Dual post here.

Finally got around to building a base on casters to go under a 4-drawer
file cabinet in the basement (if it can be called a basement!) and putting
it in place last night. Out of one of the drawers fell one of my ex's
purchases. It is book(let), circa 1970. EAA How-to Series, "Basic Hand
Tools, Vol. 2," I showed it to a pilot friend this morning who said,
"Wow! An Environmental Aircraft Association book. This has to be almost
a collector's item."

Not sure it can be called a collector's item, but it has a lot of great
stuff in it. As my friend said, lots of things change, but basic
woodworking is constant. Though it is hardly likely drilling cowl
fastener holes, cutting glass tubing, or bending tubing with spring type
tube benders is in my future, it has a lot of good, practical information.
It's what I call a score.

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.

Glenna

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@p mug.org...

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.


Wax works for many but seems to be an on going process. I personally have
been using TopCote for 15 years and get no rust unless I drip water on the
surface. I live in Houston so the humidity is normally in the 90% range but
have no condensing moisture.

Glenna Rose asks:

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.

Paste wax, such as Johnson's, works for me. I've recently made my own blends,
adding more carnauba (hardest wax we use), and using a cordless power buffer on
three coats. Makes an appreciable difference but may not be worth the effort
for casual use. Do the Johnson's bit, buff lightly, do it again, buff well.
Repeat at intervals that reflect your use--lotsa use, repeat weekly; not so
much use, repeat monthly or as needed. I avoid car waxes, as too many have
problem substances that cause fish-eye in finishes if transferred, and I'm too
lazy to read the labels, but car waxes without silicone are good because they
are almost all very hard.

For commercial products, I've used a lot of Boeshield T9 and it works
exceptionally well for me. Use the same routine as above. Apply and buff
lightly. Apply second coat and buff to a high shine. Repeat as needed. TopCote
is also worthwhile, though I've only used it a couple times, so can't comment
much on it.

Charlie Self
"A politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to
the ground." H. L. Mencken

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@p mug.org...
Dual post here.

Finally got around to building a base on casters to go under a 4-drawer
file cabinet in the basement (if it can be called a basement!) and putting
it in place last night. Out of one of the drawers fell one of my ex's
purchases. It is book(let), circa 1970. EAA How-to Series, "Basic Hand
Tools, Vol. 2," I showed it to a pilot friend this morning who said,
"Wow! An Environmental Aircraft Association book. This has to be almost
a collector's item."

I think that is the Experimental Aircraft Association. Those are the folks
that build their own airplanes.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@p mug.org...

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.


Johnson's paste wax. Do not use Minwax furniture wax. It has something in
it that prevents it from being slippery (I guess in case you wax your floor
with it). I found some Johnson's at the local hardware store, but some
claim the Johnson's can be hard to find. You can search the archives, some
have posted online sources for the stuff.

Frank

In article ,
"Leon" wrote:

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@p mug.org...

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.


Wax works for many but seems to be an on going process. I personally have
been using TopCote for 15 years and get no rust unless I drip water on the
surface. I live in Houston so the humidity is normally in the 90% range but
have no condensing moisture.



I wouldn't start the day without a can of Bostik TopCoat nearby. Perhaps
it's 'job specific', but sliding a 7" x 7" square routerbase along an
aluminum fence with a PC Production router on top, is almost fun when
TopCoat is applied to the base and fence-edge.
It's all over my table saw as well. I'm addicted and swear by the stuff.
I do NOT know what kind of residue it would leave on a wood veneer panel
prior to finishing..it might cause fish-eyeing with laquer.

When using laquer finishes, you always have to keep 'additives' like
waxes and sillycones away from your work...they can cause havoc.

Rob---who is feeling pretty good today knowing that his knee-lube
appointment was moved from Aug 23 2005 to January 27 2005.

Johnson's paste wax is a normally stocked item at most midwest Ace hardware
stores. I seem to never need to do anything with my Unisaw. Constant use
keeps it rust free for me... But I did wax it a few years back before the
big Y2k thing thinking we were going to lose power and return to the stone
age for a while.

Knothead

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...


I wouldn't start the day without a can of Bostik TopCoat nearby. Perhaps
it's 'job specific', but sliding a 7" x 7" square routerbase along an
aluminum fence with a PC Production router on top, is almost fun when
TopCoat is applied to the base and fence-edge.
It's all over my table saw as well. I'm addicted and swear by the stuff.
I do NOT know what kind of residue it would leave on a wood veneer panel
prior to finishing..it might cause fish-eyeing with laquer.


