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Oil, WD40, etc. around wood?

J

Jesse Tutterrow

Joined
May 5, 2017
Messages
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Location
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
I started in flat woodworking and one of the cardinal rules was NO oil, silicon, WD40, etc. anywhere it could contact wood. If it happened you could / would have a problem in the finishing stage.

Is Woodturning different?
I see videos that say to put a little oil on the bushing in a knurling tool before use. Or to oil the bushin on the mini Sorby texturing & spriling tools.
I see videos that say to spray WD40 on your bandsaw table and lathe ways to prevent rust.
Doesn't the wood sliding across the bandsaw table pickup part of the table's coating?
Doesn't the oil on a knurling / texturing / spiraling tool spray off onto the wood?

Please help me understand this apparent contradiction.
 
I have always used Johnson paste wax for the things you mentioned, my table saw and jointer and have never had any problems. Recently however I have been trying WD40 on the lathe ways and since there is no contact with the wood there is no problem. I have always avoided silicon. Generally you remove a significant amount of wood before finishing except when using the texturing tools. It will be interesting as to others practices.
 
Those lubricants don't pose any problems with the penetrating oil types of finishes, which have solvents in them. If you are doing a spray type finish, or a surface type finish, any oil or wax, can cause problems with the finish sticking to the wood.

robo hippy
 
So BLO, walnut oil, etc. is ok, but lacquer or shellac would have a problem.

What do you do if you plan on finishing with lacquer or shellac? Just don't oil the bushing in the knurling or texturing tool?
 
For lathe bushings, I use CA for wood pens. I soak them in a small jar with acetone and wipe off the residue. Ready for another batch!
Paste wax for the TS, BS, lathe bed.
 
John Torchick said:
For lathe bushings, I use CA for wood pens. I soak them in a small jar with acetone and wipe off the residue. Ready for another batch!
Paste wax for the TS, BS, lathe bed.
Click to expand...
Different type of bushing. I was using the machinist term for a harden steel slieve that rides / slides / spins on a harden steel pin. (Think piston rings and cylinder walls in an engine) Since you have steel on steel contact some (many?) say you need to lubricate to lengthen tool life. My concern is that the lubricant will get on the finished wood and affect (effect??) the finish.

I really don't want to limit my choice of finish based upon whether I textured a part of the piece.
 
John Jordan said:
I use WD40 by the gallon-have for 40 years. Never had a problem, but I don't get it on the wood.
John
Click to expand...
I saw John do this at the Atlanta AAW Symposium, and have ever since. Like John, no issues with the wood, only great experiences when moving the banjo & tailstock (& the headstock whenever I do move it.)

Rich
 
RichColvin said:
I saw John do this at the Atlanta AAW Symposium, and have ever since. Like John, no issues with the wood, only great experiences when moving the banjo & tailstock (& the headstock whenever I do move it.)

Rich
Click to expand...
Bless you my son. :D

JJ
 
We had one of our turners do a demo and used WD40 on inside to aid hollowing. Now as to the affect on finish I do not know. I do use it on my bedways in beginning and sometime on the end depending on wither turning wet or dry wood. I have waxed my saw tables for years and never a finish problem due to this wax.
 
I use Johnson's Paste Wax on almost everything ... bell cranks, worm gears, jack screws, tablesaw, bandsaw, drillpress, handplanes, jointer, planer, SCMS, aluminum window frames, desk drawer runners, hinges, wood screws, brass weatherstripping, and anything that needs to be low friction and/or protected against moisture and rusting. I think that it is mostly carnauba wax and paraffin wax. I haven't noticed any problem if it gets on wood.

The only silicone lubricant that I use is CRC Heavy Duty Silicone. It is the only one that I have found that dries and doesn't result in a greasy feeling film. I don't intentionally spray it on wood although I did try it once to see if it would adversely affect a spray lacquer finish ... as far as I could tell there was no fish eye or other problems. The nice thing about the CRC silicone is that dust and chips don't stick to it so I use it to lubricate all the moving parts of my Oneway chucks.

I don't buy WD-40 by the gallon, but I do use it for lots of things. It's great for the locking cams on my lathes. I don't like to spray it except in places that I can't reach with an oil can. I use regular SAE 30 motor oil to lubricate the sintered bronze bearings on my lathe. WD-40 now makes lots of different products. I tried their silicone grease in an aerosol can. Bad stuff, bubbly greasy mess. Gives silicone lubricants a bad name.
 
Jesse, went back and re re-read your original post. I understand what you are saying. My mistake...and so early in the month!;)
 
I have three bronze bearings or bushings, I've heard them called both, on my Powermatic. The locking headstock lever, banjo and tailstock lever have one each. I like the thicker oil on these, lasts longer then WD, plus, I upend my oil jugs to drain the last drops into my Dads old oil can... Makes me feel good...
 
Clifton C said:
I have three bronze bearings or bushings, I've heard them called both, on my Powermatic. The locking headstock lever, banjo and tailstock lever have one each. I like the thicker oil on these, lasts longer then WD, plus, I upend my oil jugs to drain the last drops into my Dads old oil can... Makes me feel good...
Click to expand...

I think that there is a subtle difference that is sort of blurry. I think of a bushing as something used for an alignment or guide pin that provides a snug fit whereas a bearing provides a rotating or sliding fit.
 
Bill Boehme said:
I think that there is a subtle difference that sort of blurry. I think of a bushing as something used for an alignment or guide pin that provides a snug fit whereas a bearing provides a rotating or sliding fit.
Click to expand...
I think bushings used for rotating members used to be called "sleeve bearings"
 
Bernie Hrytzak said:
I think bushings used for rotating members used to be called "sleeve bearings"
Click to expand...

They are also called plain, journal, and sliding bearings. I found an interesting article on plain bearings in Machine Design. So I guess that the name depends on who you're talking to.

There is another one that is clearly different ... the Babbitt bearing. Despite their simple appearance they are actually quite complex. I was overhauling some attic fan motors a couple years ago and talked to a guy at a motor repair shop. He explained how Babbitt bearings work and even gave me some Babbitt bearing parts as well as wadding and wick material and didn't charge me anything even though we probably talked for a couple hours. I guess he saw my beat up truck and tattered clothes and took pity on me.

William Rogers said:
Guess I need to read the maintenance section on my Robust.
Click to expand...

I know, it's a desperate move when faced with the need to read the manual. Just remember that we're all here to support you in this difficult time. :D
 
Haven't any of you guys heard of dry-slide type products?
They come in an aerosol cans and are used on machine surfaces such as saw and jointer tables.
I use it on the tailstock ram and the hand crank and also spray it into the gears on my scroll chucks.
 
Don Wattenhofer said:
Haven't any of you guys heard of dry-slide type products?
They come in an aerosol cans and are used on machine surfaces such as saw and jointer tables.
I use it on the tailstock ram and the hand crank and also spray it into the gears on my scroll chucks.
Click to expand...

yes I have tried them but are kind of pricey . Just easier to use WD-40. However I have not tried Bostick Dry Lube on the lathe.
 
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