Should I Stop Cleaning My Tools?

[Scott Vigder]

Here's the problem. Last November I bought a new X5 Unisaw. Works great. Got the zero-clearance inserts for the WWII blade AND the Dado stack. Needs to be waxed at least once a week. I use Briwax. It seems every time I wax it up I nic myself on the ledge between the fence and the table top. The first time I left a nice chunk of flesh. Subsequent waxings have resulted in a painful little scrape here and there. Now I remove the wax as if i'm trying to steal the Hope Diamond from the Smithsonian in broad daylight.
So This Feb I got me a spanking new Grizzly G0490 Jointer. Works great. Got it all set up and joint away. But when it's time to wax that beautiful bed, I catch my finger on the only rough edge on the whole stinking machine...the edge on the right side of the fence about one inch up from the table. I'm rubbing and buffing and rubbing and buff...HEY where did THAT blood come from?? Left a decent chunk of flesh there, too. Fortunately it was from the other hand as the skin graft just took hold on the original slash on the X5.
So it seems a tool's not a tool until it's been christened in blood. Here's my problem: Just got a 12" Metabo Compound Sliding Miter Saw. Should I just pinprick my finger and offer up some blood on the turntable before I ever turn it on?

[Matt Meiser]

You should really invest in a file and clean up those edges!

Also, if you have time to wax your tools once a week, you need to do more woodworking. :D Seriously, I wax my tools maybe once every 6 months with Johnson's Paste Wax (available at Lowes and Meijer by the cleaning products) and it protects them great.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Scott, I've done similar self-mutliations, although with less blood. (For some reason, I sometimes forget to keep my fingers out of the miter slots when sliding the fence, and I have the blackened fingernails to prove it.) :eek:

Your question about making an offering to the new Metabo reminds me of an old friend. I was helping him patch a roof one day, and as soon as he opened the roofing cement (pookie), he got a bit on the tip of his trowel and smeared it on his jeans. He explained that he knew it was ineveitable that he'd get pookie on his jeans, so he might as well just get it over with. :D

- Vaughn

[Doug Lindley]

I used to have similar problems waxing my table top, especially around the miter slots. One day looking around the shop I noticed some leftover carpet from the living room, I cut to pieces about 3 by 3 inches. I use one for putting the wax on and one to buff it off, works great and no more cut fingers.

[David Rose]

Scott, I keep a file nearby for such occasions. At least it gives you some satisfaction getting back at the stupid castings. :D And maybe "that spot" won't bite you again! Topcoat does a nice job that seems to me to last at least as well as Johnson's and involves less application time. It is more expensive though.

David

[Jesse Cloud]

After a couple of weeks and thin deep cuts on about half my fingers I started wondering (things are slow paced here) why I was getting all those cuts. Found that the bleeder valve on the bottom of my pancake compressor had a slight sharp edge. Wish I had paid more attention sooner :p

Seriously though, Briwax is overkill for machine maintenance. I save my Briwax for fine woodworking. A can of Johnson's does fine for the saw and jointer tables. Also, Briwax has some nasty stuff in it, be careful.

I apply paste wax once a month (unless there is some reason like a spill to do it more often). That day I also poke and prod around to see if anything needs TLC, check belts, brushes, lube what needs to be lubed. I think that if you organize it, you can get all your maintenance done quickly and not let it get in the way of woodworking the rest of the time.

My two cents.

BTW, try puting a clump of wax inside an old sock. It bleeds out at a good rate and buffs well.

[Jim Becker]

I'd suggest you not wax your chisels... ;)

[David Rose]

OK Jim, I'll bite. Why should you not wax your chisels? Is it because when you 'miss' they will go in deeper? :eek:

David


I'd suggest you not wax your chisels... ;)

[Jim Becker]

OK Jim, I'll bite. Why should you not wax your chisels? Is it because when you 'miss' they will go in deeper?

The OP seems to have a black cloud over him when he's a-waxin', so yes...a sharp chisel slips into the flesh oh-so-easy. Trust me...I know all about that "slipping in oh-so-easy" part. 1 January 2005 comes to mind... ;)

[Steve Clardy]

I get enough cuts from wood, screws, chisels, etc., without one of my machines doing it to me.
Time to dig out the files, sanders.

[David Rose]

It doesn't help (some of us) to remove the edge either. I assume that is the reason for Steve's post about "breaking out the file". :rolleyes: My worst injuries (at work) have come from screwdrivers. :(

Jim you make that sound sooooo painless! Yeah, it is... at first. :(

David


The OP seems to have a black cloud over him when he's a-waxin', so yes...a sharp chisel slips into the flesh oh-so-easy. Trust me...I know all about that "slipping in oh-so-easy" part. 1 January 2005 comes to mind... ;)

[Steve Clardy]

It doesn't help (some of us) to remove the edge either. I assume that is the reason for Steve's post about "breaking out the file". :rolleyes: My worst injuries (at work) have come from screwdrivers. :(

Jim you make that sound sooooo painless! Yeah, it is... at first. :(

David

Hear that David. Sometimes I can be inside, and still get rained on.:confused:

I'm one of them that also likes to stick his finger in the miter slot while moving the fence.:eek: Man. That will remove hide in a hurry:mad: :o :o

[David Rose]

Steve, don't really know what to say! <yeah, right...> I guess that beats sticking a finger in your blade clearance slot while raising the blade. :p Wonder if that is the reason for "0" clearance slots? You think it's all just a liability thing? :rolleyes:

Did you see my post earlier, before the place really got rollin'? Do you see a problem with a blanket chest with end panel stiles being 1/4" narrower than front panel stiles? That is on the corners. It seems to me that it would make the "corner support post" (top down) look rectangular in stead of square. But I've got too many hours in this to mess it up.

David


Hear that David. Sometimes I can be inside, and still get rained on.:confused:

I'm one of them that also likes to stick his finger in the miter slot while moving the fence.:eek: Man. That will remove hide in a hurry:mad: :o :o

[Steve Clardy]

Steve, don't really know what to say! <YEAH, right...>I guess that beats sticking a finger in your blade clearance slot while raising the blade. :p Wonder if that is the reason for "0" clearance slots? You think it's all just a liability thing? :rolleyes:

Did you see my post earlier, before the place really got rollin'? Do you see a problem with a blanket chest with end panel stiles being 1/4" narrower than front panel stiles? That is on the corners. It seems to me that it would make the "corner support post" (top down) look rectangular in stead of square. But I've got too many hours in this to mess it up.

David

Seene that. Didn't respond there.:o
I think the 1/4 narrower will be fine.:)

[David Rose]

10-4! Your vote is good enough for me! Thanks. I'd just not seen any done that way, so... Some things in design are pretty flexible. Some aren't! :eek:

David


Seene that. Didn't respond there.:o
I think the 1/4 narrower will be fine.:)

[Jim Becker]

Jim you make that sound sooooo painless! Yeah, it is... at first.

The real pain isn't from the cut...it's from the interminable wait in the ER...and the rotten day you end up having because of it!