The maintenance of table saws is as significant as its utilization. In fact, the longevity of its use depends on maintenance.
The frequent maintenance of table saws provide you with a huge certainty that you’d make a clean cut and the performance would be lucid. However, there are two types of table saw that you might like to know.
They are contractor and cabinet table saws. Regardless of the type that you’re using, the majority of their functionalities are the same.
In other words, the material that a table saw comprises of is a huge determining factor to the method and the frequent cleaning that a table requires.
For example, table saws that are made of cast iron require more of cleaning than those made of cast aluminum, why?
Because they are vulnerable to rust even though they are not in use. Indeed, cleaning a table saw is not just about getting rid of the rust but also the removal of clogs in all parts of the unit so as to augment the performance of the unit.
So, let’s consider the 8 systematic ways of cleaning a table saw regardless of the type that one is using.
8 Things to Consider about How to Clean Table Saw?
1. Removal of Workpieces
Before you begin the cleaning of the table saw, ensure that the power is switched off. Ensure that you’ve completed a set of projects before you begin the cleaning of your table saw.
Make sure that no wood nor equipment is laying on the top of the table. However, get them all off from the surface. Then use a clean cloth to clean the fragments off the surface.
Thereafter, detach the blade from the plate and any other detachable component from the unit. Once you’ve done all these, separate them apart to an isolated area so that you can focus solely on the cleaning of the surface of the table.
2. Preparation
First off, identify the materials that are used in the construction of the table saw that you’re using. This would help you to know the manner at which you’d clean it.
Also, identify the type of cleaning that you want to carry out first before you begin. Peradventure you want to casually clean the table, then you would need to get a pail of water that has detergents spilled into it, with a cloth.
Nevertheless, provided you want to get rid of rust, then you would have to get a thick head brush alongside with the soapy water and the clean cloth, so as to rub it.
3. Removal of the Blades
The various designs of table saws are in categories. There are some that their blades have to be removed with the aid of tools while some don’t require a tool.
Therefore, know the very one that your table saw belongs to. You can find out from the manufacturer on helpful tips that you can utilize in the removal of your blades.
Please ensure that the blades are to be judiciously removed if at all you’ve not done that before. Once you’re done with the removal of the blade then you can move on to the next point.
4. Cleaning of the Blades
- Get some water into a large bowl of water and add some detergents inside it.
- Once you’re done, stir the water until it becomes soapy. Do this vigorously until it becomes mixed up.
- Immense the blades inside the soapy water and scrub it with the brush that you’ve made available for its cleansing.
- Scrum the nooks and crannies of the blades and once you’ve done that. Insert it inside another bowl that’s filled with water but free from detergent.
- Rinse it properly and get it stowed in a clean and safe place.
- Wash and rinse the blades first before you begin to wipe off water from its body.
5. Cleaning a Table Made of Cast-Iron
There are units that their tables are made of cast iron. If in case this seems to be your case, then there are two ways that you can clean off rusted parts on your table.
You can wipe it off by taking the nominal process and you can use this second method. The only time that you can utilize the second method is when the unit hasn’t been used for a long time.
At this point, you would get a container filled with salt and another filled with lime. Sprinkle a quantifiable amount of lime on the rusted part with some equal amount of soapy water then you can scrub the surface with the hard-head brush. Afterwards, you can rinse it and wipe off the dabs of water-drops.
6. Cleaning a Table Made of Cast Aluminum
Just as we explained, clean the table by mere wiping off the grits from the surface first before you begin to clean the surface.
Then get the cloth soaked in the soapy water that you’ve made available. Pull out the cloth and squeeze it until the water gets drained.
Then use the damped part to wipe off the dirt from the surface of the table. This is just the rational way of cleaning tables made of cast aluminum.
7. Safety Precautions
- Ensure that you put on safety wears first before you begin to clean.
- Make sure that the unit itself is disconnected from power before you begin to clean the unit.
- Provided you’re using a table saw that has a stand, then you might want to detach the table saw from the stand first before you proceed.
- You don’t have to mess up your work-field with water while cleaning. You can just be discreet about it.
- Apart from the blade, there is no other component that has to be detached.
8. Repetitions
The best way to get the mastery of this is by continual practices. The more you practice, the more you are adept.
Final Verdict
This is how to clean a table saw and you won’t suffer damages at all at the aftermath. It would even preserve the material that’s used in the construction of the unit. Nonetheless, the tips supplied here are applicable to all kinds of table saws.