Professional Azek users question....

[Larry Edgerton]

This question is for guys that have used "a lot" of Azek.

I have ended up in a niche market restoring historic homes using Azek as a medium. For example on the job I am just finishing up the Azek bill is over $60k, so a lot of material.

Here's my question: I currently have three Hitachi slide saws, love them on wood, absolutely hate them on Azek. The problem is that the slides pick up Azek dust and it builds up on the linear bearings causing stiction. I have to clean the slides about every ten cuts. On this job there has not been too many cuts that my 12"Makita miter saw could not handle, but enough, and my next job has more wide pieces, so......

I want to buy another slide saw, but one that will not bind up quite so fast from the Azek dust. I looked at a Makiita with the slides under the table which would seem better, but if they bind up it looks like it would be harder to clean. I don't want one of those huge saws that are on the market if possible, they would be too hard to use/transport on the jobsite. I love the Hitachi's but I have not found a solution to the stiction problem.

What are you using, and how often do the slides bind up. Just with Azek use of course, wood is no problem for what I have.

One thing I have been thinking of investigating is being as Azek dust has such a static charge, maybe there is a way to polarize the saw so it will repell dust? I'm not all that sharp on anything electric so if someone has some input on this please chime in....

Thanks, Larry

[Ray Schwalb]

You've hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Static guard, the aerosol laundry aid is just the ticket, spray the tools, spray your clothes, it works. If I was doing that much Azek, I'd make inquiries about the Festool Kapex and one of their dust extractors. The Kapex dust collection is 2nd to none.

[Brian Ross]

Not sure if you consider the new Bosch saw a huge saw but it has no slides. It works on pivot points that in simplified terms are like hinges and everythink is enclosed. I believe it will give the Kapex a run for its money under any circumstance and I am a Festool user.

Brian

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Static electricity definitely is a problem with Azek. I don't use a "lot", but I did renovate my deck posts and trim with it, and the dust got stuck to everything - on top, on the sides, and even underneath the TS extension table. good DC helped, but did not totally cure it. Static Guard is an interesting suggestion, but I would definitely read the ingredients before spraying liberally on my tools. You might also just keep compressed air handy, to blow it all off. I find that Azek dust settles out of the air very quickly.


As an aside, it's interesting that you restore historic homes with Azek. I think it makes perfect sense, but I have a friend who just tried to renovate his deck at a vacation house on Cape Cod, and the local "historic commission" nixed his use of Azek decking, because it "wasn't consistent with the historical nature of the area". Now - his home is a very simple Cape, but the *area* is historic. They finally relented and allowed Azek trim (as long as it's painted) because other builders in the area (prpbably 'connected' to the commission) were allowed to use it, but he ended up having to go with mahogany decking.

[Peter Quinn]

I rrebuilt my porch with another brand of PVC trim, same basic stuff, made all cuts with a 10" makita scms, no sticking problems with the rails, but that nasty dust does get every where. We have some old hitachi sliders at work and I find they are particularly prone to sticking, even with wood or mdf. Not sure my experience with PVC trim qualifies as a lot relative to what you are doing, but I'm not sure any saw is going to work well for too long with that white menace stuck all over it. I used a pc vac on the slider to catch as much of the mess as I could at the source.

[Larry Edgerton]

Ray, thanks for the tip on static guard. Sometimes the simplest solutuions are the hardest to see........ I'll try it.

John, I have had problems with "Historical Societys"as well. Mackinaw Island will not allow its use, but Azek is going to use the job I am just finishing up to show that there is no difference when finished. If we could get the quality of wood [at a reasonable cost]that the original builders used it would be no problem. We can't.

The local historical society stopped by my current job when it was at the final paint stage and could not tell that it was not wood, and I didn't tell them any different.

Larry