there’s no water in it.
Step 06: give it a coat (optional)
So basically, your blade is now completely clean and shiny. But there’s something more you can do to the blade to reduce the accumulation of tars, resins, and rust on the carbide teeth. Spray all blade parts with a silicone spray and give it a coat. It will help the blade to last longer and get less dirty. Remember, this part is completely optional, and you can avoid it if you want less hassle.
Step 07: reinstall the blade into your saw
After completing all of the steps above, your blade will be clean, sharp, and shiny like a diamond. The final step is to reinstall the blade into the saw. To do that, make sure the power cord of the blade is detached. Then insert the blade on the arbor. Here you need to keep the blade teeth in the direction it rotates. If you are unsure about it, look at the arrow sign in the blade guard. Also, take help from the saw’s manual guide. So yeah! You have completed the whole process!
Caution
- Do not ever touch the blade or while the saw is connected to any source of power
- Use hand gloves during the whole process to avoid all kinds of risk
- Purchase chemicals that have no harmful ingredients
- Do not put overpressure while cleaning the teeth with a wire brush. Otherwise, it might lose sharpness.
- Always use the manual if you are unsure about anything.
Conclusion
There are multiple methods you can follow to clean circular saw blades. But the one I discussed is the most effective and acceptable one. Follow this guideline step by step and make your blade shine and be sharp like a diamond. If you are ever confused about anything, don’t forget to come back to this article!