Wacing Tablesaw?

[Andrew Melamed]

Does anyone use wax on their table saw? The craftsman manual said it is good to add some automtive wax to make the wood easier to slide along the surface. Delta said the same thing about the belt sander table. Im going to try some bowling alley wax on it and see how it works out.

[Mark Rios]

Andrew, you may already be aware of this but, make sure that whatever wax you use DOES NOT contain any silicone. Wood finishing products absolutely hate silicone and, being that the vapor can travel in the air, a lot of folks don't even like to have products containing silicone in their shop.

Many folks use Johnsons Paste Wax, others use a Minwax product and still others have their own favorites. If you do a search for waxing tablesaws I'm sure that you'll find some recommendations.

Just a note.

[Steve Canada]

Use Paste Wax, or a spray on product called Bostick.

[Walt Caza]

Hi Andrew,
I too could use some insight into machine table waxing.
What I have been doing lately is WD-40 to remove any light surface rust.
Citrus degreaser to remove any remaining oil.
(smells yummy, but the label says it's not a toy)
And Bostick TopKote spray to seal, protect and help slide.
I find it seems to work better if you leave it on 10 min, then buff it out
with old T-shirt rags. (and reapply often)

A major problem with heating shops in cold climates in winter, is that if you
let shop temp fall far or fast, the warm air cools, and is unable to hold it's
water, causing condensation and possible rust on all your metal.

welcoming suggestions from those who know,
Walt

ps rust sucks!
:)

[josh bjork]

Walt, I had the condensation rust for a year and then used paste wax on all my cast iron and this year didn't have a bit and nothing here is heated either.

[Charlie Plesums]

Many of the automotive waxes contain silicone, so are a terrible choice for woodworking tools, as Mark noted.

Cast iron is relatively absorbent, so when I get a new machine I clean the cosmolene (shipping grease) off with kerosene or other solvent, and immediately apply paste wax - whatever you would use on furniture, whether Johnsons, Minwax, or other. I have gotten stains from sweat drops or sweaty fingers if the wax isn't applied immediately.

The wax is absorbed by the cast iron, so the second coat goes on in hours, the third in days, the fourth in weeks, then more whenever needed - perhaps every 6 months. If you do a heavy cleaning with solvent (why?), start the program of multiple coats over again.

My garage...er...studio is unheated. As the shop cools, the cast iron cools slower, so it is relatively warm - condensation will first occur on other surfaces that don't hold the heat as well. I have never had a rust problem on waxed cast iron surfaces.

[Mike Cutler]

I use a Marine Paste wax as a coating on machine tops. My shop is unheated, also, and New England weather can wreak havoc if the machine surfaces are left unprotected. I also cover the machines with towels and a layer of plywood to minimize the condensation.

I still have to clean rust occasionally.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Does anyone use wax on their table saw?

Most anyone who has any concern over misture humidity and rust. This ends up being a whole lot of people.



The craftsman manual said it is good to add some automtive wax to make the wood easier to slide along the surface.
It would be Sears that tells people to do something like that. It is the wrong thing to do for a huge screaming reason.

All auto polishes contain silicone. Once you put silicone on cast iron it doesn't come out but it will contaminate your wood surfaces making it nearly impossible to get a good finish. Yah you are going to sahd those surfaces. Which will remove silivone as well as spread it around.

Never - ever - ever - let a single bit of silicone in your wood shop or on your tools. Consider it like you might Ebola.




Delta said the same thing about the belt sander table.
I will bet you a whole dollar they didn't say "Auto" wax. I be they said wax or butcher's wax or something like that.


Im going to try some bowling alley wax on it and see how it works out.

Bowling alley wax should be fine. Read the label.

I use Rennisance wax. It's pricey but it has no veggie waxes in it - all veggie waxes have little issues with acid. Hey it's organic what else can one expect? Same with Bees wax vegie wax will all have acids or bases one way or the other it's corrosive to some degree (most likely infinetesimil) . Bee's wax is also sticky.
I have ised bee's wax in extrusion applications because it causes the extruded product to shrink a bit ( and self release) on exit from the extruder head.

