anti friction coatings

[dirtrider73068]

I am bound and determined to find something I can apply or paint the table on my EX saw that will make it slick and stay that way. Overall the saw is great, I did find where my rattle is coming from, but on the downside the table is not that great, whatever paint they put on it, is awful, it rubs off on the wood, and kinds is sticky wood does not slide easy, the paste wax does not last long at all. I am half tempted to remove the paint and get back down to a smooth top to keep the wax on.

I have some teflon stuff I can apply to it, but it didn't last long on my craftsman cast iron top but did last a tad longer than the wax. I found some stuff called fluid film but looks like its more for keeping dirt and rust from forming don't think that would be good for wood finishes. I need to find something, I tried on scrap laquar even sanded and waxed it no go was way to grabby would hold the wood wax didn't stay on, tried a triple glaze spray it was too rough even sanded and waxed didn't work.

What idea's does anyone have I am willing to try it, got plenty of scrap wood to spray it to test, I need something that going to stay longer or never come off, looked at these polymor things but did if it spills makes everything slick, thinking maybe a thin piece of plastic or lexan that I can utilize the bolt holes in the table counter sick the plastic and reuse the same bolts, but it needs to be thin, like less then 1/16 so can still make use of my reverse blades.

[termite]

  i put formica on my dewalt. no problem after that. i dont wax mine but my brother-law does his. to each his on.

[dirtrider73068]

Is it pretty slick and stay that way, I tested my counter with a piece of wood and its pretty slick. How did you fasten it down just double side tape?

[termite]

   i used contact cement. on earlier posts someone said they used double side
  tape. i've never had any trouble. been on 3 1/2 yrs.

[dirtrider73068]

Well I am going to have to go on a hunt this weekend and get some and put it on see what I can come up with and do.

[Gabby]

See if you can find any of that special plastic used in cutting boards it's tough and smoothe and just slippery enough. I don't know if it's available in thin sheets.
Someone care to name the material for me.
Brain fart.
Gabby

[jscott2]

Gabby, most cutting boards are polyethylene (PE).  A quick search of eBay has lots of sizes and thicknesses.  Another source might be someone who still has the old manual drafting sheets - if I recall correctly, one side was rough to take the pencil but the other side was smooth.

US Plastics has thin high density PE (HDPE) http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869&catid=705 at a reasonable price.  24"x48"x1/16" for $10, plus shipping.

Home Depot lists some plastic sheets that might be suitable for your table.

Good luck.
Jim

[dirtrider73068]

Well I went on my hunt and found formica to be way to high 42 bucks for a 4x8 sheet of basic white, I am not paying 42 bucks to cut a little square out of it, I did find some 18inchx18inch self stick tiles on clearence for 1.75 each so got two of them, cut it size with a utility knife and stuck it down, so far its working. If it doesn't I got some carpet tape  to keep it down, if nothing else will look up some local cabinet shops to see if can find some or go to my restore here in town and find a old small counter top and whittle down the wood to get the formica.

[Gabby]

I'm not aware what your table is made of however if it is cast iron or aluminum sand all that tacky paint off of there and paste wax it like the rest of us do. Just be sure and sand it down fine so it will be really smooth.
There fixed that and cheap too!
Gabby

[Shogun]

I'm not sure what it would cost you but you could look into having the table top powder painted. We use powder paint inside dryer drums at work and it is extremely durable and very smooth.

[dirtrider73068]

The table on my EX I want to say its cast, as even just the small size its very heavy even though it looks to be just over 1/4inch thick. I have thought about blasting the gray coating off and going down to bare metal them waxing that, but then the thought of rust comes back to haunt me again like it did on my craftsman. I could wax that table and with a couple hours would have to wax again to keep rust off, though it was just surface and running your fingers over it would make it come off, was just a pain to have to wax once a hour. I rather spend my time scrolling and rolling than waxing.

My name is Gary, and I am a scrollaholic.

[Rapid Roger]

dirtrider,
What kind of wax are you using and what are you cutting that the wax on the table only lasts two hours?
I wax my table saw and scroll saw tables with Minwax paste finishing wax about two or three times a YEAR whether they need it or not!
I live in Kansas where we have all kinds of weather from dry winter to very humid hot summers and I cut all types of WOOD without any problems with surface rust.
I just can't imagine that you can wear off a coat of wax by rubbing wood over it under normal use. If the wax is wearing off onto the wood that bad you MUST have finishing problems with all that wax in the wood.
If a drop of sweat should fall on the table, I mop it up immediately and if someone tries to set a cold drink on a cast iron table of mine, they will lose a hand in short order.   
You must need a table so slick that you can't keep anything laying on it if there is a fan running in the room.

Rog

[overfifty]

Hey Rog, Gary's a scrolling machine... nothing but a mountain of woodchips and sawdust in his front yard. Cheers, Barry.

[dirtrider73068]

I use the johnsons paste wax, the wood I use is ply either oak or birch ply unless I go to my craft store to get some BB. When the weather is warm I do have a fan I can turn on to keep cool and some air flow. I do like my table slick, I like to be able to use ever so light pressure to guide the wood around, most times I found myself struggling to guide the wood and in doing so my cuts were not all that great or straight. If its real slick my cuts are nice and clean.

[Gabby]

Gary I live up here in Southern Oregon and have a cast Iron table on my old Delta, and I will sand it down about 2 or 3 times a year and spray it down WET with silicone lube, scrub it around real good and then wipe it completly DRY, then after it's completely dried I can use it and NOT get any silicone on my wood and my work piece will slide off by itself because I have the back of the saw raised about 2".
NO rust problem period!
Gabby