Replies

1. 
   oxmach | Feb 11, 2022 09:33am | #1

   I use “Off” brand oven cleaner and a tooth brush. Wear gloves and it works wonders on bits and blades.

2. 
   user-7630268 | Feb 11, 2022 09:38am | #2

   I use full full strength "Simple Green" to clean all of my cutting blades, chisels, gouges, and such. I found the produce by the gallon at Sherwin Williams stores.

3. 
   jim_hall | Feb 11, 2022 12:10pm | #3

   I've found spraying a little WD-40 on a paper towel and/or toothbrush right after use cleans them up for me. It also avoids getting any cleaner in the bearings. If you're going to soak them, I'd remove the bearings first.

1. 
   sparkyII | Feb 11, 2022 07:39pm | #4

   simple green! I use this on all saw blades and shaper/router bits. I use an old baking sheet for my cleaning needs, works great! the simple green is very reasonably priced.

4. 
   lordulrich | Feb 11, 2022 08:03pm | #5

   I haven't don't router bits but I use laundry detergent on my saw blades. About a tablespoon of dry detergent to 2cups water or so, let soak and brush with a soft (nylon) "wire" brush.

5. 
   ysu65 | Feb 12, 2022 07:50am | #6

   I use Purple Power from Auto Zone. Wet a small piece of paper towel with it, wrap towel around the bit and let it soak for a while. Brush off any sticky stuff that remains. I also use Simple Green for lots of cleaning work in the shop.

6. 
   revbob | Feb 20, 2022 10:43pm | #7

   There’s lots of options here. Liquid dishwasher soap.
   Liquid household laundry detergent. Special cleaners like mentioned above. I use “Crud Cutter” and a wire / nylon brush. Save the cleaner in a container and after it sets for a couple of days the residue will settle and you have saved the cleaning solution. WD 40 or mineral spirits will serve you well also. No need to go out and buy a special cleaner. Once finished cleaning, rinse completely in hot water and dry off thoroughly. All ready for use like new. Good luck.

7. 
   lat_axe | Feb 21, 2022 04:25am | #8

   As Jim-Hall above mentions, whatever you use to clean your router bits make sure you don't wash the grease or other lubricant out of any router bearings. It's very easy to do that with cleaning agents that degrease as well as "melting" the resins adhering to the bit from wood.

   If you do wash out bearing lubricant and don't replace it, the bearings will soon seize and rub against your future workpieces, giving burn marks and heating up the whole router bit so that it degrades much faster than it otherwise would.

   Personally I use stuff dedicated to cleaning wood-gunk & gurk from tooling (CMT orange stuff is very good, for example). It isn't expensive and a bottle will last years if brushed rather than sprayed on.

   Using a small artists brush to put the stuff on to the router bit or saw blade teeth means you can keep it away from bearings without having to remove them; and you use far, far less. Paint the gunk then rub it away when it's gone soft, after a couple of minutes.

   Repeat for the really hardened-on gunk - although it's best to de-gunk after every session with the bit, as you remove it to put it away, since it takes only a minute or two and the gunk is usually not so baked-on.

   You can do the same with saw-blades when they're still on the saw - but unplug the beast and put all the switches to "off" in case a gremlin plugs it in again when you're not looking. 80 tooth blades take a while, mind. But then, so does taking them off and giving them a bath in de-gunker. :-)

   Lataxe

8. 
   Rob_Sp | Feb 21, 2022 07:53am | #9

   WeinigUSA sells this for cleaning tools for the Moulder industry .
   https://tooling.weinigusa.com/product-p/xxx100380.htm

9. 
   curmudgeon | Feb 23, 2022 07:02pm | #10

   +1 for Simple Green. My go-to for all blade cleaning. Ditto the above for bearings. After a good rinse n drying, lube the bearings.