Renninsance wax is all pertoleum wax with no acids or bases. It's also got microcrystaline wax in it which is not your ordinary parrafin.

I have been considering making a batch of Rennisance (copy) wax myself. It's not hard and the ingredients are not expensive. I have gotten so that I use it on everything. Threaded C clamps exposed steel my measuring and marking tools, dividers, steel rules, chisels etc. You name it I wax everything including the cast iron tables. I have a humid shop.

If Felder ever starts offering Jig Plate Aluminum with that lovely hard coat anodize as replacement tables I'm getting it.

[John Miliunas]

Most anyone who has any concern over misture humidity and rust. This ends up being a whole lot of people.



It would be Sears that tells people to do something like that. It is the wrong thing to do for a huge screaming reason.

All auto polishes contain silicone. Once you put silicone on cast iron it doesn't come out but it will contaminate your wood surfaces making it nearly impossible to get a good finish. Yah you are going to sahd those surfaces. Which will remove silivone as well as spread it around.

Never - ever - ever - let a single bit of silicone in your wood shop or on your tools. Consider it like you might Ebola.




I will bet you a whole dollar they didn't say "Auto" wax. I be they said wax or butcher's wax or something like that.



Bowling alley wax should be fine. Read the label.

I use Rennisance wax. It's pricey but it has no veggie waxes in it - all veggie waxes have little issues with acid. Hey it's organic what else can one expect? Same with Bees wax vegie wax will all have acids or bases one way or the other it's corrosive to some degree (most likely infinetesimil) . Bee's wax is also sticky.
I have ised bee's wax in extrusion applications because it causes the extruded product to shrink a bit ( and self release) on exit from the extruder head.

Renninsance wax is all pertoleum wax with no acids or bases. It's also got microcrystaline wax in it which is not your ordinary parrafin.

I have been considering making a batch of Rennisance (copy) wax myself. It's not hard and the ingredients are not expensive. I have gotten so that I use it on everything. Threaded C clamps exposed steel my measuring and marking tools, dividers, steel rules, chisels etc. You name it I wax everything including the cast iron tables. I have a humid shop.

If Felder ever starts offering Jig Plate Aluminum with that lovely hard coat anodize as replacement tables I'm getting it.

I'm 110% with Cliff on this one! Rennisance wax goes on my hand planes, all my finished iron shop machine surfaces AND my finished wood products! Expensive? Not really, once you think about it. For starters, products "specially designed" for treating finished iron surfaces aren't cheap either. Plus, a very little bit goes a long, long way! :) I have Gene Collison to thank for this one, as he's the one who introduced me to the stuff well over a year ago and, if anyone knows Eugene, you also know he's pretty anal about this stuff and researches the heck out of it before using or recommending it. Just my $00.02... :) :cool:

[glenn bradley]

Johnson's works great here in SoCal. Two years, no rust on the new tools. Wish someone had taken the care with some of my used stuff. It's a quick job but, here in drier climates I find if I start wiping the wax off JUST as it starts to cloud, I leave more behind and it buffs up slicker.

[Bart Leetch]

I've always wondered, Dad had a 20' x 50' shop that had nothing more than brown construction paper on the studs with cedar lap siding over it & no insulation in it.

He heated with a 50 gallon barrel stove & in later years he had 2 torpedo style diesel heaters hooked to a thermostat one in opposite corners on each end of the shop that he would turn on to quickly bring the temperature up when he went out to start the wood stove.

He waxed his equipment with Johnson's wax & never had any rust at all. This was in Vancouver Washington. There was a fair amount of moisture in the air & he defiantly heated up from fairly cold temperatures in the winter many mornings down around freezing.

I have always used paste wax but my shop is insulated & never falls below 50 degrees.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I've used both Renaissance and Johnson's & both work just fine.

[Doug Gilluley]

I've always cleaned all my cast iron with kerosene, wiped completely dry with a clean cotton cloth and put two coats of Butcher's Wax®, buffed out with chamois. Once a year or more as needed. If you don't keep the top dead level a brick will slide off.

Doug