Sawmill Brushes

[Magicman]

Here is what I use around the mill.
 



 The top one is a car washing brush with the handle whacked off.  It cleans the mill and knocks the sawdust off of the radiator.

The third one just had a "cold stroke" and broke it's handle.  It had been with me for 9 years.  I haven't found a new one yet.   

Of course the bottom one cleans log ends, etc.
 
 


The second is a bathroom grout brush that cleans my LubeMizer nozzles.
 


This is it's home.

[Piston]

The third one just had a "cold stroke" and broke it's handle.  It had been with me for 9 years.  I haven't found a new one yet.   

I'm sorry to hear about your loss Magicman.

[isawlogs]

 Is that what you could not find the other day, I sure would of went into the paint department and got a paint brush.

[bugdust]

Magicman, Time to retire that "special brush" because that's beyond even Gorilla Glue, and that holds anything.

[Bibbyman]

Maybe getting rid of the handle just made it handier.  I've got just the head of a modern broom I use often.

I’ve just finished my coffee break,  I’ll take the camera out and get a picture of our collection.

[Chuck White]

I think that one of those brushes that some of us used to use when putting up wall-paper would be a good "mill brush"!

[Bibbyman]

I didn't fine the broom head.  It must be on temporary assignment somewhere else.

 



Here are four brushes we have around the mill.  The three boot brushes came for free when a cousin cleaned out his dad’s house and brought a bunch of junk down and put in our dumpster.  I retrieved these plus some other things – like a full roll of solder.  I use the old paint brush without handle to check a face for defects or width. 

 



Mary uses the black handle one on the edger infeed table to check for width.  She often has it hung in her back pocket.  The handles on the other two are designed different and can’t be hung like this one.

It never occurred to me to brush the sawdust off the mill.  We usually get a 20 mph+ wind about once a week that takes care of that.

[SwampDonkey]

I use a straw whisk broom around the planer, lathe and saws in the shop to remove sawdust and shavings.

[Magicman]

I forgot to add that the long "grout" brush is my sawdust chute cleaner outer tool.  Fresh SYP sawdust sticks like glue.

Yup, that broken handled paintbrush looking one was my favorite.  It mostly cleans the top of the battery box, that little hole.  The bristles are plastic and very coarse.

Bibby, since we really don't have much wind, I use a Stihl blower to actually clean the mill.

[Buck]

Magic, look at walmart, dollar store etc. That broken brush looks like one I have that came with a small dust pan in a set. A modern whisk broom.  The set snaps together. Possibly in auto dept.

[Magicman]

Buck, I'm familiar with that brush.  Matter of fact, I tried one.  The bristles are too light.  My bristles were very stiff.

[bugdust]

I tried the soft bristle brush too thinking it would be good getting into those tight places. I retired it from the mill and now use it sweeping off bees from the supers when robbing. I like the leaf blower, it does a good job as long as the saw dust stays dry. I tried convincing Wifey it was her job cleaning up the mill after I've slaved all day. Her was reply was something about "where the sun don't shine." 

[Magicman]

I will have to check this guy out.   Grainger has an air conditioner fin brush.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

Hey Bugdust good to see another bee man sawing logs use my bee brush on the mill more than the bees!

[woodmills1]

so, what kinda brush takes the grunge offin the edger rollers?

[paul case]

all this clean up talk make me think about bragging, but some of you already stole my thunder.

my bandmill is set up stationary and we get a lot of bark and sawdust built up under the mill. the first foot is not a problem but it will get built up high enough to be in the way of the clamps. i paid my son to ''scoop'' all that out once. took 3 hours. bark mixed with sawdust is impossible to ''scoop''. the next time i wanted to clean it out, he was nowhere to be found(not a dummie like me). so i tried my leaf blower out on it. it took quite a bit of time but it worked easier than the shovel. i just knocked about 12'' of the bark/sawdust out. that keeps me working for a while and is much less hand labor.

my experience with leaf blowers is that if in an enclosed area and lots of fine dust, electric leaf blowers are better. the dust will quickly plug up the engine on a gas powered one. we used to have to blow fans and heaters off on the chicken houses before each new flock came in. pc

[ljmathias]

I don't brush mine down like MM but I have learned to take a FEL load every other load I move- one of lumber and one of sawdust/bark in the bottom with slabs on top.  This keeps my stationary site more or less clean.  I've gone the route of letting it build up till it was REAL work to clean out- never again; I'd rather do a little bit now and then and stay ahead of it all...

Of course, we all work differently...

Lj

[Magicman]

With "bark slipping" logs, the bark gets removed before the log hits the mill.  This reduces the amount of underside buildup.
 


Bark still on the logs.
 


Bark removed before loading it onto the mill.

Since I'm portable, I'm gone before the sawdust builds up enough to cause a problem.   

[Chuck White]

With "bark slipping" logs, the bark gets removed before the log hits the mill.  This reduces the amount of underside buildup.
 Since I'm portable, I'm gone before the sawdust builds up enough to cause a problem.   

That's one of the nice things about sawing mobile! 

[backwoods sawyer]

Even sawing mobile all the time. There are times that it builds up quick. Like when sawing western red cedar that sheds bark thru out the milling process and redwood that the bark crumbles off. When it is wet out the leaf blowers leave a bit to be desired. A good stiff brush can be handy but just using your gloved hand will clean a mill plenty fast. But compressed air with a long wand is the way to go.