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Thread: Table saw lubricant

  1. #1

    Table saw lubricant

    Does anyone know of a good lubricant for the trunnions and other moving parts inside a cabinet table saw that won’t attract sawdust? I used PG2000 years ago with mixed results- didn’t seem to lube as well as I thought it should but maybe I wasn’t applying it correctly.

  2. Quote Originally Posted by Mark Daily View Post
    Does anyone know of a good lubricant for the trunnions and other moving parts inside a cabinet table saw that won’t attract sawdust? I used PG2000 years ago with mixed results- didn’t seem to lube as well as I thought it should but maybe I wasn’t applying it correctly.
    James Hamilton at Stumpy Nubs Journal recently had an interesting video about table saw lubrication. I can find nothing about his conclusion to disagree with.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEFVRAKTzKM
    "If only those heathen atheists hadn't taken God, Jesus, and the Bible out of schools, God and Jesus could have thrown a Bible at the shooter."

  3. #3
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    Hi, I use NLG2 grease for lubricating saw and shaper components as it what the manual and the manufacturer recommend............Rod.

  4. #4
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    On my worm and rack gears on my TS, I use a spray-on graphite product called "Dryphite" made by Kano (who also make Kroil, the best penetrating oil there is). Kano also makes a moly disulfide spray that sounds interesting, though I've never tried it.

    http://www.kanolabs.com/indLub.html#anchor228220

    Dryphite is dry, it stays put, it doesn't attract dust, and it works – not as well as ordinary grease (at least not at first), but it also doesn't dry up, or attract dust or turn into a godawful mess that you have to clean out periodically, either.

  5. #5
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    I take Jacob's approach - I use a spray-on graphite.

    However, I'm tempted to try a test with white grease to see how long it takes to get caked with dust and get really crummy. I suspect over the short term it will provide better lubrication.

  6. #6
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    As per SawStop advice, I'll use wheel bearing grease. He specifically warned against using any kind of dry lube or wax. They make parts move smoothly, but but do not provide protection against wear. Anything that lubricates well is going to have sawdust stick to it. I clean out the guts of my saw about every 6 or 8 years & in that time, nothing has gotten bound up with gunk.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Chapel Eastland View Post
    James Hamilton at Stumpy Nubs Journal recently had an interesting video about table saw lubrication. I can find nothing about his conclusion to disagree with.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEFVRAKTzKM
    I can’t either- Thanks for the link!

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Reverb View Post
    On my worm and rack gears on my TS, I use a spray-on graphite product called "Dryphite" made by Kano (who also make Kroil, the best penetrating oil there is). Kano also makes a moly disulfide spray that sounds interesting, though I've never tried it.

    http://www.kanolabs.com/indLub.html#anchor228220

    Dryphite is dry, it stays put, it doesn't attract dust, and it works – not as well as ordinary grease (at least not at first), but it also doesn't dry up, or attract dust or turn into a godawful mess that you have to clean out periodically, either.
    Thanks for the info Jacob. Sounds like it’s not as messy but either doesn’t last as long or work as well as “grease”.

  9. #9
    Thanks guys for all the advice. Looks like the best options are just going to be a little messy.🤓

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Daily View Post
    Thanks for the info Jacob. Sounds like it’s not as messy but either doesn’t last as long or work as well as “grease”.
    IMO, it works better than grease because it doesn't get pitch and sawdust embedded into it, making, in effect, a mild valve grinding compound (sawdust is abrasive due to the silica in it, one reason carbide saw teeth get dull).

    I replaced my arbor bearings at 18 years, and there appeared to still be plenty of graphite coating on the gears. Seems like pitch doesn't stick to the graphite, or maybe it ablates...dunno. It's not as if those gears have any load on them, or get cycled so many times that you need an oil bath like in a gearbox. The main reason for lubricating them, in my view, is to keep them from getting gummed up with pitch and sawdust. My dad's saw got that way late in life, and it became almost impossible to raise/lower or tilt the trunnion.

    YMMV
    Last edited by Jacob Reverb; 05-17-2019 at 4:16 PM.

  11. #11
    I like the brush on "Never Seize" stuff. Works for months in a commercial shop with poor air suction. Messy stuff in lots
    of places, but no problem on table saws.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Reverb View Post
    IMO, it works better than grease because it doesn't get pitch and sawdust embedded into it, making, in effect, a mild valve grinding compound (sawdust is abrasive due to the silica in it, one reason carbide saw teeth get dull).

    I replaced my arbor bearings at 18 years, and there appeared to still be plenty of graphite coating on the gears. Seems like pitch doesn't stick to the graphite, or maybe it ablates...dunno. It's not as if those gears have any load on them, or get cycled so many times that you need an oil bath like in a gearbox. The main reason for lubricating them, in my view, is to keep them from getting gummed up with pitch and sawdust. My dad's saw got that way late in life, and it became almost impossible to raise/lower or tilt the trunnion.

    YMMV
    Good points- I also thought it was important to keep sawdust out of the gears, even though they don’t move fast or frequently (like an automotive engine). Perhaps grease displaces the sawdust so it can’t get between the gears? I really don’t know.
    Seems like whatever you use it’s important that it stays put to do its job.

  13. #13
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    I am surprised by the diversity on the answers... for me there was a single answer: machine grease. Actually recommended by all user manuals I have read, also.

    Well, perhaps I am wrong and there are more than one correct answer.

  14. #14
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    Going with the manufacturer's recommendation seems like the safest course of action. For most here - mostly hobbyists - I doubt the raise and tilt mechanisms get so much use that any lube that doesn't dissipate would do nicely. Non-silicone paste wax has been used a for a long time with no reported ill effects that I'm aware of.

  15. #15
    Thanks Osvaldo. I don't recall reading what the mfgs say, but my guess is that none want to offer the messiest stuff,
    which is likely the never seize. But single use gloves obviate that concern.

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