Can't lift grime of table saw

[Stuart]

But do remember that Aluminium reacts with strong alkalies just as it does with strong acids.

[aemeijers]

20 YO Craftsman table is likely to be cast iron, not aluminum. Some of the stuff bolted to it may be, though.

-- aem sends....

[Stuart]

I thought that was probably the case, I'm not sure where I got the idea the top was Al.

Ah, > It may be down in the aluminum, which is slightly porous.

[Stormin Mormon]

You mean it Can't lift grime of table saw?

[Stormin Mormon]

That could be wrong, or even dangerous;

[Stormin Mormon]

Was the OP table surface aluminum? The table saws I've used have been steel.

A very important caution, in case we're talking aluminum.

[Max]

You're trying to join the flippancy, right?

Max (my OE is set to post responses at the end of a post)

[CW]

The OP said rust. haven't seen much rust on aluminum. BTW, I have never seen a steel top tablesaw.

[Stormin Mormon]

And I just burped!

[aemeijers]

Real table saws, no. When they first came out, sometimes those itty-bitty 'portable' saws (Basically an upside-down circular saw) had heavily ribbed stamped steel tops. Never understood how a saw with a tiny table could be much use for anything bigger than a birdhouse, but they sure sold a lot of them.

-- aem sends,,,

[Steve Barker]

I've never seen one that wasn't.

[Steve Barker]

[Phisherman]

I don't see any rust in the picture supplied. Never use water-based solvents on iron. If there is tar residue you want to remove, the acetone should have taken care of it. But, kerosene is perhaps the best cleaning solvent to use on iron tables. It should remove or loosen the tar, will remove light rust, prevent rust (and resonably kind to your skin). Wipe clean with paper towels or a cotton cloth. After you get your top clean use Johnson's Wax ($8) and buff it out or get a can of Topcoat spray ($15). Be careful, there can be sharp edges that can cut fingers! Sure, my expensive PM 66 has a few defects but still a very accurate table saw. Don't neglect a fence tuneup.

[aemeijers]

In the old days, usually a good grade of cast iron...

-- aem sends...

[Jim Yanik]

aemeijers wrote in news:PsWdnTGr94LOR93WnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

steel is just cast iron with less carbon. ;-)

some table saws have stamped steel extension tables(wings),and a cast iron center section.

[CW]

Go down to your local tool dealer and look around. Jet, Powermatic, Grizzly, Saw Stop, General, et, et, et. Non have steel tops.

[CW]

If the ribs were part of the top, they weren't stamped nor were they steel.

[aemeijers]

Not ribs like a heat sink, ribs like a pickup truck bed. Perhaps 'corrugations stamped into the field area' would be a better description. Looked like the table extensions on a modern big saw. Something to keep the itty-bitty top of the saw halfway flat. My memory could be faulty- I looked at a few of the things maybe ten years ago, decided they were toys, and decided to do without till I had room and money for a real saw. (Got the money now, but no room.) As little ripping as I do, and no cabinetry, the old reliable method of sawhorses, straigtedges, and clamps is adequate. I have a chop saw for square ends on 2x and trim.

-- aem sends...

-- aem sends...

[Twayne]

Come on over; got two here. Delta brands. One ancient, the other abt 5 years. They still make the steel, I"ve seen it in the stores. It costs more is all, but it's less likely to suffer from dings etc..

[CW]

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