Polishing a Sawstop table saw top

[RogerP]

I have a two year old Sawstop table saw that has some marks on the surface that I would like to remove. There is no rush on the saw since it is kept in a heated and AC controlled space. I was thinking of using Rotex 125 with a Vlies A280 grit abrasive to renew the surface and remove all the marks. Has anyone had any experience using these items cleaning a table top. Also what cleaning solution did you use and what compound did you put on afterwards to prevent to marks in the future.

 

[SittingElf]

My SawStop has had a hard life. Much of the time in high humidity environments and surface rust has been something I've had to stay on top of.

The vlies on an ETS should be great. I just use green scotchbrite pads and some Evapo-Rust (great product!), then follow with some WD40 scrubbing.  Once the rust is gone, I put at least three coats of Johnsons Paste Wax on the cast iron, and then if I'm leaving for any length of time (like my six-week work schedules in Nigeria), I overspray with Boeshield T-9 spray, and don't buff it off. When I get back, I just use some mineral spirits to clear the residue and a coat or two of Johnson's Paste Wax to keep the table slick.

It has solved my cast iron rust issues on my Table Saw, Drill Press table, Jointer/Planer, both Bandsaws, and my Lathe bed.

Others may have different methods, but this has worked best for me after many trials.

Cheers,

Frank

 

[Birdhunter]

I have a Sawstop Industrial as well as a number of other power tools with cast iron tops. I've had to accept the reality that the tops will stain over time.  I use Beoshield and they still get stained spots even in a dry shop. I have no idea what causes the stain spots. They just happen.

I'd be very careful using an abrasive on cast iron. It is a very soft metal. Too much "grinding" and you could dish the top.

I'd call Sawstop customer support and ask for advice. I've found them to be extremely helpful.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

If you can sand a board flat you are not going to dish a cast iron top with an ets or rotex for that matter.

 

[Rob Z]

Roger, I've cleaned up cast iron surfaces in the shop with Platin pads on the Rotex, and then applied a coat of bowling alley wax.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have avoided wax on my table saw, jointer, and planer. If the wax gets into the pores of the wood, it messes with some finishes. I have not had problems with Beoshield, but I buff it out after it dries.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have avoided wax on my table saw, jointer, and planer. If the wax gets into the pores of the wood, it messes with some finishes. I have not had problems with Beoshield, but I buff it out after it dries.

Johnson's paste wax has had no ill effects on anything I have made in the last 10 years.  I would like to know how it is going to get into the wood pores?  Spread it on, let it dry, buff it out.  There are no gobs of it for the wood to slide through.

I prefer it over boeshield and I use a lot of boeshield for transporting.

 

[ear3]

What pad do you use to buff the wax?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

A cut up t-shirt, manually. 

 

[Samo]

People read the OP post again  [cool]

He is looking at a basically new saw with a couple of scratches.

 

[Birdhunter]

I didn't see "scratches", I saw "marks". If he's trying polish enough to remove scratches, he could dish the top depending on the depth of the scratch. It's the same with some stains. They can go pretty deep into the metal.

I'd like for my tools to be perfect, but when they develop a scratch or a stain, it's a "beauty mark".

 

[RogerP]

Thank you all for your input. The saw top has some marks on, but they are not scratches. Over time a spot of this and a spot of that will get on the top and leave a mark. Since I have a small shop I some times use the the top to do glue ups. I always put newspaper down to catch glue drops, but occasionally the glue drops will be heavy enough and go through the newspaper to cause small brown mark on the top. I guess if you look at it technically, it's probably rust. In any event, after discovering the glue can go through newspaper, I have switched to butcher paper to cover the top. Works great. Unless anyone is violently opposed, I will probably use my Rotex 125 a Vlies 280 pad and WD 40 to clean it (with very little downward pressure), use lacquer thinner clean up the oil and then put down a couple coats of Boeshield T9.

 

[teocaf]

on a related side note, i was ordering some stuff from infinity tools this weekend and i hapenned to notice that they sell boeshield t9 by the gallon, which i had not seen before.

 

[baldguy]

like most other posters, I use johnson's paste wax.  it's cheap, easy, and has lots of other uses around the shop.  I also don't sweat the marks too much.  Rust is one thing - that can be damaging to the usable life of the saw.  if it's just scratches... I try to avoid them but if they happen, they happen.  I might be strange, but I'm of the opinion that a tool that is well-kept and clean, but with a few marks here and there, just shows that its owner is using it.  A tool that looks brand new but isn't... makes me question if the owner is actually building anything at all

edit: as for removing rust - I have tried the scotchbrite pads with some success, but I usually end up using some WD40 and a sanding block with 400+ grit wet sanding paper.  I don't like using a power sander on that sort of job, but that might just be my own paranoia.

 

[rljatl]

I posted this in another thread here, too.  Works great.

Dry Erase Magnetic Surface Protector

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Enough lumber over the table will usually wear away the scratches too. [big grin]