Cleaning is as important as maintaining (tuning up etc.) miter saws, because power tools work best when they ‘look and feel’ their best. Practically speaking, you extend the life of your miter saw as well as ensure long lasting efficiency and results with a miter that has been maintained well over the course of time. Most miter saw owners love their machine as much as they do their car, pet, or classic memorabilia.
Cleaning Miter Saws – Basics Method Overview
- Begin the cleaning process with a de-debris method. As the name itself suggests, you are going to remove any and all debris from the saw with the help of compressed air. Pay special attention to moving parts and smaller pieces on the saw. These are where straggling particles most often set up shop.
- Once all jobsite debris and the obvious sawdust have been removed, you will need to take a clean dry rag and start wiping the machine down. Remaining debris and those that the compressed air blower could not get rid off can be swiped off the miter saw with ease.
- You next move to buffing the saw’s fences and cutting table. A Scotch-Brite pad (a dry white one will be more useful than any colored versions; you can get one from grocery stores or hardware shops) and some easy fluid motions will help buff your machine and render it shiny.
- The metal surfaces now take on a fresh look. You will need to be a bit rough with areas that prove troublesome. You can use cutting-oil on cutting surfaces to help buff those sharp regions up. Be safe and wear tough gloves as you work.
- Rely on the almighty powers of an electric hand polisher to add remarkable shine to all parts of your miter saw.
Cleanliness is an absolute necessity for preventative maintenance with miter saws. Now that that’s out of the way, shift your attention to the moving parts positioned on the saw’s exterior.
- Get an apt lubricant – air/pneumatic tool oil or turbine oil are great choices – and apply a few drops to lube the hinges on the saw’s back (this is the hinge that lifts the blade).
- Apply a few drops also to the miter and bevel meters, the safety guard, and other moving parts of the miter saw.
- Lubrication helps enhance not just the machine’s lifespan but its performance and efficiency as well. It continues the legacy of cleanliness you imparted earlier by deterring the accumulation of debris, saw dust, and other build-ups.
We next arrive at blade cleaning, which needs special mention not to forget priority safety measures before you start cleaning. With the brunt of your project work resting on the blades, the least they deserve is a good cleaning every now and again.
- Get a soft wire brush, dip it in some standard toilet bowl cleaner, and take it to the blade; note… you do not need to dilute this solution.
- Pitch, oil, grease, and other build-ups need to go especially where the saw blade’s teeth are concerned.
- There are of course specialty blade cleaners, but they are a tad more expensive.
- Let the blade dry completely before you start cleaning, wiping, buffing, and/or polishing.
Maintaining Miter Saws – Basic Method Overview
Power cord, brushes, the saw’s kerf board(s), etc. all need focusing; kerf is essentially the blade’s cutting width. Before you begin maintenance in earnest, use simple observation and a strong flashlight or table light to check for chipping, breakage, cracks, brake strangulation, brush crumbling, power cord cuts, and so on.
- You can save yourself time by shortlisting your trouble-zones this way. It will even help you replace parts and components faster. Get to a legit service center for authorized repair work.
- Of the problem-points mentioned above, a damaged power cord is the number one most dangerous. Not only can it cause severe injury, electrical malfunctions could even result in death. Be very careful when it comes to working with miter saws. They have to be in spotless shape.
Types of Cleaning Products To Choose
Whether you prefer household oven cleaners or mineral spirits to help clean your miter saw, especially the blade, bear in mind that they each have diverse degrees of effectiveness when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. It all depends on how severe the reside build-up is.
- Specially formulated fluids for blade cleaning are indeed available, and not all of them are expensive. You still get quality-cleaning fluids at reasonable prices.
- Some intense scrubbing with a nylon pad using household pine-based cleaners has shown to yield remarkable results.
- As long as you secure yourself and the environment when working with flammable fluids, kerosense can be a good cleaner liquid for blades. Get a vented container, soak the blade in some kerosene, leave it in a secure spot overnight, and scrub away the next morning.
- A concentrate of Simple Green (household cleaner) has proven to be highly effective as well.
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