Hello: I have a band saw blade that I’ve never used(it came with saw) that has gotten a bit rusty. Is it now useless or what do I do to get it into useable shape? I was thinking I’d run it with the edge guides backed off and slowly cut some scrap wood to get rid of some of the rust, is this a dumb idea? It is only a 1/4″ blade so if it is toast it is not a big loss.
Thanks, KDM
“… if people did not die so untidily, most men, and all women, would commit at least one murder in their lives.” R. Kipling
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The rust can certiantly contaminate you work. I would use steel wool the clean it up. Then I would run some scrap through it. And then I wouldn't worry. I cant thing of a senario where I would not be putting the lumber through more manchining later anyway.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Thanks, Mike KDM"... if people did not die so untidily, most men, and all women, would commit at least one murder in their lives." R. Kipling
Why don't you try taking most of the rust off with synthetic steel wool, by hand, by sliding the blade in a backwards motion throught the synthetic steel wool held in your other hand? Then lubricate the entire thing with WD40, let it sit a bit, then wipe it clean prior to putting it on your saw.
Okay everyone else, you don't need to write and tell me about all of the other products that are better than WD 40, or why it is the wrong thing to use. I've used the other products. WD40 will be fine for this.
Hal
http://www.rivercitywoodworks.com
Ken, fire her up, then get ahold of one of those abrasive sponge blocks and carefully position it on first one side then the other, coming in from the back edgeand stopping short of the teeth ofcourse.
But cleaning it may be a waste of time if the rust has attacked the tooth tips.
Unless it was actually an aftermarket blade, the ones that come with bandsaws are really there only to keep the wheels in place during shipping. In the other threads on bandsaws, I don't remember anyone using the one that came with their saw with good results. Also, running it through some scrap wood won't get rid of much rust since the teeth on bandsaw blades have set and the toothed edge is wider than the rest of the blade. I wouldn't back the guides off much- that would allow the blade to twist and could cause problems.
Thanks all: I think I'll see if I can read the name on the blade and if it is not a quality blade I'll just toss it. Sounds like it is not worth too much effort unless it is decent quality. I has never been installed so it is not, as someone said, just there for shipping purposes. KDM"... if people did not die so untidily, most men, and all women, would commit at least one murder in their lives." R. Kipling
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