How to Clean Saw Blades

Learn how to clean saw blades! Clean blades improve the quality of your cuts, reduce corrosion, and keep your tools running at peak performance!

Learn how to clean saw blades! Clean blades improve the quality of your cuts, reduce corrosion, and keep your tools running at peak performance!

How to Clean Saw Blades

Clean saw blades reduce the chances of burning the edges of your workpiece and require less feed pressure. Sometimes DIYers mistake a blade that needs to be cleaned with a dull blade.

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A while back we looked at why you should wax your tools. In that post, I mentioned I bought a used tool from a high school shop teacher and he had given me a can of SC Johnson paste wax to maintain the tool just like he did. While I was researching the wax for the why you should wax your table saw post I stumbled on CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner which led me to do some research about cleaning saw blades.

Have you ever taken a close look at your saw blades? No? Go take a look at them now. Look at your table saw blade, your miter saw blade and your circular saw blade. And be sure to look closely. I’ll wait here until you get back.

Learn how to clean saw blades to remove pitch and resin that build up on saw blade teeth over time

Do you see all of that gunk? All of that caked on, baked on pitch and resin is not good for your saw blades. C’mon, look at those dirty blades! Don’t you ever clean those things? NO?! Don’t feel bad because I hadn’t either. Until now.

What Could Happen if You Don’t Clean Saw Blades?

While researching the CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner I found two excellent articles by Wood Magazine. In the first article Tool Review: Blade and Bit Cleaners Wood Magazine says a blade that needs to be cleaned requires “more feed pressure to make the cut” and can cause the edges of your workpiece to burn.

Wood Magazine goes on to say over time that residue “can corrode the blade” and perhaps most importantly “blades with excessive buildup are sometimes mistaken for dull.” Cleaning your saw blades is not only important, but it’s sooo easy. In the second Wood Magazine article Clean your Cutters they outline the quick process.

Saw Blade Cleaner

Many of the saw blade cleaners I researched were flammable. I bought the CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner because it’s non-toxic, biodegradable and non-flammable. It provides protection from rust and corrosion. Plus, it received a five-star performance rating from Wood Magazine. Not only that, but it did an amazing job removing all of that gunk from my saw blades!

How to Clean Saw Blades Video

Watch and learn how to clean saw blades in this quick video!

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How to Clean Saw Blades

Supplies

NOTE: Please use caution as saw blades are sharp!

Step 1. Remove the Blade from the Saw

Unplug the saw and remove the saw blade.

Related: How to Change Blade on Miter Saw

Step 2. Soak the Blade in Saw Blade Cleaner

The CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner is non-flammable but we still need to work in a well ventilated area. The CMT Formula 2050 saw blade cleaner is non-toxic, but we should protect our hands with gloves, our eyes with eye protection, and lungs with a respirator.

We’ll start by placing the saw blade in a container like an oil drain pan. Next, we’ll spray the saw blade with CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner and let it soak for 15 minutes.

Clean saw blades by spraying the blade with saw blade cleaner and allow to soak for 15 minutes

Step 3. Wash the Blade with Saw Blade Cleaner

Most of the pitch just wiped off of the saw blade with a rag.

Wiping off the saw blade cleaner

There were a few spots that were a little difficult to reach with the rag. For those spots, I used a nylon brush. Wood Magazine recommends using a nylon or brass brush. A steel brush could damage the blade.

The CMT Formula 2050 Blade and Bit Cleaner practically melted off the residue, so I didn’t feel like I needed anything more abrasive than the nylon brush. Remove any excess cleaner from the blade with a rag.

How to clean saw blades - use a nylon brush to remove any stubborn areas

Step 4. Reinstall the Blade

Reinstall the clean blade in your saw.

Saw blade teeth are shiny and appear like new after apply saw blade cleaner

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to clean saw blades! Clean saw blades to improve the quality of your cuts, reduce corrosion of your blades and keep your tools running at peak performance. Not only that, but it’s sooo easy to do!

Thank you for stopping by. If you found this information helpful, would you please pin it to Pinterest? Other DIYers would appreciate it and I would too! Thank you – Scott

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5 Comments

  1. Thanks for reminding me. I have the exact same CMT spray bottle sitting right here. For a minute there I saw this photo and thought maybe I could get away with cleaning it while still on the saw. But no, in the lower photo I see you’ve taken it right off and put it in the tray for cleaning/soaking. I’m lazy so I never get around to it.
    I used to have the Empire Manufacturing brand blade saver (cleaner), that stuff was amazing, worked so quickly, just a small amount on a rag was all you’d need. I heard it was developed by NASA, sadly the company disappeared by the time I went to buy more. Always the way these days 🙁
    The website was http://www.empiremfg.com
    I wonder if anyone owns the formula now and will eventually make a new product based on this same NASA formula? CMT should buy it or at least try to find out what was in it, worked so much better on router bits as well, I never removed them from the machine for cleaning, just wiped them down after with a wet rag then dry with paper towel and back to work. No soaking, no spraying, no fussing, Too easy!

  2. Have you ever used turpentine? Works for me & I always have some I use for cleaning. It seems safer than a lot of more volatile refined petroleum solvents. Cleaning & honing cutting tools it so very important.

    1. Hi Holland – Thank you for stopping by. Turpentine does clean well, but it is flammable. I prefer the cleaner I mentioned in this post because it’s non-flammable.

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