By Wood-Mizer, Canada
March 8, 2023
Storing sawmill blades correctly is important because mishandling your blades can lead to potential blade damage and negatively impact your overall sawing performance. Here are a few tips and recommendations on how to best store your sawmill blades so they are ready to saw when you are.
• Store sawmill blades in a clean, dry place.
• You can also use a permanent marker to write onto the sawmill blade, the date that it had been used, the style of blade, and how much life is left in the blade.
• Make sure your blade is secure and won’t come undone by tying it together with a piece of wire or twine.
• Do not stack sawmill blades directly against each other or throw them together, as this can dull the blade tips or change the tooth set.
• Stack two sawmill blades back-to-back, using dividers between each set of blades to prevent the teeth from making contact with each other.
• If you’ll be storing sawmill blades for longer periods of time, make sure the blades are dry and coat them with lubricant before storing.
• After storing blades for longer periods of time, you may see surface rust appear on sawmill blades. You do not need to remove surface rust before sawing. Surface rust does not generally affect sawing performance and will be removed from the blade as soon as you begin sawing due to the blade lubrication and moisture in the wood. However, before setting and sharpening sawmill blades, try to remove any surface rust with lubrication such as WD40, silicon, or brake cleaner and wipe off with a rag or bristle pad. It is not recommended to soak blades in diesel, kerosene, or environmentally unfriendly chemicals.