Q.
I have trouble with sawdust buildup in the discharge chute of my Woodmizer when sawing ponderosa pine. What can I do to correct this problem?
A.
Here is the problem: When sawing, you heat the sawdust, which causes some of the resin (sap) to soften and become sticky. As the sawdust and resin cool, they get hard. Your hot, sticky sawdust sticks to the sides of the chute, then cools and gets hard.
If you can remove the chute for cleaning, apply some heat to soften the resin (watching for fire risks, of course). Clean the chute very thoroughly (turpentine might help, but watch the fire risks) and then apply some non-stick coating (wax, teflon spray, etc.) to prevent future build-up.
Watch the fire risks when doing the cleaning please!!
Gene Wengert, forum moderator
