Sticky mitre saw

[Pete W]

A bit of an oddball question...

Last year I bought an Axminster mitre saw like this one:
http://www.axminster.co.uk//images/prod ... 607_xl.jpg

It hasn't had a lot of use, and it's been idle most of this year but a week ago I used it to put 45-degree mitres on some simple shelves to fit in the corner of an airing cupboard and it did a good, accurate job.

However, the upper rail on the saw (or the metal brace - not sure what you'd call it - seemed to be binding in the hard plastic guides, making it harder work than it ought to be.

The question is, what would be a good lubricant to ease this metal-on-plastic problem? I don't want to make it worse by using something that will gum things up.

 

[Bean]

Hi Pete
try good old WD40, but first have a good look round to see if there is any amount of dust build up. Clean this off first and give the area a good squirt. I would then wipe off the excess as it may attract dust.

Bean

 

[Gill]

I've got an old Bessey mitre saw that operates on upright plastic roller guides and the metal saw can sometimes stick on these. Rubbing the sides of the saw with a candle where it is in contact with the plastic guides helps to lubricate it.

Gill

 

[engineer one]

hi, problem with the many cheaper miter saws is that it is difficult to ensure that the top tube stays square to and within the slider blocks.
probably a ptfe spray would be a better idea wd 40 has some value, but a dryer spray would probably be more valuable.

also i would guess temperature changes would have some bearing on this (oops sorry)

paul
may all you shavings be plane ones. :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

WD40 can destroy some plastics.

 

[Matt1245]

I have used wd40 for the same problem i had on my old mitre saw. No problem of it rotting the plastic etc. Also any non silicone release spray should do well, can give your blade a spray with it too.

Matt.

 

[DaveL]

GT85 gives a longer lasting coating for this sort of problem.

 

[Bean]

GT85 can also be cheaper if you look around the local bike shops.

Bean

 

[Pete W]

Thanks all... I'd never heard of GT85 but a quick Google turned up enough info to convince me it looks like the business. Besides, it's ... British =D>

 

[dedee]

I use french chalk (uncented talculm powder) to keep mine moving freely

Andy