Get your tablesaw into top shape

Top tips and tricks to keep your tablesaw clean

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table saw

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A dirty, resin-caked tablesaw blade is no fun to work with; your cuts aren’t as crisp and each slice with the grungy teeth shortens the blade’s life. Rust on the tabletop is unsightly and creates friction as you slide your wood to the blade. To fight these and other tablesaw-maintenance battles, you need the right arsenal.

1 One way to remove light rust from the cast-iron tablesaw top is with mineral spirits and waterproof, 600-grit sandpaper. In this case, Varsol is the solvent of choice. $4, canadiantire.ca

2 Sawdust has an easy time getting into narrow nooks and crannies. Get the jump on the dust with a Dirt Hound micro-cleaning kit. The bundle comes with five thin vacuum attachments that will let you get into those hard-to-reach areas. An adaptor connects an attachment to a 1 1/4″ hose. Don’t have a 1 1/4″ hose on your machine? No problem. A 2 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ adaptor will hook you up. $15 (micro-cleaning kit), $6 (2 1/2″ adaptor), canadiantire.ca

3 Once you have the tablesaw top cleaned, you can protect it with Bostik’s Topcote. The spray will slow down the onset of rust, keep dust and moisture at bay, and reduce tabletop friction. It can even provide protection for your hand tools. $15, leevalley.com

4 Keep your blades cutting smoothly by getting rid of resin buildup. King’s Clean Cut removes pitch and resin from tablesaw blades, as well as from router and drill bits and planer and jointer knives. Just spray, let sit, wipe off and you’re good to go. $15, kingcanada.com


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