Wood Lubricant

[Denco]

I built the router lift in the link below. It came out great, I’m very happy with it. It’s an excellent design. Kudos to the designer. The lift was constructed with plywood purchased at the BORG. In the instructions, the designer noted to lube the carriage tracks with petroleum jelly. Although I have no reason to doubt him, I was just wondering if there were good, alternative lube options available. I was thinking the petroleum jelly might attract saw dust (but I have no experience with it so I don't really know). I’m more interested in lube I can pick up at the big box stores instead of ordering online for this project. Any ideas? Very grateful in advance for any wisdom shared.


http://www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Pr...er-lift-1.html

[lombard]

I'd imagine any dry film (molybdenum disulfide or similar) would work.

[leehljp]

I would be tempted to try waxing with hard parafin wax.

[JSUPreston]

Powdered graphite like we used to use for Pinewood Derby?

[cabinetman]

Powdered graphite like we used to use for Pinewood Derby?

+1. I would try graphite.

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[pelligrini]

Wax it, all shops should have a can of wax.

[LCHIEN]

as mentioned, powdered graphite or some paste wax woudld be my go to for wood lubrication.

[pelligrini]

I've found graphite to be extremely messy. I tried some spray on graphite on my saw and the back gate latch and it was always showing up on something, like my hands. The worst was a busted tube of powder for locks. I ended up tossing a floor mat that was embedded with it.

[cabinetman]

Wax it, all shops should have a can of wax.

Why is that?

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[LCHIEN]

Why is that?

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i agree with pellegrini beause wax can be widely used in a shop. Waxing table tops and other aluminum and iron surfaces that you want to protect and finishing wood and a non-liquid dry lubricant. Certainly can find many uses for it in the shop.

[mpc]

Silicon-free paste wax (furniture wax, not automotive wax) works well to lubricate wood parts, prevent rust on table saw tops, and to make it easier to slide workpieces over said table saw top. (or bandsaw table, etc.)

Johnson's paste wax is readily available at the big-box hardware stores, typically in the isle with furniture polish. Look for a squat yellow can.

It's probably too late for your lift... but I'd consider some UHMW plastic strips (you can buy UHMW "tape" too; I don't know how permanently it sticks though) in the tracks that support the moving assembly. Or you can make shallow rabbets in that moving assembly plate - and trim a little off the top & bottom edges too - and attach the UHMW to that instead.

mpc

[cabinetman]

i agree with pellegrini beause wax can be widely used in a shop. Waxing table tops and other aluminum and iron surfaces that you want to protect and finishing wood and a non-liquid dry lubricant. Certainly can find many uses for it in the shop.

I agree, that a wax like JPW could have many uses in the shop. Like any products used in a shop one should be aware of the caveats concerning the products.

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[leehljp]

You guys have mentioned paste wax (JPW) and that is fine, but I have to ask if it has any advantages over hard parafin wax, other than easier to apply. I may not know of the disadvantges of parafin wax but it has been my experience (from seeing it used back in the '50s on the farm) that the hard parafin wax lasts longer and is more heavy duty for moving wood parts against each other.

Dad, my uncles and other carpenters that I was around had JPW back then but they kept hard wax around for moving wood parts. JPW is more light weight, probably because of the distilates than make it softer and easier to apply.

To me, JPW is as much or more for surface protection than for constant friction action.

Comments?

[cabinetman]

I've found graphite to be extremely messy. I tried some spray on graphite on my saw and the back gate latch and it was always showing up on something, like my hands. The worst was a busted tube of powder for locks. I ended up tossing a floor mat that was embedded with it.

Sounds like you just used too much.

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[LinuxRandal]

Hank

JPW, is just one brand of paste wax. My neighborhood was built in the 20's, and one neighbor I grew up with, was the second owner and longest neighborhood resident (died days before her 101st birthday, still living at home). JPW was one of two brands of paste wax, that was used on the hard wood floors, long before how they are done now. The other brand (can't remember at the moment, something like Treewax) was a harder wax, that didn't go on as easily, but would last longer, buff to a shine (where JPW, was dull), and cause the floors to be slicker underfoot.
So it was how slick do you want it, how hard do you want to work and how often do you want to wax them.