Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

levittownnick

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To help the work slide smoothly as it is pushed into the blade, I bought "Shuffle Board Wax" and sprinkled it on my saw table. The wood slides almost as easily as a puck BUT it caused the protractor in the "T" slot to bind or jam. Who would have thought? I'm guessing that shuffle board wax is not really a wax. Got any Ideas (When I cleared the "T" slot with a clean & dry acid brush the protractor was back to normal.)
Thanks,
Nick
 

Tim Frank

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Yeah, it is a wax. but is not dimensionless....or a thin-coat.
There are lots of products that can do what you want....such as BoeShield T-9 etc. or even just paraffin wax melted on and buffed out like you were doing skis.
But be careful that you don't end up with anything on your projects that might inhibit whatever finish is going on.

e.g. many silicone products are he## on finishes.
 

Fireman431

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

We used to use a thin coat of WD-40 when sliding sheets of 3/4" plywood thru, but we weren't worried about any staining or coloration. Try on a few scrap pieces for colorfastness.
 

joed

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

I use floor wax. The old style stuff that you had to polish. Not sure if you can even still buy but I have and old can.
 

rivermouse

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Clean it off and spray a little armorall on it.....
 

SS MAYFLOAT

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

I've used baby power before. Its a lot easier to clean off for doing fine finish work. Of course you have to apply it frequently once is works out. A little goes a long way.
 

Fishing Dude too

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Spray silicone on table to make things slide easy also helps prevent rust
 

steveg05

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Take some wax paper and scrub all the surfaces with ,It works great!
 

levittownnick

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Thanks for all the suggestions. I knew that this was the place to go.

Nick
 

204 Escape

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

You can get some "dry silicone" to spray on the table. SUGGESTION: rub the metal top down with some 000 (triple ought) steel wool, first, and after. Wipe the table down, and re-spray.
 

rbh

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

As long as the table had some dry saw dust on it I never had an issue, they're like little ball bearings.
The track for the T fence I would think should just be clean and the built up grunge polished off for a smooth run, anything like parafin wax or a liquid lubricant would just lead to a sticky build up in the track.


Is the top of your table cast iron or plate or SS??
When cutting big sheets of ply wood Is there a slider surface on the fence, HDPE, plywood??
 

levittownnick

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

It's a 10" Craftsman saw. The central section is cast iron and it has sheet metal extensions on the left and right sides. In the past I have used talcum powder as a surface lubricant. Talcum powder worked well except that it gets all over you. I was at a sports bar and the table shuffle board games is so slick that I thought that would be great for my saw. The rest is history.

Thanks for all the input.
Nick
 

Fireman431

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

I would certainly try muriatic acid...what could it hurt? :D
 

NewfieDan

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

You can get some "dry silicone" to spray on the table. SUGGESTION: rub the metal top down with some 000 (triple ought) steel wool, first, and after. Wipe the table down, and re-spray.

Don't use silicone. It may affect the finish you want to put on later. Silicone may prevent the finish (stain) from leaving a uniform color on the wood.
 

Fleetwin

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Not to hijack but this is a great topic, I've always wondered about.

Wouldn't wax/petreleum/silicone based products have an effect on staining the wood later?

Believe it or not, I've always thrown a little flour (baking) on the table.:eek::)
 

SS MAYFLOAT

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

If you have a blast cabinet with glass beads, those little rascals will let your wood slide real good. However don't let em get on the floor, they can be like ice.
 

chriscraft254

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

I know you didn't come here for this answer, but buy a saw that has an aluminum top and you will not have many issues with sliding material. My bosch is the best table saw I have owned. I clean and brighted the aluminum once or twice a year just to keep it clean.
 

Tim Frank

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

If you have a blast cabinet with glass beads, those little rascals will let your wood slide real good. However don't let em get on the floor, they can be like ice.

Glass beads within arm's length of a (probably) 10" circular saw blade? :eek::eek::eek:

Not sure even tungsten coated safety glasses would save you from that one....:facepalm::facepalm:

All of these "Here's what I use ...." responses are well meant, but when you can buy a proprietary product for ~ $10- that has been developed for just this exact purpose, the "well-judged" part is in question.
Boeshield /Topsaver/ Bostik are all good choices.



Here's what "Nahhhmm" has to say :
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,564500,00.html
 

joewithaboat

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Re: Table Saw Surface Treatment Fail

Boeshield /Topsaver/ Bostik are all good choices.
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I own a small custom mill work shop where we have 5 cast iron top table saws and various other cast iron tops. These above 3 products all work well.
We use 0000 steel wool and paste wax also. A tip for the wax... wax it then throw some saw dust on it and buff with a clean cloth. Slick as snot.
 
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