What to put on new table saw table to prevent rust?

[Dan]

Got a Powermatic PM2000 delivered Friday. Got it all put together, this thing's SWEEEET!!!!! (sorry for the gloat!! ;-) I cleaned off the surface coating the factory puts on, I'm wondering if I should apply a coat of car wax or something to prevent rust? I have read that car wax is OK, but also that only floor wax should be used, as car wax contains silicone (though I'm not sure all car waxes do). I've also seen this mentioned:

I'm wondering what people here are using.

TIA

Dan

[HappyGilmore]

Floor wax, or have found bee's wax to also work ok.

Have found settled dust causes a bit of rust on my tool surfaces. So keep them covered as much as possible or blow off the excess dust as much as you can when not in use.

[Cubby]

I use Johnson's paste wax. Pretty cheap and works ok for me. I live in a near zero humidity climate however so you might consider something else like Boeshield if you are in wet part of the country. Cheers, cc

[B A R R Y]

I use Top Cote, Top Saver, or paste wax, depending on what's handy. The paste wax brands are Trewax, Johnsons, and Butcher's, depending on what paint store I'm in when I need more.

Nice saw!

[William Andersen]

[EXT]

Chrome it.

[Dan]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I'm loving it so far. So accurate. I have a Bosch 5412 sliding miter saw which for the life of me I have not been able to produce a gapless mitered frame with, even though you'd think that's what the damned thing was MADE for. I suspect it may be the blade that came with it. Anyway, after just the initial mounting/adjusting of the fence on the Powermatic, I cut a perfect 2' square mitered frame out of some of the wood from the PALLET! NO gaps! I was stunned. The finish on the top is so nice, want to make sure I protect it! A lot of people have suggested floor wax in general & johnson's in particular, so I guess I'll try that 1st. For those who use Johnson's, I'm assuming this is the one:

[Charlie Self]

It is generally better to avoid car waxes; some have silicone, which may cause problems with finishes at a later date (this isn't true of all, and often isn't a problem anyway because of the minuscule amounts, but, IMO, falls in the "Why take a chance?" category.

I did an article for Woodwork that ran in August of '05 that may help, or may turn you to mixing your own waxes (which is what the article is really about). Check and see if your local library has a copy.

[strikerspam]

[Stephen M]

That's the one.

For

[goaway]

Dan, Truth be told, to really prevent rust, not just the stuff you see, but the rust that forms in the innards of you tools as well, you must control the cause of the rust, moisture. My shop is in the basement, the temperature difference in the basement just promotes moisture condensation on EVERYTHING, To reduce it, I run a dehumidifier. Yes the cost of electric can be high, but I have a fair amount of my hard earned cash in tools. Besides who wants a musty smelling basement anyway? Yes I do wax my surfaces of my tools to help, but keeping the moisture away does most of the work. I just can not afford to replace damaged tools.

One minor note, it seems anytime I leave something on a surface, it promotes the rusting activity even more. To that end I did buy from HTC the "breathable" cloths. They do seems to work as advertised.

Good luck

[<marierdj]

I would be inclined to go for the "breathable cloth. I have an unheated garage located in a Northern coastal Canadian suburb. For two years I stored diesel engine parts. I covered most of the parts with a bedspread. Those parts that were not covered did show heavy rust and the covered one did not.

[samson]

I use Boeshield. So far, so good.

[Ferd Farkel]

Someone just tossed out a nice 2 x 3 foot chest. Guess where my planes are going once I get it fitted with a couple of sliding tills?

Where is the condensation coming from? Fiberglass pipe tape might be a good $20 investment.

[mjd]

mentioned:

I'm wondering what people

I recently ordered the TopSaver kit from Woodcraft to get some rust off of a used jointer I had bought. Worked great for the de-rusting, and is supposed to be effective as a protectant as well. Nice stuff - recommend it so far, although it's only been a few weeks of course.

[larry309]

Dan; I use Boeshield(sp), Woodcraft carries it, I also use a non silicone wax. Both work for me. I use the wax regulary on my Bies, glides real easy.

larry

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