I am doing maintenance on my SawStop table saw; removing built-up dust and lubricating the trunnions and gears, etc. In John White’s Care and Repair of Shop Machines, it is recommended that the best lubricant to use would a ‘white stick paste tube.’
Any recommendations?
Thank you,
Tenderfoot Bob
Replies
I checked the Sawstop book and went with their recco for lube. That book is what... 20 years old? It pre-dates the saw you own by quite a while.
Well thank you. The book is indeed 20 years old.
My SawStop manual is dated 2010 and recommends a “good quality, non-hardening grease.”
What grease do you suggest?
Thanks,
tenderfoot bob
Grease is a dust magnet. This is problematic especially in gears where it will accumulate to the point where it can seize the mechanism. The mix can also harden over a long period of time.
Blowing your machine out and spraying on some light oil such as Thrust or even WD40 on a very regular basis is a better solution.
Thank you!
I believe the last time I used a white lithium grease. I looked for the tube, but I must have used the last of it.
I have been using white lithium grease on my SawStop in the past, but I think I recall hearing on Shop Talk Live that it was a bad idea, that it will eventually harden rather than lubricate. Ben-am I recalling that comment correctly?
As commenters have noted, the SawStop manual simply recommends a good-quality grease. So I wouldn't be too picky. I've tried a couple on mine, and the one that seems to last longer is an old tub of Bel-Ray waterproof grease I've had for longer than I care to think about.
And also noted, grease attracts saw dust, no question. That said, you shouldn't be going 10 years or something before cleaning and lubing your saw. My indicator is when raising and lowering the blade there is anything other than smooth movement. When the grease on those big shafts in the SawStop trunnion gets dry, it gets a touch harder to raise and lower the blade and the movement a bit wonky. Then I vacuum out the cabinet, blow the rest of the dust out with a leaf blower, then clean and re-lube everything. This is once a year or 18 months, depending on how much I use the saw.