Since TopCote was developed specifically to reduce rust and earlier
developed specifically to cut down on sliding effort on TS surfaces it was
also developed to not affect the finish. Perfectly safe with no ill effects
in 15 years.

writes:

I think that is the Experimental Aircraft Association. Those are the
folks
that build their own airplanes.

blush Yes, Roger, it is. Guess the increased traffic noise overhead
from PDX is grating on my nerves, hence "environmental." As I sit at the
computer, mid-house, television on, etc., the noise is way too loud and
getting worse. This happens whenever they change the flight path which
has been often.

At one time, my ex planned to build an airplane; I asked him where, he
said in the basement. How are you going to get it out? We'll lift up the
house. This person took a deep breath and told him, "When you have it
finished, we'll hire someone to do that," with as much sincerity I could
muster, knowing full well it would never happen. At that time he was a
good father and husband (and my best friend and soul mate), but some folks
should *never* be homeowners and should remain renters forever.

What makes this worse is I was looking at the back of the book when I
typed it! Geez.

Glenna

Thank you, everyone, for all the information. This was so much more
helpful than a sentence saying, "Saw tops should be maintained with paste
wax."

Hopefully this weekend, I'll get that taken care of. Luckily, it has very
little rust, only what has accumulated over 20 years from normal air
moisture and lack of use and is more a discoloration than rust. I'll use
a fine steel wool to take that off and use the wax. It has given me much
good service in the past and surely will in the future and deserves to
have some tender loving care.

Thank you, again.

Glenna

writes:
Rob---who is feeling pretty good today knowing that his knee-lube
appointment was moved from Aug 23 2005 to January 27 2005.

Good luck, Rob, for an accurate diagnosis, excellent treatment, and
extremely good results.

In article fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@pmug. org,
says...
Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws?

Floor wax. I use Trewax, others use Johnsons. I only have to do it
once or twice a year, in spite of the fact that winter is our wet cold
season and the shop is unheated for most of it. IIRC, I had to wax a
little more frequently when I first started doing it. I think it builds
up in the pores.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

In article fc.003d094101e02a9b003d094101e021d2.1e02ac0@pmug. org,
(Glenna Rose) wrote:

Thank you, everyone, for all the information. This was so much more
helpful than a sentence saying, "Saw tops should be maintained with paste
wax."

Hopefully this weekend, I'll get that taken care of. Luckily, it has very
little rust, only what has accumulated over 20 years from normal air
moisture and lack of use and is more a discoloration than rust. I'll use
a fine steel wool to take that off and use the wax. It has given me much
good service in the past and surely will in the future and deserves to
have some tender loving care.

Thank you, again.

Glenna


In case you're still looking, Johnson's paste wax is available at Fred's
(you're in Portland, right?) with the other floor products. Look down by
the floor, since Johnson's doesn't seem to pay for eye-level shelf space.

PDX David

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@p mug.org...
Dual post here.

Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.

I recently had all the cast iron tops of my table saw, jointer and drill
press screwed up. I'm having my house siding redone with hardi-plank. the
contractor set up a tablesaw right outside the door of my shop with the door
wide open. Concrete dust covered everything. Coupled with a near
condensing atmosphere weather condition for a few hours, everything had a
coat of nice even coat of rust within hours.

After seeing a demo at woodcraft, I decided to give the rust cleaner made by
Boeshield a try. Its basically a weak solution of phosphoric acid. You
spritz it on and scrub with a 3m scouring pad (green grade). It removed
all the rust and uglies within a matter of minutes. My top had not looked
this good since it was new. I sprayed a couple of coatings of topcoat on
afterward and I'm happy with the results.

Bob

Frank Ketchum wrote:

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101e021d2003d094101e021d2.1e021f2@ pmug.org...


Question:
How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition, specifically table
saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is that practical, and
does it work? It's time I cleaned up the tiny almost-rusted areas on my
TS top and make certain it is babied in the future.




Johnson's paste wax. Do not use Minwax furniture wax. It has something in
it that prevents it from being slippery (I guess in case you wax your floor
with it). I found some Johnson's at the local hardware store, but some
claim the Johnson's can be hard to find. You can search the archives, some
have posted online sources for the stuff.

Frank




I use the minwax as it is the only wax I can find in this area and
things are a lot more slippery than without it.

Rick

Glenna Rose wrote:

Thank you, everyone, for all the information. This was so much more
helpful than a sentence saying, "Saw tops should be maintained with paste
wax."

