How do you wax your iron tops?

[chris beserra]

elbow grease

[Howard Acheson]

Basically, Boeshield T9 is a wax with some other protecturants in it. Standard BriWax uses toluene as it's thinner/softener which is a quite aggressive chemical. It will immediately dissolve the Boeshield and leave you with just a BriWax finish. BriWax is intended for restoration work and the toluene is a more effective cleaner than the mineral spirits type thinner/solvents used in other furniture paste waxes.

Better is to use the non-toluene formulation of BriWax (BriWax 2000) or use a standard furniture paste wax. These waxes use a mineral spirits type thinner/solvent.

When using the two step approach (Boeshield T9 then a paste wax), be careful not to be too aggressive wiping on the paste wax. The solvents, while less aggressive than toluene, will still want to dissolve the Boeshield. Just apply lightly, then buff.

[Bob Genovesi]

For all my cast iron work surfaces I use a 3M Scotch-Brite pad and Slipit Lubricant. it's specifically designed for woodworking and won't contaminate the wood.



For everything else I use either a light oil or grease, both synthetic. I've been an advocate of synthetic greases and oils for 30 years. They protect better, last longer and wont break down like conventional petroleum products.

As with all lubricants only a light film is needed so don't overdue it. Folks have a tendency to over lubricate which does more harm then good. Too much lubricant attracts dirt and debris and this acts like lapping compound increasing wear rather than protecting the component.

[David Winer]

For all my cast iron work surfaces I use a 3M Scotch-Brite pad and Slipit Lubricant. it's specifically designed for woodworking and won't contaminate the wood.

I had never heard of this product and did a bit of googling. This interesting review of Slipit is in the Woodworker's Gazette website, here. I'm staying with wax.

[Chris Konikowski]

I don't allow silicone in the shop.

Guess my ex wouldn't be allowed in the shop...

[Bob Genovesi]

I had never heard of this product and did a bit of googling. This interesting review of Slipit is in the Woodworker's Gazette website, here. I'm staying with wax.

Dave,

That's fine and to each his own.

I can only relate to you my personal experiences. I do take exception to an article that intentionally tries to discredit a product by misusing it.

With Slipit, you really aren't sure how much to leave behind. Do you buff it out like wax or leave it a little 'wet'? It doesn't harden like wax but it will give your saw the look of three coats of glossy lacquer - I liked it!

If it looks like three coats of glossy lacquer then it's wet. Would you spray the top of your table saw with WD40 then run your wood through it, of course not.

After leaving what I thought was a thin film I fired up the saw. Feeding a few scraps through the saw left me the impression that Slipit wasn't quite as slippery as a fresh coat of wax but for some reason the pushing seemed more purposeful and deliberate and maybe, more durable. I did notice where my unflat wood had contacted the saw top there were blotches of Slipit accumulating on the wood surface.


Slipit is a great product as long as it's used as its intended.



The author of the article intentionally left what appears to be a significant amount of the product on the cast iron surface then ran the wood through it... Have him do the same test and apply a liberal coat of his favorite wax then run a few piece of wood through it and lets just see how it affects the application of a finish such as lacquer.

If you would apply wax then buff the hell out of it why would you treat any other coating product differently? It says; "Wipe off any excess"...

How long does it last?

After about 35 passes through the planer, neither board had begun to grab and I was almost prepared to call the contest a draw. I really didn't want to plane the boards past 3/4" and I was getting tired.This was hard work! Around pass number 42, the Slipit side started to hang.

He almost gave up trying to make it fail but around pass 42 it seems he got his wish.

[Don Orr]

...Wax on, Wax off. Easy.

[Myk Rian]

Guess my ex wouldn't be allowed in the shop...

That's terrible.

[Todd Burch]

Guess my ex wouldn't be allowed in the shop...

I see you are fairly new to the forums. Welcome. And, to repeat the most important SMC Mantra... Pictures. We need pictures.

[phil harold]

slipit does not dry hard when left on thick, wipes right off

that article says to coat your saw with wax and not buff it off in-between uses

how much work is it to remove dried, hard, crusty wax off a saw before using it?

that article is skewed...

[Chris Konikowski]

I see you are fairly new to the forums. Welcome. And, to repeat the most important SMC Mantra... Pictures. We need pictures.

LMAO. I had some. They mysteriously disapeared when we got a divorce.