Hi Everyone...
Thanks to Uncle Sam, I am the proud owner of a brand spanking new General
50-185. I'm still in the process of setting it up. I'm delayed as the holes
in the base don't line up with the holes in the bottom of the cabinet, so i
have to go buy a drill bit to drill them out a bit. not off by much, just
enough to not fit the bolts thru.

I've noticed that the top of the machine has what looks like brown
grease(?) all over it, and a protective sheet. I'm assuming this was to
prevent rusting of the cast iron. Is there an easy way to get this off? And
once it's off, what do i do to protect the surface? can i just use a car
wax? Sorry about all the questions but this is all new to me. I've always
wanted to get into woodworking and this is the first step.

Any help or suggestions regarding setup would be most appreciated. Thanks
in advance.
Ken

Ken wrote: Is there an easy way to get this off? And
once it's off, what do i do to protect the surface? can i just use a car
wax? Sorry about all the questions but this is all new to me. I've always
wanted to get into woodworking and this is the first step.

Any help or suggestions regarding setup would be most appreciated. Thanks
in advance.
Ken
Welcome. They
call it "cosmoline", or some such, and you just need to scrape as much off as
possible, then use a solvent to get the rest. Don't use automotive waxes on the
table, as they may contain silicone, which I hear can wreak havoc with certain
woods. I use Johnson's paste wax, others use a system called Boeshield. Uncle
Sam bought you a Canadian tablesaw, huh? Tom
Someday, it'll all be over....

"ken blais" wrote in message
news:T2n4c.110$F91.63@lakeread05...

I've noticed that the top of the machine has what looks like brown
grease(?) all over it, and a protective sheet. I'm assuming this was to
prevent rusting of the cast iron. Is there an easy way to get this off?

Kerosene, lamp oil, mineral spirits, or WD-40 and lot so frags or paper
towels.


And
once it's off, what do i do to protect the surface? can i just use a car
wax?

No car wax. It may have silicone that can get ontot he wood and screw up
finishes on the wood. Use Johsnon's wax or the like. You can also buy
products like Boseshield T-9 or Top Cote. Most supply houses or
www.leevalley.com have it.




Any help or suggestions regarding setup would be most appreciated. Thanks
in advance.
Ken

No particulars to your saw that I'm aware of. Make sure the blade is
straight to the miter slots and the fence also. Google search this group
and you will find a lot of information on details of setup.
Ed

In article T2n4c.110$F91.63@lakeread05, "ken blais" wrote:
Hi Everyone...
Thanks to Uncle Sam, I am the proud owner of a brand spanking new General
50-185.

[We interrupt this newsgroup to bring you a short rant. This rant is only a
temporary interruption. Actual advice follows.]

Hellooooo! It's *your* money anyway, and you loaned it to them interest-free!
You should be ticked at how much they take, instead of being grateful that
they allowed you to keep some of what is yours to begin with.

[Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. We now return you to your regularly
scheduled newsgroup.]

I'm still in the process of setting it up. I'm delayed as the holes
in the base don't line up with the holes in the bottom of the cabinet, so i
have to go buy a drill bit to drill them out a bit. not off by much, just
enough to not fit the bolts thru.

Have you tried rotating the base 180 degrees? Might help.

I've noticed that the top of the machine has what looks like brown
grease(?) all over it, and a protective sheet. I'm assuming this was to
prevent rusting of the cast iron.

Yep.

Is there an easy way to get this off?

Paint thinner or kerosene.

And once it's off, what do i do to protect the surface?

Use a silicone-FREE paste wax such as Johnson's, Minwax, or Butchers.

can i just use a car wax?

No. Many car waxes contain silicone, which can cause problems with wood
finishing -- the silicone rubs off onto the wood, and finishes won't adhere
properly. Best to stick with non-automotive waxes such as the three I listed
above.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

For a copy of my TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter,
send email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com

Thanks Doug I was hoping I wasnt the only one thinking that when I read his
OP.

Jim


"Doug Miller" wrote in message news:UBn4c.33497
Hellooooo! It's *your* money anyway, and you loaned it to them
interest-free!
You should be ticked at how much they take, instead of being grateful that
they allowed you to keep some of what is yours to begin with.

[Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. We now return you to your regularly
scheduled newsgroup.]

Sorry about all the questions but this is all new to me. I've always
wanted to get into woodworking and this is the first step.

Any help or suggestions regarding setup would be most appreciated.

After getting the saw ready to run, take a lesson from an experienced hand at
using it. For example:

Where to stand while cutting
Where your hands go
What kind of throat plate
When the splitter is needed.
When to use the fence, and when not to
How not to use the fence
How to change the blade (hint, with the saw unplugged)

How to collect dust

The list goes on, but you have 2 hands, 10 fingers, and it's worth bringing
them home every night.

ok..ok...lol..before this turns into a huge war over taxes and all that, let
me just say that i bought a house this year and what with all the mortgage
interest and property taxes, etc, being deductable, as well as deductions
because i rent out the upstairs, i ended up with a nice refund. i plan on
adjusting my withholdings appropriately.

thanks to everyone for the answer to my questions. i'm curious about one
thing, however, once i get all the cosmoline off of the surface using
kerosine or wd-40, or whatever, do i need to do something to get the residue
from that off before i wax it? perhaps rub it down with denatured alcohol or
something?