Put me down for a me five or a me ten or whatever on Johnson's. My top is a
year old now, and I can see my face in it if I angle myself right. This in
an environment where tools used to turn into rust buckets overnight, before
I started waxing everything, and keeping a cheap box fan running 24/7 to
keep the air stirred up.

Just to clear up the myth about scarcity, the stuff is available all over
the place. I bought my last can at Wal-Mart two weeks ago, and they had a
jillion more of them. We think the myth started because they stopped
selling the stuff in Kanukisan. But you're not a Kanukistani, are you?
(Canadian, if you don't get the wreckfrence.)

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

"BillyBob" wrote in
k.net:
snip
After seeing a demo at woodcraft, I decided to give the rust cleaner
made by Boeshield a try. Its basically a weak solution of phosphoric
acid. You spritz it on and scrub with a 3m scouring pad (green
grade). It removed all the rust and uglies within a matter of
minutes. My top had not looked this good since it was new. I sprayed
a couple of coatings of topcoat on afterward and I'm happy with the
results.


A little kerosene, used with the green scrubbies, does pretty much the same
thing, for removing any rust. Butcher's Bowling Alley wax thereafter,
because I still have half a can of that, and it works really well.

The only rust problems I have are when I leave wood, generally oak, on the
iron portion of the saw table. So it's a user problem...

Patriarch

(Glenna Rose) wrote in
news:fc.003d094101e02a9b003d094101e021d2.1e02ac0@p mug.org:

snip
Hopefully this weekend, I'll get that taken care of. Luckily, it has
very little rust, only what has accumulated over 20 years from normal
air moisture and lack of use and is more a discoloration than rust.
I'll use a fine steel wool to take that off and use the wax. It has
given me much good service in the past and surely will in the future
and deserves to have some tender loving care.


If it's smooth, and not rusty, there's really no reason to scrub it
aggressively. Bright and shiney really doesn't cut any better, with saw
tops.

Sharp blades, and well aligned fences count for a lot more.

That's where I'd spend my time.

Patriarch

Thu, Jan 6, 2005, 11:10pm (EST-3) (Glenna=A0Rose)
queries:
snip How do you folks keep your tool tops in good condition,
specifically table saws? Keeping them waxed is one thing I've read, is
that practical, and does it work? snip

Duh, yes. That's why people say to do it.



JOAT
EVERY THING THAT HAPPENS STAYS HAPPENED.
- Death

Patriarch wrote:

If it's smooth, and not rusty, there's really no reason to scrub it
aggressively. Bright and shiney really doesn't cut any better, with saw
tops.

Sharp blades, and well aligned fences count for a lot more.

That's where I'd spend my time.

You're a poor sport. It's all about gleaming. Gleaming makes the saw blade
sharper. Gleaming makes the fence straighter. Gleaming makes the finish
stick better. Gleaming makes the saw cut faster. Gleaming is good. I
like gleaming.

(Although I used a friend's saw once that was covered in stable dark brown
rust that had been burnished to a sort of rusty shine with use, and it cut
just fine. I think in days of yore they use to just accept the inevitable
and encourage things to develop a stable rust. Now, however, it's the 21st
century, and we have the chemical magic necessary to promulgate gleaming.
Gleaming is good. I like gleaming. )

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Silvan wrote in
:

Patriarch wrote:

If it's smooth, and not rusty, there's really no reason to scrub it
aggressively. Bright and shiney really doesn't cut any better, with
saw tops.

Sharp blades, and well aligned fences count for a lot more.

That's where I'd spend my time.

You're a poor sport. It's all about gleaming. Gleaming makes the saw
blade sharper. Gleaming makes the fence straighter. Gleaming makes
the finish stick better. Gleaming makes the saw cut faster. Gleaming
is good. I like gleaming.

(Although I used a friend's saw once that was covered in stable dark
brown rust that had been burnished to a sort of rusty shine with use,
and it cut just fine. I think in days of yore they use to just accept
the inevitable and encourage things to develop a stable rust. Now,
however, it's the 21st century, and we have the chemical magic
necessary to promulgate gleaming. Gleaming is good. I like gleaming.
)


BS. I saw your posts on cleaning and laundry. ;-)

Patriarch

Patriarch wrote:

necessary to promulgate gleaming. Gleaming is good. I like gleaming.
)

BS. I saw your posts on cleaning and laundry. ;-)

If the floors, counters, and laundry were made out of cast iron, I'd want
'em gleaming.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/