Rusty Table Saw Top

[Chuck Kemp]

I live in the South and everyone know's its humid here. My Rigid TS2424 top has begun to rust. I have sanded it with 320 grit paper, cleaned it and then coated it with car wax as recommended in the operators manual. I stil get a light coat of rust.

What does everyone else do to combat this problem? I don't want to coat the surface with a light oil as I would think that would not be good for the wood.

Regards,

[JSchnarre]

Chuck,

Unfortuantly there is no foolproof guard against rust. Really the only way to keep rust at bay is reqular cleaning. There are some products that can help. One is Boeshield. Heres the link: http://www.boeshield.com/

Jake

[JSchnarre]

Another suggestion that I would try, if you are getting a light coat of rust, throw an old blanket on the table after you are done working. This will help keep that fine mostiure in the air of the table surface.

Jake

[Ridgid_rocks]

Do you have a metal roof on your shop? That will draw moisture and make your tools rust. I spray mine with WD-40 every few days and wipe it down good. It doesn't bother the wood at all. Just make sure you wipe it down well.It seems to make it cut better too. Some of the WD-40 gets on the blade and coats it some and seems to work very well.You can also spray WD-40 on there and use 320 grit sand paper and it removes rust well too. That stuff is good for alot of things around the shop...........Donny

[George]

I too am having great results by just wiping down the top with WD-40 after every use. I vac the dust off, grab a shop paper towel, spray the top with WD-40 and wipe off the excess.

I would not recommend the blanket thing. My Mon (bless her heart) who's house had been robbed twice, feared for some antique firearms and wrapped them in a blanket and hid them under the couch. By the time I found out about it and ran to the rescue, the patients were lost. Completely consumed by deep rust. :-(

The cause was the material wicked the oil off the surface. Changes in temp allowed moisture to condensate on the surface of the metal which made the blanket surface touching the metal damp which.... well, you get the idea.

I think you will be fine if you just make a point to wipe it down with WD-40 after every use.

[Chuck Kemp]

Thanks for the comments guys! Figured that everyone was using WD-40, it works well in this enviornment. I just thought a waxed and sealed surface may work better and have less friction than an oiled surface.

Rigid_Rocks
You are right, my shop is all metal construction!

Jake -
I may try the Boeshield if I can find it locally.

One other thought was to cover the saw with a plastic cover so the dust could not collect on top and give the moisture a place to settle in. I even thought that a piece of 1/4 plywood cut to the same size as the saw may make a good dust cover.

My problem is that I travel a lot with work and so its usually a long period between use.

Regards,

Chuck Kemp

[Ridgid_rocks]

Chuck,
Do you have a way to add some insulation to your roof? If so that would help alot on the moisture.The sides will probally be alright but if you don't have some insulation on the roof other tools will show signs of rust sooner or later especially if your not working with them much.Maybe you can check with your local hardware store and check on the kind you just spray on. Hope this helps some.......Donny
tundrausa@hotmail.com

[George]

No plastic!! You will wind up with a big, expensive paper weight for your shop.

[JSchnarre]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by George:

I would not recommend the blanket thing<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Though I wouldn't recommend the blanket cover if you are planning to leave the saw set for an extended period of time. It works well between regular uses.

We have a decent number of competitive tools that we keep in an unregulated storage facility. The table saw will always have a fine layer of rust on them except where something has been sitting on the tabletop. Even a sheet of paper is enough of a moisture barrier to keep that fine rust off.

[Chuck Kemp]

Donny,

Right now it's not practical to insulate my shop. Would be nice but since it is an arch style metal building I would have to insulate the complete building. The building is 30 X 40 feet.

I just ordered the Boesheild and will try that. I need it to keep my mechanics tools clean, even though I don't use them much anymore, (retired helicopter mechanic)...

Between covering the saw and using a good rust preventative should help to reduce the rusting. Will let you guys know how it works in a few months. As of now it don't take long before the rust shows up again.

Cheers,

Chuck Kemp