Cleaning table saw

[josephD]

Hi guys/gals. father in law gifted me his old table saw. Good quality from what I can tell. But its been sitting in my garage for 4 -6 years. 

Any advice on cleaning or maintenance required before I use it? 

Thanks in advance, 
Joe

[museumguy]

My best advice, clean the inside with compressed air, especially the gears for raising/lowering the blade and angle tilt. I like to spray them with a PTFE lube. Work it in the gears until everything turns easily.

[barryvabeach]

Agree with the above about cleaning, though you may have to start with a vacuum before you go to compressed air.  Next,  I would do a tuneup.  If you can find a manual online, that may let you know how to approach it, or check youtube.   I just skimmed this, and it seems okay  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU7Z3h0ovcs  though one based on your actual saw would probably be more helpful.

[R Clark]

Welcome to the forum.

If you find that old lube/grease are caked on to surfaces and gears, you'll want to remove that.  I use WD-40 to cut through that stuff and wipe it out.

After it's clean, then lube.  As mentioned, PTFE lubes are good.  WD-40 really isn't a lube, but can be used for very short term needs like during the cleaning process.

There are YouTube vids that show how others clean their saws and remove rust, particularly on the top of the saw.

Any other info you have about the saw may help us point you to other useful information.  Brand, size, pictures of the identiplate, and so on.

[josephD]

Welcome to the forum.

If you find that old lube/grease are caked on to surfaces and gears, you'll want to remove that.  I use WD-40 to cut through that stuff and wipe it out.

After it's clean, then lube.  As mentioned, PTFE lubes are good.  WD-40 really isn't a lube, but can be used for very short term needs like during the cleaning process.

There are YouTube vids that show how others clean their saws and remove rust, particularly on the top of the saw.

Any other info you have about the saw may help us point you to other useful information.  Brand, size, pictures of the identiplate, and so on.

Thanks all for the help. Will visit the local store for PTFE lube tomorrow.