New saw on it's way

[snkysnake]

I got a little frustated with my Hawk, I was having trouble changing blades due to eyesight problems and a bit of hand shake. I have put the old Hawk up for sale, and ordered a new Delta P-20. I've heard the Delta saws are shipped with some protective grease or something on the table. Any advice from other Delta owners on what to use to clean up the saw and put it into service? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks...larry

[Bill Wilson]

This isn't original to me. It's been posted and passed around on another woodworking forum for a few years. I copied it and pasted it into a file on my hard drive to save it for future reference. It's a process called "Dave's Dirty Dozen"

"Dave's dirty dozen"
1) Scrape as much of the sludge as you can off with cardboard from the shipping container or a plastic scraper.

2) Use Simple Green right out of the container and tons of paper towels to get the rest off.

3) Wash off the Simple Green with more paper towels and clear water. Dry off with even more paper towels.

4) Spray the top down liberally with WD40. The WD in WD40 stands for Water Displacing, by the way.

5) Take a finishing sander, like a Porter-Cable 330, and put it on a ScotchBrite green pad. Random Orbital will work, but makes a hell of a mess.

6) Sand the top evenly until you feel like you've "massaged" the WD40 in very well. This also will knock some sharp spots off your top, a good thing.

7) Take even more paper towels, and wipe the top until dry. It will feel slightly oily.

8) Using a quality furniture paste wax (Johnson's, Minwax, Butcher's, whatever is available in your area), wax the top thoroughly and allow to dry.

9) Wipe off the bulk of the excess wax with paper towels.

10) Wax it again.

11) Buff well with paper towels.

12) Last step. Take a piece of wood with straight edges, and rub the surface of the saw in the direction of cut with the wood, as though you were cross-cutting it.

It's a **** sight more steps than "wash off with kerosene", which is what all the manuals say. But, it leaves a top that is seriously ready for work, and won't need to be screwed with every couple months. I rewax my tops every year or two, and they ain't rusty...

When I got my DeWalt, I simply used mineral spirits (because I didn't have any Simple Green) and rubbed it down with steel wool/scotchbrite on a block of wood. I didn't use WD-40, but I did aply paste wax. I have no rust, but my shop is pretty dry.

[Mick Walker]

Larry, I have had my P-20 for 3 years. I just used paint thinner to remove the coating from the table. I then got my random orbit sander out, started with 150 grit, 220, 240, 320 and finished with 400 grit on the table top. Then applied Johnson's paste wax. Give it a fresh coat every 2 or 3 months. Don't know if you top or bottom fed with your old saw. You can top feed with your P-20. Just holler if you have any other ??

[snkysnake]

Thanks Bill and Mick

Thanks guys , that's just the sort of experienced answer I was looking for. The saw is due in on thursday via UPS. I'm so anxious I think I'll get the paper towels and head out to the shop a few days early ! LOL I'll let you know how it goes this weekend..thanks again ...Larry

[lucky788scroller]

id wash it off with the mineral spirits really good. once all the greasyness is gone, smooth it out some with a few grits, but theres no need to give it a mirror appearance. then wash the table off with rubbing alcohol, it helps remove any moisture in the surface, them wax it good with Johnsons paste wax (or any wax with NO silicone). Dale

[Green Frog]

Delta P-20

Have one here for the past year no problem that really needed to go back to shop for However I do think they could have done a better job with the bolt that goes through the blade holder ( it is 3.5 mm) little hard to find 3mm to small 4mm to big and so far only place i found them is Delta,so i have some on hand
I do love the saw and it has cut many feet of board and I hope many more to go . Green Frog

[email protected]

[PuzzledMoose]

(or any wax with NO silicone). Dale

Why a wax with no silicone, Dale? Just curious ...

[Bill Wilson]

I'm not Dale, but what I've heard is that silicone in wax on your tool surfaces could transfer onto the wood and cause contamination problems with certain finishes. I know it doesn't sound likely, but not worth taking the chance AFAIC. I once had a problem with an oil based varnish I was using. I went onto the Finishing Forum of another WW site to ask for advice. The resident expert told me that it was possible (albeit remotely) that the paper towels I was using (cheap generic brand) to wipe the dust off between coats could have contaminates in them that caused my finish to react badly. I never would have imagined such a thing, but won't use them anymore for that purpose.

[PuzzledMoose]

Thanks Bill - I'd never heard that but there's lots of things I've never heard ..lol Interesting about the paper towels - I use them to dust things off too - at least they don't cause a problem with BLO/mineral oil.

[lucky788scroller]

Bill answered it for me, Thanks Bill. As for cheap paper towels, I use them a lot when danish oiling, never had a problem with that. Dale

[workin for wood]

The greasy substance is cosmoline ...dont guarantee that spelling. Mineral spirits usually take that off, or a few drops of diesel fuel helps if the table has swirls in it. I used to use johnsons paste wax, thats a great product, no silicone in it and its cheap as well as lasts a long time and has many other uses. I am using bostich products now..not sure thats spelled right either. The bostich does a slightly better job on rust protection and makes a slippery surface, as well as being a bit easier and faster to apply, but a bit more expensive. Good new is its made here in michigan and we really need to support the michigan economy being that its the worst in the country.
The boshield works awesome in the pellet gun too. I definitely notice an increase in power by shooting into a wet phone book and then measuring the thickness of where the pellet stops. With gun oil I am 75% through, with the boshield T9 I almost penetrate the back of the book at 50 feet.
In the summer, when the ground hornets build a nest down in a mole hole, the T-9 makes a very impressive flame thrower too !

[Rolf]

Jeff,
bostich as in staplers?

Is it a paste wax, oil ?