simple. It's used to reclaim as much oil as possible
when cleaning the saw.
I use a dust collector bag, which is made of felt
material and as anyone who has previously viewed
this page can see there have been a few modifications.
The derrick is tall enough to hang at least a 5' bag ...
this seems to hold all of the sludge from the saw at
the same, which cuts down on recycle time.
I've also redesigned the top so it can be used like a
wine press. You can't tell in the first picture, but I use
carpenter nails (double headed) to pin it with after it's
been twisted. Just drop them through predrilled holes.
need to be at least 3/16" to withstand the torque.
I've also added a second set of ropes ... you want
to grab it as low as you can before starting because
they will climb as you turn them. If you get them
too high the oil will travel out, rather than down
to the bucket. Just fasten the second set and release
the tension by twisting backwards. After untying,
drop the ends in the bucket and let the oil run off.
You should have the majority of it squeezed out
in the first 24 hours, but can expect it to still be
dripping for at least a week. Afterwards, dump the
mud and use a pressure washer to clean the filter
for the next go 'round. You can use them about
3 or 4 times before the material becomes too plugged
to filter well.
I have a concrete pad (12"x12"x6") with two steel
rods anchored to it. (14") I placed two pieces of PVC
over them and this is what I wash the socks on. You
need something solid to hold them in place and the
pad keeps it from falling over. The pipe holds the
sock open to let the mud fall out while washing.
Almag is all I use. Some other brands my friends use are: Chevron's "Base Oil", Shell's "Pella 21", Mobile's "Velocite", Standard's "RPM Flushing" & Arco's "Calube-S105". Check out Bulk Oil Co. in your area. I pay around $30
for a 5gal. bucket from a local Texaco dealer, so it's important to reclaim as much as possible.
I'd like to take a moment to share an experience I had when I first started out. The first cutting fluid I had was Diesel. It had a very strong odor, as my saw is in my shop. I switched to Mineral Oil, but it was expensive and messy
and didn't last more than a couple of weeks before I had to change it out. I
then used K-1 (kerosene) mixed with transmission fluid. A very serious mistake. I developed a slight cough, after about a week of cutting, that progressively got worse. After checking MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) on the chemicals I was mixing I discovered they were very incompatible. Before mixing anything,
check it out. The kerosene, which was used as a cutting oil and transmission fluid that was used as a flash inhibitor, when heated together from friction caused by cutting, created a hazardous gas. Everything in my shop was impregnated, including my closed display cases. When I went to rearrange my
points, I discovered shadows where the points used to be. Kind of made me
wonder about my lungs, too.
We are all cost minded and want to be productive - but not at the risk of our health. Every chemical on the market today has an MSDS sheet that can be obtained from the manufacturer by simply asking. Why take the risk?
