Can it be saved?

[Bryan Wellman]

I am looking at this tablesaw (Ridgid 3650) and might get a good price. Only problem is it has been sitting in the guys garage and the whole table face has surface rust on it. Not prominent pitting, but definitely has a feel to it.

Question is, Can it be saved and is it even worth messing with? The pics aren't great (phone camera).

[Myk Rian]

Don't bother with WD-40. It isn't for rust.
With that said, I would make a paste of Bar Keepers Friend and water or PB Blaster. Scrub it in real good, rinse with water and dry it off. Repeat if needed.
Do it outside or in a well ventilated area. It is oxalic acid. Wear rubber gloves.
Get it all off with alcohol and glop on a good layer of furniture paste wax. Nothing with silicon. Use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it in, and buff it up.

[Cody Colston]

That looks pretty superficial from the pics.

Personally, I use WD-40 all the time to remove rust. It works pretty dang good for not being meant for it.

Vinegar is also a good rust remover being a weak acid.

And then there's the time-honored, most effective method...elbow grease. :D

Seriously, I'd consider wetting it down with vinegar and wiping clean after it has soaked for a few minutes. Repeat until it's ineffective then spray it down with WD-40 and go at it with 220 grit sandpaper on a sanding block or even a ROS if you don't mind replacing the pad.

When the rust is gone, wipe it down with mineral spirits, let dry and apply a wax. I use Johnston Paste wax and you can get it at the Borg or even the grocery store. No need to apply multiple coats of wax because each one dissolves the previous one.

[Bryan Wellman]

I guess my concern is that I can feel a little pitting, but it's not much. I'm just afraid I'll start on it and end up cupping it or something trying to get the rust all out.

Also, for a 3650, what would be a fair price? He's really not bending at $350, but I have to think in it's condition its not worth that.

:confused:

[Lee Koepke]

Its alot of elbow grease. weigh that against a new saw :D

i had a similar rust condition and used several methods described above. No one method is enough, it usually takes several. Good Luck!

[Ross Canant]

There is no reason to try and make it shine like new again. That doesn't make it cut one bit better. Clean it down to bare metal, wax, and use it. Even pitting doesn't affect the cut.

[Bryan Wellman]

So would $350 be too much though? It's about 5 years old, but it still has condition issues I'll have to take care of.

[Ray Newman]

Does it run??

I would want to see it cut wood before thinking anymore about it. Besides the table rust, there might be other "issues" with it....

[Tom Esh]

...Personally, I use WD-40 all the time to remove rust. It works pretty dang good for not being meant for it.
...

:D
+1 ...and a little elbow grease.

[Steve Vaughn]

So would $350 be too much though? It's about 5 years old, but it still has condition issues I'll have to take care of.

For $350 in that condition I would walk. I sold my 3650 for $400 and it was mint.

Steve

[Christopher Morgan]

So would $350 be too much though? It's about 5 years old, but it still has condition issues I'll have to take care of.

Well, of course it depends on what your options are. If you have a budget that can stretch a few hundred more, live in an area where decent table saws come up on CL with some frequency and have or are willing to put in 220v, then you might think about holding out for a used cabinet saw. Alternatively, I just read that you can still order the Ridgid R4511 from Home Depot for $599. If this is true, this would give you a new saw, a riving knife, a good warranty, and decent dust collection. You might find those advantages worth the $250. I think I would.

[Stephen Edwards]

Is the surface rust the only issue? Do the handles turn smoothly? How do the gears on the trunion look and feel?

If the surface rust is the only issue and if you need a table saw........figure you'll have several hours cleaning it up, do the math and then decide. Really, I don't think that anyone else can honestly tell you if his asking price is too much for you.

I'm with Ross. Making it shiny wouldn't be high on my list. What matters is how well the saw performs.

[Jason White]

That's a terrific saw if you can get it for $300 or less (I had one)! I sold mine after about 4 years for $300 and it was in perfect condition.

Use a scotch-brite pad and mineral spirits to take the rust off. If there's still some rust left on the table after that, use a palm sander and fine grit sandpaper to get it off. Don't worry, you won't hurt the cast-iron. Then coat the top with furniture wax, TopCote or "Slip It."

Jason


I am looking at this tablesaw (Ridgid 3650) and might get a good price. Only problem is it has been sitting in the guys garage and the whole table face has surface rust on it. Not prominent pitting, but definitely has a feel to it.

Question is, Can it be saved and is it even worth messing with? The pics aren't great (phone camera).

[Jason White]

Talk him down to $250. You can find a TS3650 in much better condition than that one for right around $300.

Jason


I guess my concern is that I can feel a little pitting, but it's not much. I'm just afraid I'll start on it and end up cupping it or something trying to get the rust all out.

Also, for a 3650, what would be a fair price? He's really not bending at $350, but I have to think in it's condition its not worth that.

:confused:

[Mike Cruz]

I sold my 10 year old TS3636 in VERY good condition for $250. Yeah, I could have gotten more, but I was passing on the good deals I got on other machinery. I think $350 is a little steep for the condition. You should be able to get that saw in that condition for $275...if not from him, from someone else.

[Myk Rian]

I guess my concern is that I can feel a little pitting, but it's not much. I'm just afraid I'll start on it and end up cupping it or something trying to get the rust all out.
DO NOT use sand paper!

