Removing table saw rust SAFELY and QUICKLY 

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Quickly becoming my favorite channel on RU-vid.

'Or like blood stains from the guy who put a drink cup down on the saw and was never heard from again'. Priceless, James!

Last summer, I drove 6 hours to South Florida to buy an old Delta Cabinet Saw from a woodworker that had retired about a decade ago. That saw top was pretty rough. I mean, there wasn't a single Millimeter that wasn't covered with rust. Some WD 40 helped. PB Blaster worked better. And about 30 minutes with my Random Orbital Sander and some 400 grit sandpaper made it look and feel new again. I use Minwax Finishing Wax on it to maintain the top now. On a woodshed without any Climate Control, and in Southeast Alabama, its working well. Good tips, as usual!

I have a harbor freight table saw that I use in my shop. I'm a hobbyist, and I don't make any money off my work so I'm okay with the lower end stuff. I don't have any problem with rest right now, but this video is damn near perfectly timed for me as I was just planning on pulling it out and cleaning it. Excellent work as always, I look forward to seeing more from this channel.

Timely advice Stumpy. Summer is over here in Ontario Canada and I'm looking forward to a winter in the shop. A little tool maintenance is first on the agenda. Thank you!

Great tips, James. Most of my Shopsmith tools have aluminum tables, which can oxidize, so my approach to them is slightly different, but my cast iron tools have all been through the WD-40 Scotch-Brite then paste wax treatment and it works great. As for damage done by visitors to my shop, I once had a guy set a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee down on my planer bed, and within two minutes it took us to realize that he had left it there, it had already generated deep rust ring. The stain from that ring remains today, but no one has seen the visitor in years. Scott

This is exactly what ive been planning on doing this weekend and this video came just in time!!

You can always count on Stumpy Nubs to deliver a short, concise and effective tip to everyday woodworking. Even tossed in some myth busting to boot! Excellent video as always Stumpy Nubs, giving the "of course" feeling in many viewers! I wonder if that waxing tip would work on a coated tool top? Would it be beneficial to the tool and it's use? I'm assuming the tips here could be transferred to most gliding surface tool also? That's how thought provoking a Stumpy Nubs video is! Gets your creative juices flowing! Keep being awesome Stumpy Nubs, take care and stay safe!

Take a look at Carbon Method to protect cast iron. No, I am not a paid sponsor. I applied it about a month ago, too soon to do a real test, but so far it is working very well. I think it could very well be a game changer.

I have been doing this exact same procedure on all of my cast iron tops on my machines for over 25 years. It has worked great keeping rust at bay.

Good info, clearly and concisely presented, as always. Thank you and keep 'em coming.

I loaned my Dewalt job saw to a friend who had it on his deck overlooking Copano Bay . The table had issues when he took it but when I got it home a large amount of the magnesium ( I guess ) coating was gone so after asking everyone in Rockport Tx. I thought would care about my issue I finally grabbed two cans of appliance epoxy paint. Sanded it down with 220 on my favorite 5" orbital blue taped where I didn't want it 30 minutes later nice saw table top. Let cure for a week +/- tough as nails except for the running belt sander. Great video I'm going to watch another

An old timer that I worked with back in the "80s used the ball end of a 32oz Ball peen hammer to burnish the table. He held it with one palm on the flat face and his other hand on the handle, using long strokes parallel to the blade he would get the surface to shine. plus the tiny slight concave lines helped break the surface friction. plus no clean up.

I just cleaned and waxed my saw top. I actually just purchased some of turtle wax’s new graphene type wax. Boy did it make the saw top slick. Used a gray scrub pad on my sander. Wiped it really clean. Used a little alcohol to get rid of residue. Then I proceeded to apply 3 coats of wax over the weekend. The top has never felt better. They didn’t have any in paste form, so I tried it. Worked like charm! Great info, as usual stumpy!

James, I am once again appreciative of your sound advice. Thank you!

Lots of good suggestions here...and a preventative measure I use is to run a dehumidifier in my shop from early spring until late fall. This has really been helpful as my shop is in my basement when it is quite humid. Before I did this I did have a lot of rusting issues. Thanks, James, for another great instructional video that makes a difference.

