How to Clean a Saw Blade - 4 Easy Steps

The Secret of long life for your power tools is to have clean sharp edges. Dirty blades and bits will increase friction and cause the tool (and motor) to work harder. Learning how to clean a saw blade to help increase cutting power, reduce tear-out and make the tool easier to control.

As you use you saw, cutting through Oak, Maple, Cherry, Plywood, OSB (oriented strand board), MDF (medium density fiberboard), etc., bits of material, sap/resin, and glue will stick to your blade and both discolor and gum it, and reduce its cutting efficiency and capability. It will seem like the blade is getting dull. Odds are that you are using a carbide blade and it just needs to be cleaned.

So, read on and I’ll provide some tips and tricks to make this safe task and effective and to help you avoid cutting yourself or exposing your family to harsh chemicals.

I’ve provided links below for tools and materials for you to explore.

And follow this link to my Video to see how it is done. VIDEO LINK

Tools You Will Need

Let’s begin with the tools you need. First is blade cleaning solution – more on that later. Second a shallow container or mat to work on. And third, a stiff brush. I like a brass brush as it won’t damage either Carbide or High Speed Steel. Lets’ look at the details

Toothbrush

You really should snag all the old toothbrushes for your shop. They can be used in a multitude of ways before you finally have to pitch them out. A toothbrush is a cost effective choice for cleaning saw blades because it is generally stiff enough to remove most of the gunk, and it’s not abrasive to the point that it scratches or damages any coatings.

TOOL TIP: I’d suggest you cut about 1/3 off the length of the bristles to stiffen it up though. It will work faster at getting the gunk off the blade.

Wire Brushes

Though a toothbrush will work, you might need a stiffer brush if you have a really dirty blade. Ok, let’s face it, you’re going to need a small wire brush. I always use a brass wire brush and sometimes a steel wire brush. These will cut your time and effort easily in half. Here is a complete package of small brushes and picks that will work with any blade and bit you have.

By the way brass is softer than High Speed Steel and far softer than Carbide so you can’t hurt the metal or teeth or ceramic coat. It may scratch the paint or Teflon surface on some blades so you may want to use a nylon brush on the sides of those blades.

Best Containers for Cleaning Saw Blades

Well, for the longest time I simply used a piece of carboard. Yeah, it gets wet and warps, but it dries, and I can pitch it when it used up. I did move up to a 5Gal Bucket lid.

Five gallon bucket. There are those that have decided that batch cleaning is the way to go. Stack all your blade in a 5Gal bucket to soak then scrub them all. This is not me. I would probably end up leaving them in the bucket for a week or so and forget about them. Though this may be your preferred method if you have multiple sizes, and they all need to be cleaned at the same time.
Five gallon bucket lid. This is my preferred method. The lid of the 5Gal bucket is cheap and easy to find and buy. And it is the perfect diameter and depth for soaking and cleaning a single saw blade at a time.

Silicone Cleaning Tray. You can also buy a specialty tray that provides you with the perfect place to clean your saw blade. This one has side walls conveniently raises upward to make sure that you don’t make a mess while cleaning.

Best cleaning products for saw blades

You don’t really need a specialty cleaner but in my estimation, it really helps cut the time needed to clean your blades. But, several of these may be already in your kitchen sink or on the laundry room.

Bit and blade cleaner. There are several commercial blade cleaner products out there, all specially formulated for tool cleaning. I use Boeshield Blade and Bit cleaner and love it. It comes in a spray bottle, so it’s easy to apply to saws and router bits without having to soak them. This is a BIG savings. But CMT, Rockler, and Trend all have similar products. All of which are safe and easy to use.

Simple Green. Many standard household cleaners/degreasers also work to some degree for cleaning saw blades, but they usually take a bit more elbow grease. The nice thing about Simple Green is that it is easily available and is probably already in your kitchen. And it is environmentally friendly.
Tide Laundry Detergent. Laundry detergent is a secret saw blade cleaners. Just add water to a few drops of detergent and let the blades soak. Then give the teeth a quick brush. Detergents have strong grease busters that will work on wood sap and resins to break them down.

