Lubricating Table Saw Inner Parts

[wcndave]

I have a Harvey cabinet saw, and finally got around to cleaning the innards.

It's a bit like this without the router table:

Despite having excellent dust collection, I pulled out an entire wheely bin of dust and debris, and am ready to clean and maintain the moving parts.

They always come covered with grease, however I think that attracts dust, so was wondering what you might all recommend, and any different products for different areas of the machine (inside)?

I have a few products to hand:

WD-40, grease, machine oil, liquid wax, general oil, camellia oil, protect wax, dri-lub, silicon spray, spray for bike chains and spray lithium grease.

I am inclinding towards the lithium spray at this time, however any thoughts greatly appreciated!

 

[Trevanion]

The lithium grease is probably the best

 

[wcndave]

The lithium grease is probably the best

Thanks, spray on one also?

I can of course get something else, I don't mind, there may be little difference between different products, however I defo learned not to use silicon spray on some things, and not to use wd40 on others....

If there's an ideal option not in my stock, happy to hear about it!

 

[Jameshow]

Yes the spray freeze or lube would do fine.

Cheers James

 

[wcndave]

Lithium spray for rods and bearings, but what about these gear mechanisms?

And these trunnion guides

 

[memzey]

For those parts I use PTFE spray on my Wadkin. Dry so it doesn’t attract dust but still keeps things moving nicely. I think I got mine from toolstation for about a fiver. You can also use something similar called GT85 from Halfords/bike shops. It’s a spray lube for chains that contains PTFE to help keep grit from sticking to them.

 

[Deadeye]

For those parts I use PTFE spray on my Wadkin. Dry so it doesn’t attract dust but still keeps things moving nicely. I think I got mine from toolstation for about a fiver. You can also use something similar called GT85 from Halfords/bike shops. It’s a spray lube for chains that contains PTFE to help keep grit from sticking to them.

Whatever you use, be careful to ensure it stays on the parts you want lubricated and nowhere near surfaces that you will put timber across. The penalty for contamination is a "Help! I can't get finishes to hold" thread.

 

[memzey]

From a few squirts of lube on your table saw trunnions? Really, that’s more of a theoretical risk than anything to be actually worried about. The kind of fairy tale that convinces inexperienced woodworkers to part with silly money for fancy “trunnion oil” that will improve everything by 376%. Just keep it simple and you won’t go far wrong.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Dry lube for mtb chains could work well...

 

[memzey]

Dry lube for mtb chains could work well...

That’s exactly what GT85 is. Bit pricey from Halfords but good stuff. I use it and the PTFE quite a lot in the workshop.

 

[LBCarpentry]

That’s exactly what GT85 is. Bit pricey from Halfords but good stuff. I use it and the PTFE quite a lot in the workshop.

Pricey? I think i've only ever got through about two tubes in my entire life!

 

[Nelly111s]

GT85 is on offer 2 or 3 times a year at ALDI. Get some when it's cheap on their Special Offers.

 

[memzey]

Pricey? I think i've only ever got through about two tubes in my entire life!

It does go a long that’s definitely true. I meant to say that it’s pricier from Halfords than other places I have seen it but that probably wasn’t clear enough.

 

[Deadeye]

From a few squirts of lube on your table saw trunnions? Really, that’s more of a theoretical risk than anything to be actually worried about. The kind of fairy tale that convinces inexperienced woodworkers to part with silly money for fancy “trunnion oil” that will improve everything by 376%. Just keep it simple and you won’t go far wrong.

I said "be careful not to"; are you saying that he shouldn't take care not to contaminate?

 

[wcndave]

Play nicely everyone ;-)

You can see from the pictures, I've got the top off my table, which means the main top, the sliding table, the right wing, and the extension wing are all off. (I think the total width of top is about 1.8m of mostly cast iron). So there's no risk of contamination. Also plan to wax the top before next use.

Thanks all, been helpful!

 

[memzey]

I said "be careful not to"; are you saying that he shouldn't take care not to contaminate?

Just keep it simple and you won't go far wrong. As long as you are actually aiming for your trunnions and not the top or, indeed the stock you are going to finish, you won't have problems and therefore don't need to complicate matters more than that.

 

[memzey]

Play nicely everyone ;-)

You can see from the pictures, I've got the top off my table, which means the main top, the sliding table, the right wing, and the extension wing are all off. (I think the total width of top is about 1.8m of mostly cast iron). So there's no risk of contamination. Also plan to wax the top before next use.

Thanks all, been helpful!

I have found that waxing the top is very helpful in getting the stock to slide freely. I just squiggle over the cast iron top and fence (don't forget the fence) with the end of a candle. This works a treat for me but if you have rust issues in your workshop you might be better advised to wax the lot.

 

[wcndave]

I have found that waxing the top is very helpful in getting the stock to slide freely. I just squiggle over the cast iron top and fence (don't forget the fence) with the end of a candle. This works a treat for me but if you have rust issues in your workshop you might be better advised to wax the lot.

I'm using some SHIELD TECHNOLOGY PROTECTOOL WAX.
I've never had a problem with stock sliding, this is only for rust prevention.

Only problem is, spreading it now is quite hard, it's now 8 deg in the shop!

 

[memzey]

I have some Shield technology stuff for preventing rust and used to use it in my old shed which was damp and promoted rust quite a bit. I haven't needed it in the past few years but I recall it was good stuff. The one I had was a thin liquid that came in a tin and left a hazy finish on metals before buffing it off.

In my workshop, ensuring stock slides freely across surfaces is useful habit WRT the table saw but an absolute must when it comes to the thicknesser beds on my PT. These benefit from the wax squiggle more than any other tool/machine I currently have.