Removing wax from wood blank

[Bob Levy]

I just purchased some wood blanks from Rockler for a project. Is there an easy way to remove the wax from the blanks besides scrapping it or sanding it off.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Stephen Saar]

Depends on what you are going to do with it. If it's for turning I normally just leave it on since it will be taken off when you do your turning. If it's for flat work I would just scrape most of it off and then sand the rest, or if you know you're going to cut all sides anyway just leave it on and let the saw/planer/etc... do the work. That assumes it's a pretty soft wax and won't harm the blades.

-Stephen

[Jeff Monson]

They really coat it on dont they!!!! I swear the last ebony I got from them had 1/4" of wax on it. I use a card scraper to remove it.

[Bob Levy]

I'm making a bandsaw box as a present. I also was surprised how thick the wax was. I guess scraping and sanding sound like the most logical approach. I was hoping that there might be some cleaner like vinegar or acetone that might work, but I didn't want to ruin it. Thanks for the suggestions

[Andy Sowers]

For turning blanks, sometimes they seal the moisture IN with the wax to prevent checking/cracking.

You might want to check the moisture content if your application would be succeptible if the wood was still green...

[John Thompson]

I have found the best way to get it off is not a hand scraper because if flexes too much. I use an old #5 plane iron held at about a 5 degree cant with the bevel facing away from me and pull. It won't flex and you can clean one side with 4-5 pulls.

[Bob Levy]

Great suggestion John. I never thought of a hand plane, but it makes so much sense. I appreciate the good advice.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Great suggestion John. I never thought of a hand plane, but it makes so much sense. I appreciate the good advice.

Notice he said to use the plane's blade, not the plane. I just tried using my finely tuned Stanley 5 1/2, and boy did it get gunked up! The beautiful throat got all clogged with wax and that little price-tag paper glued to the block from the store. What a sticky mess. I also gave my block plane a try: same story.

Then I went to the No. 80 cabinet scraper and the wax rolled off in sheets. Of course, I needed to disassemble the scraper about six times to take out all the wax buildup from the blade and inside the tool, but it was much easier than doing that with the 5 1/2. Plus, for some reason I don't think the No. 80 –– or scraping in general –– is as sensitive to fine tuning as the 5 1/2. Others here have said to just use the scraper blade, but I like the ease and consistency of the No. 80.

The wax was on a 3 x 3 x 12 block of bloodwood I bought at Woodcraft to turn into a Krenov plane. Before I bandsaw the sides I want to joint one face and true one side to that face on the jointer. I cannot imaging gunking up the jointer blades and head with that wax. With the scraper I've got 95%+ of the wax off, so I think I can stomach running that on the jointer, but I fully expect to need to go over that jointer head with a wax remover when I'm done. For the infeed and outfeed tables, I'll just burnish the wax in with a flat block of wood.

Wax. What a pain. Now, about that Krenov plane...

[Randy Heinemann]

While this is a repeat of a caution in a previous answer, be sure the blank is dry enough to use for your bandsaw box. I have found that, when turning from blanks bought from either Rockler or Woodcraft, they are generally wetter than they should be to start work. I think these are truly made for use as turning blanks - to rough turn wet, let dry for some period of time, then finish turn. I"m not sure they are the best choice for a bandsaw box. If you scrape the wax off, I would coat the end grain with wax (or leave the original wax on the end grain) and let it sit for awhile before trying to make a band saw box. Otherwise I think there will be a lot of wood movement in the final product due to drying after it's done.

[David Utterback]

Could the block be heated in an oven (while no one is looking) so the wax melts away? Maybe use a scrap plywood piece substantially larger than the block with a few nails to suspend the block a bit so the underside gets clean as well. A little clean up of the block surfaces would still be needed. For solvent removal, you would need to use paint thinner, naphtha or a similar non-polar material. But then you have a mess to clean up.

[Tom Bender]

David
That's a creative if socially risky approach but it may make the problem worse. Heating may drive out moisture (probably too fast for good results) and air, but there will still be some wax on the surface, which will then be sucked deep into the wood as it cools.

[Bill Jobe]

Why not stick it in the freezer. I had some pieces coated with wax stored outside over winter and it would begin chipping off.
At least that shouldn't push it deeper into the wood.
I had to remove some epoxy that was not mixed with the right ratios and it took me ions. Everything mechanical or chemical will simply push it farther into the wood.
So, freezing, in my opinion, is worth a try. Any wax left behind will cause failure of your finish.

I realize that's a bit "outside the box", but ......

[David Utterback]

I scraped some wax from a turning stock piece yesterday and it readily melted in our kitchen oven which has a minimum temp setting of 170F. On further thinking after Tom's comment, there are additional limitations for removing the wax by melting. Unless the layer is thick, there may not be enough force to cause the max to drip or run from the surfaces. Open pore wood would allow wax to further penetrate, especially on the end grain. Probably some other issues as well.

I also found that scrapers easily remove the wax. I used a carbide one and a small construction pry bar and both worked well.