Replies

1. 
   SawdustSteve | Dec 18, 2002 06:53am | #1

   Hi Ecomma.....   Go to a GOOD bicycle shop.  They have several dedicated cleaners and lubricants for bike chains.  They work on all sorts of mountain bikes that get covered, coated and bathed in all sorts of grime.   The lubes they use do not gum up with this dirt and should not gum up with sawdust / pitch / crud produced by the saw blade.

   SawdustSteve 

2. 
   forestgirl | Dec 18, 2002 07:17am | #2

   I use white lithium grease for lubing (available in auto parts stores.  Note though: get the can of grease, not the spray-on stuff).

   If memory serves, I used spray-on brake cleaner to clean the gears.  Figured if it's ok for brake drums and rotors, it's OK for the saw.  Seems so far, I was right.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   ecomma | Dec 20, 2002 08:28pm | #5

   Thanks, the brake cleaner worked like a charm with the help of a small wire brush.

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 20, 2002 11:59pm | #6

   Great!  Happy Holidays...forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   danwolfram | Dec 23, 2002 10:09pm | #9

   Be very careful with brake cleaner. Typical brake cleaners contain tetrachloroethane (commonly referred to as PCE, dry cleaning fluid).  Chlorinated solvents like PCE are dangerous to inhale and can contaminate groundwater if disposed of improperly.  Use with good ventilation and allow waste solvent to evaporate safely outside (in a container like a coffee can).  Next time you may want to try a citrus based cleaner like Simple Green.  You have to work a little harder with a scrub brush but if you can avoid chlorinated solvents the extra work is worth it, plus it smells nice.  Dan in Connecticut

3. 
   RW | Dec 18, 2002 09:39am | #3

   If you can get within aerosol reach, carb cleaner seems to eat just about everything. The armory guys didn't like us too well, but we used to keep cans of it around, some even in the ruck, and sprayed or M-16's, 60's etc down with it. I've used it on older guns (ever buy something soaking for 20 years in cosmoline?) and it chews through that too. Cost ya about $2.

   " You are young, my son, and as the years go by time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters." - Plato

4. 
   HowardAcheson | Dec 18, 2002 10:05pm | #4

   You may have to resort to some more aggressive means but try this first. The machine maintenance guy at the shop I used to be involved with used paste wax applied with an old tooth brush for the heli gears used for raising/lowering and tilting the blade. Just load the toothbrush with some wax and brush back and forth on the gears teeth rotating the gears to get to all the parts. The wax will actually dissolve old lubricant and put down a fresh layer of wax. Wax makes an excellent, non-dust attracting lubricant for these gears. I later saw an article by Kelly Mahler or Mark Duginske and he used paste wax for these gears also.

   If the above doesn't do the job, use some type of grease dissolving spray then, once cleaned, apply the wax. Once a year re-waxing will keep you saw working smoothly.

1. 
   MikeK50 | Dec 23, 2002 02:04am | #7

   Howie,

   I agree with using paste wax.

   For the folks using carb cleaner, brake cleaner and other strong chemicals, you need to be careful not to get it anywhere that you don;t want it... like bearings.  I WOULD NOT use this stuff unless I had the gears removed from the machine, which is too much work just to clean them.

   Also, white lithium grease or most other greases will attract saw dust, which is why you have this mess.

   Mike 

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Dec 23, 2002 09:23pm | #8

   You're right Mike.....