Wing transplant; rust “shadows”
Didn’t get much done last week — a little under the weather — but a friend helped me replace the stamped steel wings on my table saw with (drum rollllllll) cast iron! Wow, talk about nice!
The wings are “White Jet” and the saw is “Ancient Blue Jet” so it involved some widening of the holes in the wing to get perfect alignment with the table holes.
Two Questions:
(1) The wings have what I call “rust shadows” on them. Not really rust as generally thought of. When they were in storage, I think one of those router-mat type things was laying on them, and they got just the lightest ting of rust. I cleaned with steel wool and 600# wet/dry sandpaper, and the surface is very smooth to the touch, but there is still this “shadow” of the pattern visible. Any sense in trying to get it off? How can something be rusty and not rusty? I don’t get it.
(2) Any risk in drilling 2 or 3 holes in the outside edge of the wings? I always get nervous when drilling in metal, but I want to hang the router table-top off of one side. Can I just use B&D “Bullet” bits? The holes would probably be 5/16″ or so — should they be done incrementally?
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Replies
Jamie -
The "rust shadows" are probably more cosmetic than anything. As long as the surface is smooth they shouldn't present any problem.
I don't think there's any "risk" in drilling the edge of the cast iron wings but you need some way to hold the drill steady and perpendicular to the surface. You probably already know you should center punch the hole location before you start drilling in order to keep the bit from wandering. How thick is the edge of the wing? If very thick, that's where the concern lies in keeping the bit going in a constant direction so's not to put it in a bind.
You say you want to "hang" a router table off the wing???? Cast iron will deflect given enough force. Are you planning on putting legs on the outboard end of the router table (I hope)?
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Hi Dennis, thanks for the tips. I could clamp some boards to the wing to provide wide support for a drill guide, to get a steady 90-degree approach. I'd guess the iron is 3/16ths on that edge, but it's too cold and too late to go out and measure <g>. I had forgotten about making the punch, but might have remembered when the time came.
My Veritas steel table-top sits in a simple, small oak frame. With the old wings, I had a 2x2 screwed onto the wing, and the frame hinged onto the 2x2. The table-top sits on/in the frame and the whole thing was supported by legs when it was up in the operating position, but could hang down when I needed the floor space or needed to cut long stock and at the same time preserve a router setting. I've been thinking about moving it to the right side of the table, between the rails, in which case it could be permanently "up".forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Cast iron is easy to machine. You'll have no trouble drilling it with a hand drill. A couple of drops of oil to keep the bit cool will help, as will a moderate drill speed. Unlike steel, it's not "mushy" and you probably won't even raise a burr on the edges of the holes.
You could try some vinegar on the rust. Wet a rag and leave it on for a few hours. After center punching, use a small bit to drill first. Follow up with larger bits incrementally, as you said. I would use standard steel twist bits. My router table is to the right. I have 72" guide bars and the table is shop made and fixed between the bars. Seldom gets in the way but lowering the bit below the table and removing the fence is easy when needed.
Hope you're feeling better, any pics of the deck yet?
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
"...any pics of the deck yet?" ROFL. You are toooooo optimistic! With hunting season starting, let's see, Friday for my husband, the deck is on the back burner, so-to-speak. Hmmmmm, deer then two different Elk permits, then geese (or is it ducks? can't remember). How does December sound? Darn!
The plan is for the both of us to tear down the old deck and put in the posts and joists for the new one. Then forestgirl does the rest (you do know he works a few hundred miles away when he's not hunting, right?) This plan is fine with me, but I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy doing it in December, LOL! How do you spell R-A-I-N???
re: the router set-up on the table saw. I'm going to preserve the ability to leave the fence and bit set-up intact when lowering it for clearance on the saw. That ability has been convenient and useful in the past. Will just have to keep it supported to protect the iron from sagging.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
Evapo-rust would do it but you have to soak the entire wing. Not mention the 30 gallons you would need...;o}
I have a new bottle of Rust Free that I can send you. That works really well. It does have that annoying phospheric acid odor but I find it's great for exactly what your talking about. Spray on, scrub with a scotch brite pad (No steel wool) and wear rubber gloves as well.
Don't use any oil when drilling cast iron. It makes a horrible mess and you don't really need to. If you have some beeswax or parafin wax you can rub it on the bit for lubrication. Clamp a piece of wood to the back of the wing while your drilling. If your worried about support for the router table, I would add a large washer to the back. Better yet, a metal bar or a piece of hardwood with matching holes. It will help distrubute the load.
And a standard sharp twist bit will be fine.
Forestgirl,
Cast iron, like wood or leather, develops a patina with age, I'd strongly recommend just leaving them alone, in time the discoloration will just blend into the overall color the iron takes on with use.
Dousing the the wings with acid(!) and other chemicals will create more problems than are being solved and will probably not make everything match in any case.
John W.
Hi John. I don't plan on doing any acid, rest assured. I love my cast iron wings, discolored or not, LOL!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled