Miter Saw BladeMiter saw blades often get coated with pitch, sap, and other wood by-products of the cutting process. Leaving it on the blade can create excessive friction and can lead to quick blade wear. Follow this simple blade cleaning process to ensure the health of your blade.

  • Unplug your saw and open the top to expose your blade. You can remove it if you like, but that can add a lot of unnecessary steps to the process.
  • Scrape the exposed area of the blade with a plastic scraper to break away dirt, gunk, and stains.
  • Carefully pull the blade down to expose new sections. Make sure to wear heavy gloves while pulling the blade.
  • Continue to scrape new sections of the blade until you’ve broken the gunk away from the full blade length.
  • Fill a gallon bucket with water and two teaspoons of liquid dish washing soap.
  • Soak a rag or sponge in the soap and use it to wash the surface of the blade.
  • Rinse the blade with soap-free water. Make sure to soak up any dripping water from the saw electronics.
  • Hand-dry the blade with paper or cloth towels. Completely dry the saw if necessary. Let it air dry for several hours before plugging in and using.

If your blade is much more heavily stained, you may also use kerosene to clean the blade. You will definitely need to remove your blade if you decide to use this volatile method. Simply let the blade soak overnight in kerosene, rinse in water, and scrub to remove those heavy stains.

It should take no more than half an hour to an hour to clean your blades with this once-a-week process. However, if your blades start getting excessively worn, it may be time to replace them.