"James D. Kountz" jkountz@(remove this)citlink.net wrote in message
...
Thanks Doug I was hoping I wasnt the only one thinking that when I read
his
OP.

Jim


"Doug Miller" wrote in message news:UBn4c.33497
Hellooooo! It's *your* money anyway, and you loaned it to them
interest-free!
You should be ticked at how much they take, instead of being grateful
that
they allowed you to keep some of what is yours to begin with.

[Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. We now return you to your regularly
scheduled newsgroup.]

ken blais wrote:
Hi Everyone...
Thanks to Uncle Sam, I am the proud owner of a brand spanking new General
50-185. I'm still in the process of setting it up. I'm delayed as the holes
in the base don't line up with the holes in the bottom of the cabinet, so i
have to go buy a drill bit to drill them out a bit. not off by much, just
enough to not fit the bolts thru.

I've noticed that the top of the machine has what looks like brown
grease(?) all over it, and a protective sheet. I'm assuming this was to
prevent rusting of the cast iron. Is there an easy way to get this off? And
once it's off, what do i do to protect the surface? can i just use a car
wax? Sorry about all the questions but this is all new to me. I've always
wanted to get into woodworking and this is the first step.

Any help or suggestions regarding setup would be most appreciated. Thanks
in advance.
Ken



Congratulations! I bought the same saw a few months ago, and I'm very
please with it. Regarding the base, at first it didn't look like the
holes would line up. Then, with a little pushing, they did. I would
make sure to not over tighten the base bolts until you have the saw
mounted. I scraped most of the Cosmoline of with a plastic scraper.
The stuff was a solid, though, since it was about 10* F in the shop when
I cleaned the saw off. I then used Naphtha to clean of the rest. It
now has a few coats of Johnson paste wax on it.

Regards,
Peter

no; just wax the sucker. alcohol usually has plenty of water in it, Ken.

dave

ken blais wrote:

ok..ok...lol..before this turns into a huge war over taxes and all that, let
me just say that i bought a house this year and what with all the mortgage
interest and property taxes, etc, being deductable, as well as deductions
because i rent out the upstairs, i ended up with a nice refund. i plan on
adjusting my withholdings appropriately.

thanks to everyone for the answer to my questions. i'm curious about one
thing, however, once i get all the cosmoline off of the surface using
kerosine or wd-40, or whatever, do i need to do something to get the residue
from that off before i wax it? perhaps rub it down with denatured alcohol or
something?



"James D. Kountz" jkountz@(remove this)citlink.net wrote in message
...

Thanks Doug I was hoping I wasnt the only one thinking that when I read

his

OP.

Jim


"Doug Miller" wrote in message news:UBn4c.33497

Hellooooo! It's *your* money anyway, and you loaned it to them

interest-free!

You should be ticked at how much they take, instead of being grateful

that

they allowed you to keep some of what is yours to begin with.

[Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. We now return you to your regularly
scheduled newsgroup.]

ken blais wrote:

thanks to everyone for the answer to my questions. i'm curious about one
thing, however, once i get all the cosmoline off of the surface using
kerosine or wd-40, or whatever, do i need to do something to get the residue
from that off before i wax it? perhaps rub it down with denatured alcohol or
something?


Use mineral spirits/ naphtha. These dry clean.

I wouldn't use Kerosene as it leaves a film.


--

Mark

N.E. Ohio


Never argue with a fool, a bystander can't tell you apart. (S. Clemens, A.K.A.
Mark Twain)

When in doubt hit the throttle. It may not help but it sure ends the suspense.
(Gaz, r.moto)

I just finished putting mine together last week. (I wonder if they slipped FWW a
commission for the review that has caused these saws to sell like hotcakes.) I
didn’t have to do any drilling but there is a lot of slop in the base bolts so if
you don’t have those just right, you will have the bolt alignment problem that
you reported. I had to use masking tape to shim the bar for the fence like they
show in the fence manual. I couldn’t get the angle iron high enough to touch that
little gage they give you. It’s a little strange how the table is drilled and
tapped the 3/8 inch holes yet they give you 1/4 bolts and nuts to attach the
fence with. The manual for the assembling the saw could be better. For example,
all the photos for assembling the motor and motor bracket and belt guard are for
a right tilt saw so you have to transpose it in your head for left tilt. The belt
guard seems to use parts that are not shown in the manual. They also don’t tell
you how to attach the switch or those fancy little brackets for hanging all your
stuff. Not a big deal but is just seems strange not to include this stuff.

Mine vibrates a little more than I would like so I ordered a link belt which I
hope will reduce vibration. It cuts fine though. It just vibrates more that my
fathers 40-year old Delta-Rockwell contractor’s style saw that I am used to. That
has a more solid motor attachment andfor that model, the motor doesn’t tilt when
the blade tilts but the motor pulley is free to float on a shaft. Today’s
contractors saws use a stamped steal motor plate which, when the belt is off,
looks like it is going to bend from the weight of the motor.

Mine was lined up pretty good and the table is flat. The fence was amazingly
simple to adjust and is flat within .002 inch over its whole length. Out of the
box, the blade is parallel to the slots within .002 as well. I'm pretty happy
with the saw and hope to be even happier after my link belt arrives.

Scott