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What’s everyone using these days to soak resin-laden saw blades?

soft.mike31

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Joined
Oct 15, 2025
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6
I spent part of the weekend doing some overdue shop cleanup and pulled out a few of my table saw and miter saw blades that have gotten absolutely caked with resin. They’ve seen plenty of pine and a fair bit of MDF, and now they’re at the point where a quick wipe down isn’t cutting it anymore....literally.
Back in the day, I used to just soak them in a shallow pan with a bit of household cleaner, let it sit, then scrub with a brass brush. But I’ve been out of the loop for a while, and I’m curious what everyone’s using now
 
Resin build-up is the worst for performance!
I switched a few years ago to Simple Green Pro HD, diluted about 1:1 with warm water in a shallow tote.
It’s non-toxic and surprisingly effective at dissolving that heavy pine and MDF gunk without being harsh on the carbide tips.
Soak them for about an hour, maybe two for the really bad ones, then follow up with a soft plastic bristle brush.
Skip the brass if you can to avoid scratching the blade plate, and wipe dry immediately after rinsing to prevent any flash rust!
If you want a dedicated product, CMT Blade & Bit Cleaner or Kraken's Blade Cleaner get a lot of praise, but Simple Green is usually cheaper and just as good!
 
I spent part of the weekend doing some overdue shop cleanup and pulled out a few of my table saw and miter saw blades that have gotten absolutely caked with resin. They’ve seen plenty of pine and a fair bit of MDF, and now they’re at the point where a quick wipe down isn’t cutting it anymore....literally.
Back in the day, I used to just soak them in a shallow pan with a bit of household cleaner, let it sit, then scrub with a brass brush. But I’ve been out of the loop for a while, and I’m curious what everyone’s using now
you know, if you want the cheapest route that's still highly effective, skip the household cleaner and go straight for oven cleaner or heavy duty degreaser (like Simple Green or an automotive engine degreaser).
Lay the blade flat on cardboard. Spray generously with the degreaser (or oven cleaner). Let it soak for 15 minutes. The pitch will turn into a dark sludge and wipe right off. goodluck!
 
Appreciate the suggestions all and I see simple green keeps coming up so I'll probably get some of that instead of whatever random cleaner I was using before. I haven't really been active and do the clean up towards the festive when work eases up and I think I'd add this simple green to my black friday cart haha
Thanks for the help!
 
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