chippygeoff Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Hi Everyone. I rang a friend a few days ago who I knew had a DeWalt 788 and i asked him if he wanted to sell it. He rang me earlier and said he would bring it over and I gave him the equivalent of $100 for it. It has stood in his shed for nearly two years without being used, it looks a bit grubby but it is all surface dirt and with some TLC it will come up like new but I am not sure on the best way to clean up the cast iron table, there is surface rust on it and if i could restore the surface to its former glory I know the wood i use on it will slide easier, so any tips on how to restore the table would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Geoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Geoff, fine steel wool with a small amount of mineral spirits or a random orbit sander. Start with about 100 grit, work your way up to 320 or 400 grit paper. Then a good coat of Johnson's paste wax. Don't use car wax as it contains silicone which will contaminate your wood for finishing. I rewax the tables on all my tools every couple months depending on how much I use them. The wax will also keep the rust away. You stole the saw if it is in good working order. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chippygeoff Posted October 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Hi Mick. many thanks for the info. I rang a friend who has been sort of my mentor from when I first started, he lives the other end of the country and he advised spraying the table with WD40 and then using wet and dry with a sanding block. What I did first though was to strip the machine down as much as i could and removed the table and put that to one side. I got my vacuum cleaner going and with a stiff brush i cleaned what I could. I then got some anti-bacterial wipes i happened to have under the sink and used those. It was hard work Mick but when I had finished you would think I had just taken the saw out of the box from the supplier. I then got several newspapers on my kitchen table and got the table from the scroll saw up onto it. I sprayed it with WD40 and attacked it with a scouring pad and then cleaned it up with white spirit. I then got a small sanding black and using some wet and dry with WD40 I went to work. I suppose I spent an hour on it and kept cleaning it off with white spirit so i could see my progress. Now I feel I have got the table as good as i am going to get it, there are a few blemishes here and there but the table is as smooth as a babies bottom. I may have another go at it due course. Mick. I was wondering if you could help me further. The DeWalt 788 scroll saw is not available in the UK and I do not have a manual. I want to get the saw in tip top condition before i use it and I was wondering if I should lubricate anything on the saw. I have cleaned the blade clamps and the threads. I am not sure if I should lubricate the arms or if they are sealed units. If you could throw some light on this Mick I would be really grateful. Many thanks again. Geoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Hi Geoff, I don't have a Dewalt saw but belong to several scrolling forums. From what I have read the 788 requires no lubrication, all the moving parts have sealed bearings. Go to http://www.scrollsaws.com Rick has a lot of great information on the 788 plus many other saws. I fogot to mention that elbow grease works great when cleaning rusty tools. Have fun with your new saw. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chippygeoff Posted October 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Hi Mick. Once again, many thanks for your help. I went to the scrollsaws site and it was a wealth of very useful information and I have added it to my favourites. I went to the DeWalt site and found a section where I could download the manual and that is what I did only to find it was all written in Spanish. I found another site and found one in English and you are right, they are sealed bearings so I don't have to touch them. The only thing I have to do is keep an eye on the motor brushes. Yes Mick, elbow grease certainly works, it was hard work but well worth it. apart from a couple of small blemishes on the table it has come up like brand new and at about $100 a real bargain. I was thinking of getting another scroll saw purely as back up as I had doubts about our electricity supply but an electrician friend told me it would be perfectly okay when i read him the ratings on the motor. I am already to go now Mick and once again, many thanks for your help. Take care and have a great day. Geoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Congratulations on the DeWalt, all I will say is you will love it. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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