Always good, useful, and simple recommendations that every shop can use James. I agree with most of the cleaning methods except using commercial denatured alcohol on clean ferrous surfaces. All commercial alcohol sold is at best 90-95% and contains up to 10 or more % water by the very nature of alcohol being very hygroscopic (water-loving). Cleaning with alcohol for small parts may be ok as the surface area is small and the residence time is short which is not always the case on large tool surfaces. So best are hydrocarbon solvents that you mentioned for both degreasing and keeping then from flash rust

You really are the king 👑 Stumpy Nubs. Thank you

Great video as always 👌🏼 You sir are always the first (and often only) reference I go to for great tips and advice. Thank you again🫡

Thanks Stump. I’m heading to the shop now for a little session with my t.s.

Really fantastic tips, James! Thanks! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

That does work and we appreciate your reminding us James. Keep up the good videos and stay safe. Fred.

Maybe you could do a follow-up video. I'd be interested to see how you might bring a saw back it's been aggressively sanded. Not for me I'm asking for a friend. He might have done serious damage the top of his song that he bought brand new 20 years ago and then sat in storage for 10 years and then with sanded aggressively and thought was beautiful again and then put back in storage for 5 years then I got it out recently it was really excited to click on this video so you could tell his friend about how you might be able to fix it. Hypothetically theoretically speaking. I'm sure he'd really appreciate it if you would do that.

Great video Stumpy much appreciated🙌🤘🙌 RIP Billy Canstainer

Nice work & great advice. Thank you

I once left some freshly cut, not perfectly dried wood on my saw and came back two days later with heavy rust. I used the WD-40 with 400 grit sandpaper trick and it came up really nice. There was a bit of shading that I couldn't get rid of but hey, I don't expect it to look perfect for the rest of its life. The saw was about 5 or 6 years old at the time and when I had first purchased it I cleaned the top, brushed on water based polyurethane then wiped off the excess with a rag and let it cure. That seemed to have lasted for almost 5 years. I now never leave wood on my saw and re-finish it every few years and it's still looking great, except that spot where I left the wood for a couple days.

I use Johnsons paste wax on all my metal tops, aluminum too, I put it on every month in the summer and twice over the winter because I heat my shop all winter and it doesn't seem to need it as often. Thanks for all the great videos.

I purchased a pneumatic jitterbug sander to do this using wet-dry automotive papers. I don’t trust the organic vapors around electric motors in close proximity. This trick works well on my very old Craftsmen saw. I was just given an upgrade, 2HP direct drive Craftsmen, with some serious rust on the top to which I will be applying this/your remedy. Who knows, the former owner may become jealous and want it back!

I live within spitting distance of Lake Ontario. My workshop is in my basement and in the summer time we get such high humidity that I just don't do any woodworking. If I do, the sweat pouring off my brow seems to instantly rust my table saw, with or without a coat of wax. I have found that automotive rubbing compound applied by hand then followed with a coat of paste wax really helps to keep the rust at bay.

Thanks for your videos, great advice. I do this for my table saw however a synthetic inhibitor like Inox MX3 (no I have no commercial interest) will do a much better job at preventing rust than paste wax for much longer. I find paste wax needs to be re-applied after a week or so whereas I have gone a month between applications with an inhibitor.

Exactly! I scrub with a Scotchbrite if things get rusty, but keeping them waxed (I love Johnson Wax, still have the can I bought forty years ago... Doesn't take much!). Yeah, keeping the cast iron waxed is key. Table Saw, Band Saw, Drill Press's... so many cast iron surfaces, all protected with a very thing coat of wax. It's a beautiful thing.

Once again, great advice. I've been doing this procedure for years ....on my aluminum top job site saws. Aluminum oxidizes and gets "draggy" as fast as iron, you just don't see it. I use a very fine sandpaper, i000 grit or 0000 steel wool as the aluminum is softer than iron. If done on a nice hot summer day in the sun, I'll apply the wax while the surface is very hot, it seems to get into the micro pores/grooves better and lasts longer. I do the same thing on my second hand Rockwell table saw in the shop. That saw had some serious rust in a couple of places when I got it. I've even used car wax on occasion to see if it lasted longer, nope, about the same.