TOOL TIP: Thoughts about oven cleaners. DON’T USE OVEN CLEANER. It is caustic, TOXIC, and can severely injure your eyes, skin and lungs. It is not environmentally friendly in any way. And it will etch, erode , and could weaken the braze material holding the carbide teeth. Personally, I don’t want a saw tooth to come winging off at me at 90mph while I’m working. Safety glass won’t help much if it does. So, I’ll stick with gentle cleaning products that work just as well. Besides, if your blade is so dirty that you have to use oven cleaner you really need to start doing regular maintenance on your tools.

TOOL TIP: Be sure to read and follow all safety directions and wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

Four Steps to Getting Your Blades Clean

Step 1 Brush Away the Big Stuff

Before I spray my blade to begin soaking, I use the brass brush to remove any big loose chunks. There’s no reason to have loose bits getting in the way of the sprayed-on cleaning solution when you can simply brush it off.

Step 2 Spray & Soak

I use Boeshield Blade and Bit cleaner which comes in a pump spry bottle ready to use i a few spritzes and you’re done. If you are using Tide or other laundry soap you will need to mix it with water. The ratio is generally 1/4 teaspoon to a cup of water. You may need to bump it up if your blade is really dirty. Next drop you blade on/into your cleaning container. As I said, I used a piece of cardboard for years so don’t let not having special tools prevent you from cleaning your blades. My new process is to use a bucket lid. Spray both sides or pour in enough cleaner to just cover the blade. You will need to let it soak for 10-20 minutes depending on how much crud is on your blade. For me, I usually run the brass brush over it at about 10 minutes, spray again and flip it over. Then wait for another 10 minutes. That quick brush at the halfway point will loosen anything that is already softened.

Step 3 Brush & Scrub

After about 20 minutes it is time to brush and scrub the blade.

TOOL TIP: USE SAFETY GLASSES. Scrubbing will send bits and drops of material and chemicals everywhere. Protect your eyes!!

Use your brush and scrub each tooth including the gullet (round spot below the tooth). Pay particular attention to the sides and back of each tooth where it is brazed to the disk. Material will build up there if you don’t clean it. As you are scrubbing spray a little more cleaner on the area. Be sure you have cleaned out all of the vibration damping slots. This complete package of small brushes and picks has dental picks you can use for that purpose.

Step 4 Rinse & Dry

Now rinse the blade off with water and closely inspect it for dirt and crud you may have missed. If you did, you may have to spot treat and brush again. While you are inspecting for dirt, look at each tooth. Check for any teeth that are missing, chipped, or twisted out of alignment. Use a Sharpie to mark bad teeth. Teeth can be repaired or replaced for a nominal price when you send it in for sharpening. Once you completed the rinse and inspection, thoroughly dry the blade. You can add a moisture barrier lubricant at this point too if you plan on storing or shipping the blade. I recommend BOESHIELD T-9 Rust & Corrosion Lubricant. It will keep your blade in top shape while stored.

Regular Saw Blade Maintenance

Now that your saw blade has been cleaned and inspected you only need to do occasional maintenance. First, inspect the teeth every time you swap blades. Then, depending on how much you use the blade you should do a cleaning every 30 to 90 days. Doing so will make it a lot easier to clean and will generally remove the tear out and burn marks. Again, depending on how busy you are you should consider having your blade sharpened every 2 -3 years. A quick check on how sharp your blade is – drag your thumb nail across the tooth as if the tooth were cutting your thumbnail. Your nail should be catching, and you should peal off a tiny sliver of nail. If not, you need to consider sending it out to a sharpening service.

A few closing observations. As hobbyist woodworkers, small makers, and crafters, we tend to forget about tool maintenance because we are not “doing it” every day. But our tools do grow dull, bits and teeth chip, cords kink, batteries die, and motors burnout. We can prevent some of that and extend tool life by completing some simple preventive maintenance. I know this is hard because we want to jump out and just build but commit 30 minutes every week or two towards general tool maintenance and repair. After a while, you will see a big difference in how quickly you complete your projects.