Lubricating a Table saw

Neal Haarberg

Neal Haarberg

Active member
I thought I would check the brain trust on here on what can be a sticky subject. I have had a Grizzley G0690 table saw for about 15 years. I make a lot of cuts less than 1" deep and most at 90 deg. after doing this for awhile I find that if tilt or want raise it higher it binds up. I do have a dust collection system on it and use it every time the saw is turned on. I believe this to be from sawdust build up on the gears. I have tried multiple methods to keep lubricated. lithium grease(recomended), wax, teflon spray. All have pluses and minuses. As I am getting ready to do maintenance on it again. I thought I would ask what everybody here uses on there saws for lubricating the trunnions and worm gears.
 
No suggestion on oil as I use whatever light oil I have laying around to lubricate power tools. What I would suggest is to blow the crap out with a compressor before lubricating, and after use, to prevent gunking up.
 
I'm not familiar with that particular saw but if it is anything like my Powermatics it could be the worm or trunnion gear is getting clogged with sawdust, or where the crank shaft passes through a casting is getting rusty/corroded. Heavy grease is a no-no due to tendency of sawdust to make a thick sticky clunky gunk out of it. I recommend blowing the inside of the cabinet out and relubricating the trunnion gears and shafts. Dave's recommendation is good. I use a similar product. Basically, you want a light oil.
 
One other thing I'll mention is I run the dust collector hooked up to the saw while blowing out the cabinet to help evacuate the dust while it is suspended in the cabinet.
 
I abandoned the lithium grease after using it the first time way back when due to the gunk that accumulates. and have tried other stuff since but nothing seems to have lasted. It has been increasingly getting more difficult to raise and lower over the past few years. I keep checking the worm gear and and no accumulation. I even removed the extra gears for the riving knife since I never have used it. They were really bad for collecting sawdust and binding. It was still stuck in the down position. Eric, turns out where the crank shaft goes through the casting was getting stuck. I am pretty sure it has some corrosion in it. I have always been focused on the worm gear and trunnions and don't think I have ever lubricated it.

I used regular WD-40 since I had it on hand and needed my saw with no time to run to the store. Now it works better than it ever has. There is a rough spot but it's not seizing up. Before anybody jumps down my throat that WD-40 is not a lubricant. I am well aware and we do not need to go down that road. I am not saying that is what I will use as a long term solution, but it has me back up and running.

I am still open to hearing what everybody uses for a long term solution. Right now I am leaning towards Daves suggestion.
 
I renovated an old Unisaw a few years ago and I used Boeshield T9 spray on the trunnion gears. Have not opened touched it in several years and still working great. The other option was Johnson paste wax. Both of these do not gum up with sawdust. I don't think I'd use silicon if it gets on your workpiece it can screw up the finish ... I just painted my boat, I set some screws in silicon and did not clean it up. Made a mess.
 
What about using brake cleaner on it to remove any old lube with the caked on dust, then use a lube like Eric or Dave recommend? We have this kind of issue on rack and pinion greenhouse vents, they need lube to move freely, but then the dust sticks and the heat and sun bakes it in place.

Chuck
 
I've always had the same issue. The cabinet shop for 20 years and then my own shop. Powermatic 66, delta Unisaw, and saw stop all seem to work best when the gears are blown clean and a coating of Johnsons paste wax applied. This is how I was taught to do it. There may be better ways but has worked for me.
 
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