I had clean up an old delta unisaw for my boss that had been sitting in a garage for a year and a half, almost the same solution but i glued scotch brite to a sanding disc for a random orbit sander, worked great, looked like new after an hour of scraping and wd40 and the pad.

I have had very limited success with paste wax. Bostic Glide Coat is expensive but gives excellent results for rust protection and smooth sliding for the wood and outlast the wax many, many times over.

One of your best videos to date

Ah, I am a fair weather woodworker in Toronto suburbs. I basically have a garden shed that I call my workshop. It is too small for any of the big tools. So in my backyard, I have a delta tablesaw, dewalt 735X planer, 16 Craftex Bandsaw, Rikon Drill, a compressor, Vacuum etc... and yes they are literally under the sky. I keep them covered with heavy duty tarp when not in use. When I need them I take the tarp off the machines, do what I need to do and cover them back again. Each machine has its own tarp. I do this in all types of Canadian weather, well except when it is raining or snowing. So all this back story just to say...while I agree with paste wax, the problem with it is that it comes off too easy. So if I was to apply paste wax and then use the machines for lets says 4-6 hours ..the wax is all gone, and if I was to cover it with tarp without applying a fresh coat, table will have light rust by next day (by light I mean, you can just wipe off with a cloth), however if I don't use the saw for a week, the rust would need to be sanded off. I have tried various combinations, the best that work for me are silicon based rust inhibitors etc. ..however now I've got a rust proof that one of machine shop friend gave me. I was first cautioned against using silicon based products because they can supposedly prevent finish from getting applied. However just like Stumpy mentioned, I always need to sand anyway. In essence, what I wanted to say was that wax works however you may deligently need to apply it often if you are in a rust prone situation.

I went sanded with 800grit with my 6" ROS and the. Use PB Blaster Teflon spray. Worked great. I was worried that even 800 was too aggressive but I'm glad I saw this video.

Great video. Been here a lot. Living in North Florida and doing woodwork means moisture issues. In the summer, drying a board is tough, if I get down to 17% moisture I am thrilled. I have found two products that keep my saw tops from rusting. StrikeHold does a good job as a preventative and so does BoeSheild T-9. Neither are real cheap, but both are effective. I use more StrikeHold because it frees rousted bolts and nuts so well. So it is always on hand, it is my first choice. I use Boeshield on my boat motors and rigging to seal out saltwater. And prevent corrosion. Boeing Airlines makes Boeshield, its what they coat their airplanes with to stop rusting and other corrosion. Both create moisture barriers, blocks salt, corrosion and most chemicals. They maybe over kill for those of you living in dryer climates, but in humid area… saves me a lot of cleaning. Image it will extend my cast Iron table tops by decades.

I use a silicone base lube that drys hard quickly. This has worked well for me over the years and is also very slick.

Hi James, I enjoyed your take on cast iron surface maintenance. My go to is my trusty orbital sander, I use a 5" machine. I too clean the surface with WD40 then I start out with 220 pads or 320 then move through 400 and finish with 600 and do a final wipe down as you showed. Johnsons paste wax is the best choice for me as well just don't let it sit too long. If it dries you'll be losing muscle mass before the surface is polished. As a side note WD40 is NOT a lubricant, it just displaces moisture thats all. WD makes lubricants but WD40 isn't one of them. Look forward to your next vid. Taipan Woodworks

For a saw I got, the rust and paint was so bad, I started with 150 grit on the random orbital with dust collection to bust through the crud and rust, then went to 220 grit that left a decent finish before I waxed it. Some day I’ll get it up to 400 grit polish.

0:34 THANK YOU for explaining were "Naval Jelly" comes from I Appreciate your Humor. It is Reminiscent of you EARLY VIDEOS.

I have a Tauco tilting-table table saw. Circa 1939. Still working perfectly. For the last 18 years I have been using a nylon abrasive disc on my power drill to remove rust. Also called a face off pad. It's kind of like a very coarse scotch bright pad. In the beginning iI found rust build up within weeks but after finding a RU-vid video recommending Paste Wax I found the answer. Unfortunately we do not have paste wax in our Country but have something similar called Cobra Wax. After I stared applying this to the saw top, I only need the abrasive pad about every 18 months.

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

I didn't have WD-40 so I used a bit of PB Blaster and a scotch brite pad. Worked great.

