Retrofit Unisaw with a custom granite top

[Myk Rian]

Well there's your problem!

Stop sanding it and let it look like a "real" table saw.

Pete

That IS the problem. Aged iron is not supposed to be shiny. It develops a patina.
Stop sanding it.

Clean it with Bar Keepers Friend to get any rust off.
Wipe it down with alcohol.
Gob on furniture paste wax.
Melt it in with a heat gun or hair dryer.
Buff it up.

Oh, and STOP SANDING IT

Got a serial number for the saw?
There is a Delta chart on vintagemachinery.org to tell you how old it is.
I doubt it was made in 1922.

[Paul Ryan]

I owned a granite saw for about a year. I have nothing bad to say about it is was really maintenance free. I know have a cast iron top which requires more upkeep. After fighting the elements for years I have found ways to protect my machines. Frequent coats of past wax work better than anything. Along with keeping the tops covered. My table saw top when not in use is always covered with a magnetic sheet that works great. Another option is to build a large cross cut sled that is the same size as your top and store that on the table saw when not in use. I don't use sleds nearly as often now since I have a SCMS but they still come in handy at times. My jointer, planer, band saws, mortiser, drill press, are all waxed frequently about once a month or more depending on use and covered with wood scrapes and other magnetic covers. You can't rely on just wax to do the trick but with wax and covering them it keeps the condensation off the surface. Summer months are not much problem. It is the wet but warm spring days, or the warm winter days when the snow is melting that are the problems. This makes the air like pea soup and the condensation is hell on the cast iron tools. But if you could I think chrome would be the answer. I like steel cities titanium idea as well. I dont know what any of these other manufactures dont try something to make their tools less prone to rust.

[Andy Mail]

That IS the problem. Aged iron is not supposed to be shiny. It develops a patina.
Stop sanding it.

Clean it with Bar Keepers Friend to get any rust off.
Wipe it down with alcohol.
Gob on furniture paste wax.
Melt it in with a heat gun or hair dryer.
Buff it up.

Oh, and STOP SANDING IT

Got a serial number for the saw?
There is a Delta chart on vintagemachinery.org to tell you how old it is.
I doubt it was made in 1922.

I've got a four-footed Unisaw, serial number H-226. I was corresponding with Kieth Bohn in 2003 (he's the guy with serial number A-100). His research showed that four footed Unisaws were made in 1939 and by 1940 the feet were replace with a plinth.

He included my saw and information in his registry, but I don't see that copied to the OWWM machine registry. I'll have to fix that.

I guess I remembered the date wrong .
Unisaw Top.JPGUnisaw Serial No.JPG

So, I guess I'll stop sanding it! Bar Keepers Friend it is.

[Andy Mail]

Ooh, you should have the top chromed!

Funny you should suggest that! We have had subsea parts coated with Nedox from General Magnaplate in Oxnard. It's a really tough nickel coating with teflon. It seems somehow sacreligous to do that to this top though.

[Noah Katz]

Granite is indeed close to aluminum in density, which is about 1/3 that of iron/steel.

Granite tops are heavier because they're thicker and not webbed.

Chrome plating was the first thing that came to my mind, though I imagine it would cost several hundred $.

It's hard/scratch resistant and needn't be garish/shiny; machinists' tools have a satin chrome finish.

[Jim Rimmer]

I've got a four-footed Unisaw, serial number H-226. I was corresponding with Kieth Bohn in 2003 (he's the guy with serial number A-100). His research showed that four footed Unisaws were made in 1939 and by 1940 the feet were replace with a plinth.

He included my saw and information in his registry, but I don't see that copied to the OWWM machine registry. I'll have to fix that.

I guess I remembered the date wrong .
Unisaw Top.JPGUnisaw Serial No.JPG

So, I guess I'll stop sanding it! Bar Keepers Friend it is.

Maybe it's the mist from when you flush the toilet that is causing the problem.

[Andy Mail]

You'll notice the toilet's not bolted down, there's no water supply, and there's no drain.

Every garage needs a portable toilet like this. And the upside is, you never flush it!

Ok, ok, jk.