I have an old tablesaw that still works well. But the gears often become clogged with sawdust, which makes them hard to turn. I clean them out, but the lubricant I use seems to be a magnet for dust. Is there something I could use that wouldn’t attract so much sawdust?
Paul Cox, Berkeley, CA
A:
I use a white grease stick that has the consistency of soft soap. You can find it in the automotive aisle of most hardware stores. A toothbrush will let you apply a thin coat to the gears that won’t attract much dust.
If you can’t find the stick grease, use a furniture wax like Johnson’s paste wax. It works nearly as well.
To help clean the gears before applying the grease, use a spray penetrating oil such as WD-40 and a stiff brush.
Less grease means less dust. A thin coat of Panef’s white stick lubricant is easy to apply with a toothbrush and isn’t a dust magnet. After scraping some grease onto a toothbrush, press the bristles into the gears as you rotate them with the handle.
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