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For those of us that took wood shop in high school, some of the first things we did was clean the equipment. It was something that we learned over the course of the year from our shop teacher and sometimes our own father when we used the shop equipment in the garage. "You clean it or you don't use it!" After many hours of detention for not adhering to cleaning rules from the shop teacher. Some realized that we may just be mechanics rather than woodworkers.

The job of cleaning a table saw can be cumbersome and dusty. The table saw has a screw adjustment system and if you do not keep it cleaned and machine oiled the wood dust resin will cling and stick to the threads of the screws. If not cleaned over a period of time the screws will become very hard to turn. The screw system allows the saw blade to be tilted and moved up and down. The screw system is very important to the table saw and the best way to clean it is with a wire brush to break loose the resin from the threads.The next step is to vacuum the dust and loosened resin from the inner chamber surfaces. This will keep the dust and resin from accumulating back onto the screw threads. Once the inside is clean of saw dust, it is time to oil every moving part under the saw table.

You are not through yet, you still have things to do up top. The square guide has to be cleaned and lubed too. The tighten down handle that sits at the end of the guide for quick adjustment must be loosened and removed from the table deck.You can flip the table guide over to see the little rollers at each end that let it move smoothly under operation. These wheels have to be cleaned too. The importance of the guide keeps the cuts square during cutting of the wood. The dust buildup can throw off the alignment if not cleaned and lubed properly. A soft bristled brush is best used to clean the grooves on the table top. The guides for angles tools catch the most dust during the operation of the table saw. A quick wipe down with an oily cloth will keep the table saw top clean of rust and give it a longer life in it's use.

Many woodworkers of the past were sticklers for table saw cleanliness and our shop teacher was no exception. These power tools are expensive and if the money is coming out of your own pocket, you will realize soon enough what not cleaning your tools will do for you and your pocket book. Power tools can last a lifetime if cared for properly and though many of those shop tools may have been replaced by more modern equipment of the day. it is still important to keep them in clean operating condition.

Learn more about this author, Rex Coker.
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