Aluminum saw table reconditioning

[PeteB]

Well, I got my saw today, a two year old 20" Hawk. Very good condition overall, but the table has some circular scratches in it and feels pretty rough.

So would wet sanding be the way to bring it back? Any recommendations on grits? Do I have to go reclaim my orbital sander from my neighbor, or will a rubber block do?

Pete

[lucky788scroller]

YES, go reclain your sander from the neighbor, before he thinks its his! Then, Id put that away, and use a little MS (mineral spirits), and some 400 or 600 grit paper and wet sand it with the paper wrapped around a wooden block, in a circular motion. Go finer if you want it real shiny. Then, clean it off really goodly, and give her a good coat of Johnsons Paste Wax (yella and red can , in the cleaning, floor waxing dept of the store). Dale

[PeteB]

The sander was a bit of a joke. Actually, the NDN's son clipped a saber saw and it disappeared permanently, to Kentucky I think, BUT I am a little unsure about the whereabouts of my sander, too.

Sounds good, Dale, that's exactly what I'll do.

Pete

[Rolf]

I agree with Dale on using a wooden block you want to keep the table flat. I would also suggest that you cover the the mechanical bits so that you dont get any grit into any of the bearings. The mineral spirits and fine 400-600 grit will penetrate and potentialy trash your bearings.

[PeteB]

Thanks for the suggestion, Rolf, and I think I'll take the table off for the exercise.

Using the suggestions I've received from you and Dale, the table should turn out very nicely. I would have NEVER thought of using mineral spirits myself, but it will lubricate and clean. This is a great forum.

Pete

[Rolf]

Yes it is a great forum with a lot of very talented people.
Taking the table off is a great idea, I was going to suggest that but if it is like the table on my RBI G4 it isn't very heavy and you may have to do some creative clamping to hold it. One of the guy's in our scroll club just sanded his and it looks like new.

[Marsha]

Hi All,
Just read these posts about cleaning the table on your scroll saw,
does the paste wax not affect the piece your cutting? Can you still stain and will the paste wax come off the wood with a bit of sanding? I have only used mineral spirits to clean my saw, I've never used the paste wax.
Thanks
Marsha

[Mick Walker]

Marsha, have been using Johnson's paste wax on my saw table for 14 years and have never had a problem with it contaminating the wood. Don't use car wax which contains silicone as this will contaminate your wood. I apply it with a paper towel or an old cloth then buff it with another soft cotton cloth. I use an old wash cloth. I do this every 2 or 3 months. Makes for a nice slippery table. Mick P-20

[sheltiecarver]

Evie and Marsha,
I don't know if it was my suggestion you're thinking of, but I suggested that you use a crumpled piece of waxed paper to slick up the table every once and a while. It works very well, there is no detectable build-up, and it is cheap, cheap, cheap! That's all I use on my Hawk, but I haven't done anything big where sliding really easily might be a bigger concern. Mostly, I didn't want it to slide around too easily - I'm always thinking it might be like one of those Oija boards (Evie, help me spell this!) - moving under its own volition if I got it too slippery.
Sandy

[Trout]

I use...

Table-Top lubricant by Empire...
it comes in a spray bottle, it cost me $14.99 and I think I used it once....
maybe it's time I give it another coat ....

Trout

[lucky788scroller]

Never had anything but good from using the johnsons paste wax. Theres no silicone in it, and you will be amazed how the wood will glide on that 788 table Marsha. You will wonder why you havent done it long ago! Also, do your bandsaw table, tablesaw, drill press, every surface susseptible to rust! Dale

[Rolf]

I have always used a product called topcoat or something like that, it is in a spray can. I use it to protect all of my cast iron bits in the basement. It is very slick on my Tablesaw and really works great for rut protection. I used it on my Hawk yesterday and felt that the table was NOT so slick. So based on what I read here I put some paste wax on it, WOW what a difference.
That is why forums like this are such great places.

[Gill]

Fortunately, I've never had problems with the surface of my table. If I was to, I think I'd be tempted to stick a piece of acrylic over the top. That should be smooth enough to allow the workpieces to slide over it and stable enough to provide a square surface. Like Marsha, I'd be worried about paste wax contaminating my work, even if others here would regard those worries as unfounded.

Gill

[B Smith]

I also use johnsons paste wax and never had any problems . Bought the last can from the hardware here and am told it is no longer available in Canada.