Love the Ryobi blue.

I've been cleaning cast iron surfaces for years using WD-40 and a flat stone. Once I remove the rust I wax it just as you recommended. From there on, I wax it about once a month.

Harvested from bellybuttons - I nearly spit my cocktail out through my nose! Poking around my dad's shop as a young lad, I found that bottle. The lurid color combined with my lack of spelling skills conjured that very image fifty years ago. It took me a long time to muster up the courage to ask him to explain....

Thanks For The Great Info!!!! Much Appreciated!!!!! 😀😎👍

I love me some Jonhson Paste Wax. Especially because of the friction free surface it leaves behind. My truck never gets wax, but my tabletops see it religiously.

I have used WD-40 and a paper towel (Scotch-Brite pad anywhere there is a whisper of surface rust) on all of my cast iron for at least 25 years. I remember all of the negative comments online, and in magazines, on how that was the worst thing yo could do. Then several years ago, I was reading a test in Fine Woodworking, and lo and behold, after extensive testing of some very expensive, and well touted products, WD-40 was picked if not the best, along with them. I have never bothered with paste wax, because when things aren't slick any longer (maybe 4 times a year), its time for more WD-40. I also don't tend to use paste wax, because when it's too cold to feel my fingers in the shop, WD-40 is still slippery.

I bought my cabinet saw from a guy who must have stored the table in salt water. I ended up scraping off the rust with a putty knife, then orbital sanding the “remains” with 400 auto body paper, careful to sand evenly and consistently. I waxed it and went to work. After awhile, the faint sanding swirls were polished off by use. I’d certainly never perform such a process on my Bridgeport mill table, but it’s been totally adequate for a woodworking machine.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge James. A great video! 👍

Fine steel wool and oil👍🏻exactly right. Paste wax before storing. Nice video.

I recently did this but my cloth was coming out dirty when wiping the wax on. Is that normal or do I need to go back and wipe everything down again and rewax?

I do the paste wax on my saw about twice a year and all is good. No rust at all!

Love this channel.

Early on I made the mistake of using a rust remover on my 8" jointer, not sure of the brand but it was too aggressive. The whole surface became black and very finely pitted. I am ready to bring it back to life. Thanks for the tip on not using sandpaper as cast iron is very soft. I will try to use minimal abrasion. It's not pretty now but it's still flat!

Awesome! Thanks!

As you were applying the naphtha after sanding, I was wondering why not stick with WD-40 ? And then you did! Good video!

I use a palm sander like that too! Except I found a scotchbrite sheet actually clips into it nicely, so I use that.

Dang that saw top is beautiful

I use satin water based poly or shellac to seal my cast iron surfaces.

Excellent video! ! use Boshield and/or the last tin of my Jonsons paste wax.....on my saw, bandsaw, drill press, and metal lathe and milling machine. I live in Michigan and my tools are in a garage that also houses my two cars so that can expose the metal to condensation. But my own preferred method is to cover those metal surfaces with OSB plywood or regular plywood cut to fit the surface and that has been oiled down with a mixture of 50% WD40 and 50% thirty weight motor oil. Get the oil absorbed into the wood a bit and than remove all the excess. Those wooden covers protect from rust AND physical damage such as dropped tools or parts. Ir you have a metal lathe or milling machine you know how those tables and ways are ground and hand scrapped to incredible tolerances....and a dent from a dropped tool onto lathe ways or rust would ruin your day for sure. The chances of rust forming when you are using the tool is not an issue as you can keep it clean and wiped down as you work. Where the damage and rust happens is when you aren't using the tool and it is exposed to condensation, dirt, atmospheric contamination, spilled fluids (llike coffee or soda), overspray from airosols, etc. By the way WD 40 is a very poor lubricant....it is meant for moisture displacement. I believe it was developed for the miliatary to prevent rust on arms in very humid climates.

Thanks so much for these excellent tips!

Great tips and tricks thanks

That's a nice looking top👍

Been using Johnson's Paste Wax for years. Works great...........

Great video on an important topic!

I highly recommend Carbon Method instead of paste wax. Been about 2 months on my table saw and jointer and both surfaces are super slick. AND no rust. Which used to be a big problem for me near Chicago.

