new saw -- talcum powder

[max]

I am being way over cautious. Only once in the last twenty years of woodworking can I be sure that wax influenced the finish. As for the rags, why take chances. Danish oil, grease, wax (any petroleum product or oil) rags get removed from the shop before I leave. I both sand and scrape the wood. I do wax some things like the miter gauge bar, the fence face and probably most things that aren't cast iron. Talcum leaves the cast iron very slick with repeated coats over the years and even though my basement is moist, my cast iron tools never rust. max

[B a r r y]

Fair enough.

I'm silly careful with oily rags, especially anything that's got any BLO in it at all. Nothing like a handy bucket of water to toss the rags into! My shop is UNDER my house, so I have extra incentive to be careful.

Barry