[Stephen Edwards]

The more that I've thought about this saw and read other people's comments, if the owner expects to get $350 for it he should clean the saw. I think that some CL sellers' expectations are unreasonable. Sometimes they need a reality check!

[Lee Schierer]

Where I used to work we would clean up cast iron castings with machined surfaces using a pad sander and mineral spirits. Put a red scotch brite pad on the pad sander instead of sandpaper and wet the surface with mineral spirits. When you get a good slurry of rust paste, wipe the surface down with a clean rag and repeat until the surface is clear of all rust. It took time but the castings looked like freshly machined when done. It is also very messy so protect your floor and wear old clothes. Keep the pad sander moving over the entire surface and you shouldn't have any flatness issues.

If he is asking $350, offer $250 and settle at three hundred. Have the $250 cash in you hand visible when you make your offer with the extra $50's in your pocket. It pays to haggle a bit on things like this. Bear in mind you may also have other rust issues below the table surface.

[Tony Shea]

At my local Home Depot they still have a price of $299 listed on the R4511. I'm amazed that this is still listed that way and seems as though they would have to honor that price even if there wasn't one in stock.

Granted the saw you're looking at is a good saw I think that the price is too high for the condition it's in. I would walk!

[Jason White]

Fine-grit sandpaper works great on severely rusted & pitted cast-iron tables. I wouldn't use it for minor rust, however, just because it's overkill.

I recently used some 400-grit on a rusty old bandsaw table and it came out looking like new.

Jason



DO NOT use sand paper!

[Hugh Jardon]

The rust remover that Sears sells in a twin-pack with Boeshield T-9 works very well indeed.

However, the 3650 was replaced with the 3660, which was discontinued more than a year ago, and was last sold at $399, down from $549. It won't have a warranty, the LLSA is not transferable.

The 3650/60 are good saws, but they lack a riving knife and the dust collection is typical of the contractor design. Does this one have its miter gauge (not great though) and its fence? Are the fence and rails undamaged? Blade wrenches? Plastic safety key? Looking at the rings on the table top, it looks like it wasn't treated well at all in terms of general care.

If you can get it cheap ($250 tops), then great. If not, there is always another one. It won't be long before R4511s turn up used, and they a) don't rust, b) are MUCH heavier and c) have vastly superior dust collection.

[Rod Sheridan]

I normally ask 50 to 60% of the new cost when I'm selling machinery that's in excellent condition.

I wouldn't pay more than 30% for the saw as shown in the photographs, if it works fine.

Check blade tilt and elevation operation for smoothness, no binding etc.

Try turning the blade by hand (saw unplugged) to see how the arbour bearings feel.

After that, try running the saw to see how it sounds.

As has been covered, you don't have to return the saw table to a shiny new condition, you do however have to remove the surface rust, and stabilise the rust in the pit marks.

Regards, Rod.

[Paul Steiner]

I would walk for $350 and that much rust. This tool has not been taken care of and the seller knows that. He is being unreasonable.

[Aaron Wingert]

TopSaver does a spectacular job of removing rust. I swear by it. Plus it smells fruity, which is just a side benefit. :D

[Bryan Wellman]

Well, I passed. He wouldn't budge on it. Kept saying he had other offers, so have at it!! :)

I ended up getting a new plunge router and Ridgid's Spindle/Belt sander. Both of which will get plenty of use. Guess I can deal with my ancient TS for a bit more till I get money saved up to buy a new good one.

Thanks for all the responses guys!! I might try touching up my old ones deck with the info you've given.

[Jason White]

Good call.

Keep an eye on Craigslist, or seriously consider a new Grizzly cabinet saw if budgetary constraints are an issue. Very nice machines for the money!

Jason



Well, I passed. He wouldn't budge on it. Kept saying he had other offers, so have at it!! :)

I ended up getting a new plunge router and Ridgid's Spindle/Belt sander. Both of which will get plenty of use. Guess I can deal with my ancient TS for a bit more till I get money saved up to buy a new good one.

Thanks for all the responses guys!! I might try touching up my old ones deck with the info you've given.

[tyler mckee]

Good call.

Keep an eye on Craigslist, or seriously consider a new Grizzly cabinet saw if budgetary constraints are an issue. Very nice machines for the money!

Jason

I've cleaned up some bad rust with ospho. i clean it with a wire brush, then scrub it with steel wool soaked with ospho, wait an hour or so and scrub it once more then clean off the ospho, spray with wd40 and hit it with clean steel wool. should look brand new if it doesnt have bad pitting. if you need to repaint anything rusted you can paint on ospho and paint over it.

[kenneth kayser]

I guess my concern is that I can feel a little pitting, but it's not much. I'm just afraid I'll start on it and end up cupping it or something trying to get the rust all out.

Also, for a 3650, what would be a fair price? He's really not bending at $350, but I have to think in it's condition its not worth that.

:confused:

I would not touch it for over $150.00. There are a lot of things beside the table that rust. To remove table rust, I would buy a gallon of rust remover. Build a dam and inch or so deep and put down a sheet of poly. Test for level with water. Put the table in upside down (off the bottom a little with supports) and pour in the remover. After 48 hrs or so ALL of the rust will be gone and unrusted metal will be absolutely untouched. You can then re-use the remover for other jobs.

[Sean lennon]

I use Evapo-rust on machines I am restoring or otherwise need to have a rust free surface on.

good stuff.

sean