Polishing cast iron saw top - marks go away? Wasting time?

[Patrick Irish]

I bought a used Sawstop and used Italian laguna. Both have lots of cast iron. My Sawstop I use as a glue table and it got bad. I scraped off the glue and used a burgundy scotch pad. Smooth like glass but the spots bother me. I tried down to 220g paper sanding disc that did nothing with a random orbital. I was sanding with wd40 and pb blaster.

Tomorrow actual silicon wet dry sanding discs come. Will these spots come out? I know if I just paste wax it will be smooth and functional. Part of me would like a uniform (minus big scratches) finish.

[Doug Garson]

Why are you putting so much effort into removing these marks? You say they are smooth like glass so they won't be affecting the performance of the saw. Learn to ignore them and get back to making stuff. My 2 cents worth.

[Bradley Gray]

Get some boards and cut them up. That will fix it.

[John Kananis]

The top of my unisaw looks like a battle was fought there. It's smooth and silky though is all that matters. Those stains are not worth the effort to remove imho.

[roger wiegand]

Enough effort and you will ensure that your top isn't flat anymore. I'd stop while you are ahead.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with the others, it isn't important to the function. Sanding the top can lead problems with flatness.

[Prashun Patel]

I've removed stains without affecting flatness by using fine sandpaper (600+) or steel wool and mineral spirits or wd40.

However, beware that these will introduce their own swirls (they do not affect the flatness), so you trade one imperfection for another.

You can eliminate those swirls with higher and higher grits of sandpaper but that has been above my level of commitment.

[Bob Jones 5443]

All I care about is how my Unisaw’s table looks from across the room when reflecting light from a window behind it. Glossy, slippery, and smooth. I don’t fret about the age spots on it, or on my hands, for that matter.

[Richard Verwoest]

I believe the top would need to be reground to remove the stains. Find a machine shop.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Patrick, Patrick, patrick (as the nuns used to say to me, all-the-while shaking their heads) - used it as a glue table?

Best from another Irish Patrick

[Pat Germain]

Patrick, Patrick, patrick (as the nuns used to say to me, all-the-while shaking their heads) - used it as a glue table?

Best from another Irish Patrick

Well, it is a very solid and very flat surface. And not everyone has room for a large assembly table. Maybe use a protective cover in the future?

[Michael Burnside]

> My Sawstop I use as a glue table and it got bad

You know most glue has water in it right? Cast iron and water are not good friends, even when the glue dries. In fact, they don't even like to be in the same space, so keep'em separated

Jokes aside, flat equals functional, so if you can't feel any raised edges from glue, etc., I'd never risk affecting the surface by doing something like sanding by hand. To lap it properly would require quite a bit of machinery, so you'd need to find a machine shop capable of doing that.

[Bruce Page]

I do a lot of small glue ups and finishing on my Uni. I have a cheap plastic coated tablecloth that goes down first.

[Richard Coers]

If you didn't mind using a Saw Stop without a covering as a glue table, I'm surprised you care about the spots now.

[Aaron Inami]

I have actually been very successful using a green scotchbrite pad on a random orbit sander with WD40 as lubricant for the cast iron surface.