Waxing saw table top?

[dbhost]

I see a lot of posts from cast iron table saw guys like owners of the Ridgid TS3650 talking about waxing the table for protection of the table, and to help material slide more easily over the table top...

Would we benefit in a similar manner even though the BT / BTS table tops are aluminum?

[poolhound]

100% yes. less so for the protection but helps lots with slideability.

[drumpriest]

All of my cast surfaces get Boshield T9 and then waxed with paste wax. The T9 is excellent for rust prevention, and the wax makes everything glide more easily. I did wax my bt as well when I had one, it's a bigger pain, but worth it.

[footprintsinconc]

i use Johnson's paste wax. this will help not get that gray paint on to your wood (i had the problem) and will eliminate the drag when cutting with applied pressure.

[Uncle Cracker]

I use Empire Top Saver, because in our humidity, I can't afford not to.

[LCHIEN]

I see a lot of posts from cast iron table saw guys like owners of the Ridgid TS3650 talking about waxing the table for protection of the table, and to help material slide more easily over the table top...

Would we benefit in a similar manner even though the BT / BTS table tops are aluminum?

you didn't read the FAQ I sent you, did you? From the FAQ:

My saw leaves black streaks on the wood; what can I do about that?.
What Table-top treatment should I use and what should I avoid?
The surface is anodized aluminum (BT3000) or powder-coated aluminum (BT3100) which will not rust. The anodized aluminum top can oxidize and sometimes leave black streaks on wood. To protect the top, the wood, and to make smoother feeding, periodically use Johnson’s paste wax (which can be found in most hardware store’s floor care section) to coat the top, let dry, then polish off. Absolutely avoid all automotive waxes and spray-on furniture wax that usually have silicone in them. The silicone will migrate and will end up on your wood causing finishing problems. Also, do not wax the rails and the miter fence faces.

[ironhat]

you didn't read the FAQ I sent you, did you? From the FAQ: <snip>

Also, do not wax the rails and the miter fence faces...

...or your motorcycle seat - Yikes. Sudden brake applications become a new adventure in fright! OK, a bit OT. Sorry.

[dbhost]

you didn't read the FAQ I sent you, did you? From the FAQ:

LOL, not yet. I figured I would start with some light reading like a UNIX system administrator's guide to warm up. That is a LOT of reading in small print for me eyes...

I kind of figured the Johnsons Paste Wax would be the answer. That stuff seems to be pretty popular to use on saws...

[LCHIEN]

LOL, not yet. I figured I would start with some light reading like a UNIX system administrator's guide to warm up. That is a LOT of reading in small print for me eyes...

I kind of figured the Johnsons Paste Wax would be the answer. That stuff seems to be pretty popular to use on saws...

you don't have to read the whole thing. Its about frequenlty encountered questions, you only HAVE to read about the question you have.
Either scan the list of questions and click on the applicable ones, or
use the Acrobat reader search tool and search for a key word, such as
Wax, top or Johnson's.. Just look for one work use the find next to skip to each instance and see if thats what you need.

[dbhost]

Xpdf doesn't have a search function, and I am way too lazy to install Adobe Reader quite yet... I need to update my OS install anyway. I am running way behind which is embarassing for me. (I am a sysadmin by trade)... I guess it's like the mechanic with the car that won't run thing...

[dbhost]

Okay I took today off, mostly because I have been sleeping really badly this week...

I took the time to wax the saw table top with 2 coats of Johnsons Paste Wax, and will likely apply at least 2 more. The method I am using is simply apply by hand, spread, dry to haze, buff with my RB60 Random Orbital Buffer. (Yeah, I am a Ryobi kind of guy...). WIth two coats of was it is definately slicker. And I had been noticing that I was scratching the heck out of the gray paint on the saw... This should help protect the table itself...

[GaryA]

I use Empire Top Saver, because in our humidity, I can't afford not to.

Cracker - I'm down here too - yep, the humid is brutal for sure. I've been using Empire on my CI saw top with great results so far....wondering if you or anyone else in humid climate has opinions on Empire vs. T9 Boeshield for cast iron. If T9 is an easier or better application, I'll give it a shot. MAN, is that Empire Top Saver expensive!!!

[ironhat]

Cracker - I'm down here too - yep, the humid is brutal for sure. I've been using Empire on my CI saw top with great results so far....wondering if you or anyone else in humid climate has opinions on Empire vs. T9 Boeshield for cast iron. If T9 is an easier or better application, I'll give it a shot. MAN, is that Empire Top Saver expensive!!!

I'd sure be interested as well. PA humidity is quite high - usually in the 90%'s in the summer. As for the Johnson's Paste Wax it seems to me that I'm going to hat to step up my applications from once per year to four times. I can see a slow change in the color of the table top. It's so slow that it's nearly imperceptible until you need to clean off an area and re-wax. It's definitely not one of my favorite maintenance tasks.