Amature DIY guy here, would you also recommend paste wax for an aluminum podwer coated top jobsite table saw? Its not that it needs corrosion protection So much as im trying to make feeding smoother.

Would use of a Random Orbital sander do damage such as swirls on the table top or any other issues? Thanks, Jim

Nice video. Just would like to share that Johnson's paste wax has been discontinued, no longer available most anywhere and whoever has stock, the prices have shot up like crazy.

I manage a gun store and use Jig-A-Loo to keep firearms free of rust when stored over long periods. It is solvent-based, which is harmful to plastic or polymer, but this might work on table saw tops as well. I think it's manufactured in your country.

Thanks James, that would apply (pun intended) to my new Harvey Ambassador band saw (based on your recommendation). WD40, didn’t realize that one. Thanks again!

SC Johnson Paste wax is $147 on Amazon.

Good tips, but I have another dilemma with a table saw top. It's a well used 200yr old table top with tons of pits. Being cast iron of some sort, I thought about surface grinding it taking off a really thin layer, but concerned with age & being cast the heat would warp it. Asked about have top brazed as well, but again the heat could ruin it. Final thought is mixing a very thin coat of epoxy with silver coloring to try and fill the divits, but takes away from the character. My goal is to restore this saw to working condition again, so any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The top is still usable as is, but was going for a cleaner classier look the a top with a gazillion nicks pots, & dings on surface..

Since you're talking about rust, the youtube channel Practical engineering just began a series on rust prevention/management. So, since the first video of that serie was about cathodic protection, that makes me wonder, does anybody use cathodes for rust prevention on tools like table saw tops and such ? It feels like it could be real cheap, and help protect the stuff in the long run. I'm thinking of putting one on the anvil I use for forging outside.

I use super fine steel wool with paste wax. Follow up with a buff with a soft cloth. Don't get too aggressive on that pressure though. No rust and my wood glides across the surface.

I sooooo needed this to sell my table saw :) , its not realy rusty. But i need to clean it.

If you were to polish the crap out of the top would it be more rust resistant?

Hey Stumpy, Have you heard anything about how carbon coat has been working for people over any kind of time. I have a new dovetail Harvey TS and love it. I want it to make it through the winter in my cold garage. Ty Bill

I’ve heard “Fluid Film” is good because of the lanolin base. It does whiff a bit but really does protect machinery.

Dangit, I had to rewind. Was laughing too hard after the Naval Jelly comment.

Like that ceramic wax hybrid, since i used it the condensation hasn't formed on my table saw at all, {wasn't a problem till I moved to Fl.} I've heard it can discolor finish but haven't experienced it at all.

On day my mom cleaned the windows in my workspace, she forgot her waterbucket on my planer and it stood there for 3 days, as usual there was water on the bottem. After I put it away, I was shocked, there was already a rusted circle on it, good for her I was able to remove it

Thanks for sharing that!

Good tips. I like a clean table saw top. However, while cutting some treated lumber for a project I accidentally left a scrap piece on the table overnight. The chemicals from the lumber pitted the surface of the table where the scrap was. Makes me sick at my stomach when I look at it.

I go a little overboard after rust removal I use T9 boeshield then after that dries I use paste wax. I live in florida so it's always humid here. It's been about 6 months since I applied it in a none climate controlled shop with zero rust.

Any cleaning solvent recommendations for those of us in California? I like the citrus stuff, but it can cost about as much as the tool I'm cleaning.

How about a jobsite saw with paste wax? No issues currently with sliding boards across the surface but curious about future projects over time.

This maybe a stupid question but is it ok to use those sand flex pads on the bottom of plane irons? Like it won’t take theM out of flat

I have a RYOBI saw the table is I guess, what do you recommend?

Moving away from the coast helps, too. Trust me on this.

Any tips on flatning table saw tops?

the trick I was taught was neutral color shoe polish for rust protection. but I don't know how it would get along with woodworking. gun bluing remover will also make severe rust go away quick. along with pretty much anything you spill it on.

Just curious. Here in Arizona. You can’t find Johnson’s paste wax anymore. I’ve heard they discontinued it 😮

So how can I remove the "dark" that is left after the rust has been removed?

I always get little spots when a drop of sweat falls on it, which for me is constantly.