Somewhere in my dim past I remember someone once saying "if you don't
remember to put paste wax on my saw I'll ground you". As with most of the
direction I received at that time, I forgot it.
Years later in 0% humidity Colorado, someone told me to use spray-on floor wax to make my
saw slicker. That seemed to get into places it was not needed and gum things up.
So I soon discontinued its use.
Years later I found myself in North Carolina. Within a month all my tools had a fine
coating of rust. Out came the spray floor wax. Well, that didn't really work.
Next came a variety of oils including Camellia oil from a Japanese tool catalog.
This last works fairly well, I still use it for special places.
Next I tried a concoction of Beeswax dissolved in mineral spirits. This works, but
requires a great amount of buffing.
By then I retired and went to work in a cabinet shop. They use "Top Coat".
This is a man made lubricate suspended in an organic solvent. I soon had
purchased a can for my shop. This stuff may be purchased in a spray can or in larger
quantities to user in a spray bottle. It goes on quickly, then buffs off.
It'll soon fill the steel pores and provide excellent protection. The
downside is twofold: The cost is high & I'm afraid of the organic solvent. Both
on my skin and in my lungs. I discontinued it too. Next I read about talc in
my saw manual. Talc provides the slickest surface. It's easy to apply and
buff, and seems to provide good protection. The downside was the smell (all I had
was baby powder) and it tends to be visible around the shop. I never detected any in a
finish. The familiar smell finally got me.
Lastly I remembered paste wax. I keep a can with an applicator rag inside and a
buffing rag around it and use it regularly. It goes on quickly. Buffs as well
as the previous two, and is almost as slick as the top coat.