Thought everyone might be interested in this.  Last night, I laminated two pieces of pine to make a thicker piece.  I put a piece of waxed paper on the top of my table saw, and proceeded to glue up the pieces.  I have done this before with no problem, but with 20/20 hindsight, this is the first time I have done this with the wood resting directly on the waxed paper, which was on the table top.  No air gap.  This is what I saw when I went down to my shop this morning.

 

 

OMG!  The horror!!

 

 

Ok, so I got out my Top Saver, abrasive pads, and the polishing cloth, along with a large can of elbow grease, and went to work.  After an hour, in the middle of which was a conversation with my daughter, this is what I accomplished.

 

 

I'm pretty satisfied with the result.  For me, the takeaways from this are:  Under the right conditions, glue will soak through waxed paper.  Buy one of those silicone mats for saw table tops for when I use the saw as a gluing bench.  Be stingy with the Top Saver, because it works, and may not be possible to find any more.

@PostalTom I'm sure we've all had this happen at one time or other.Nice job getting it cleaned off. Just wondering if you wax your table top or use any other method to help prevent rust ? I use a product called Slip-it . It helps to make the surface slippery and helps prevent rust.  Waxing lasts longer than the slip it, but applying the slip it is just a matter of spraying it on and then thoroughly wiping the surface. Waxing is a bit more labor intensive.  

What???

You mean they're not supposed to be brown colored? 

Oh, My!

 

My table saw is with arms reach of the basement freezer and refrigerator. Guess where Mimi piles up frozen/cold stuff while she searches for that elusive item she know is in there. No she doesn't put down a plastic barrier first.

Oops. 

Actually @Al B, I don't have the bottle of Top Saver in front of me, but I think it says pretty much the same thing about a quick spray and then buffing out after the cleanup of stains and rust has been accomplished.  When I first saw the problem, I felt the mark, and it was rough and crusty.  My thought was Oh "shucks", the table top is now pitted where the mark is.  After getting it to the point shown in the second picture, I can't feel anything except a smooth top.  I think the Top Saver, from the times I have used it in the past, did leave a protective barrier to actual damage from the rust.  Maybe what I initially felt wasn't "rust crust" at all, but instead, the result of a chemical reaction between the glue, waxed paper, and resins and other compounds in the pine.  Any industrial chemists here, feel free to weigh in.

Knowing that waxed paper isn't a good barrier for glue is valuable info. Thanks, Tom.

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

Knowing that waxed paper isn't a good barrier for glue is valuable info. Thanks, Tom.

Not sure about that.  I use it but have never done so with cast iron underneath it.  Always on Formica plate I use for glue work. Now it is a one time use thing.  

 

At least that has been my experience during laminate glue ups.

 

 

from wrapping up food in the kitchen, i could have told you that wax paper is not water proof.

 

i use resin paper (red) on my work bench when gluing up or staining or poly-ing anything.

 

table saw is for sawing lumber, not for finishing.

3 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Knowing that waxed paper isn't a good barrier for glue is valuable info. Thanks, Tom.

I have used waxed paper in the past with no problem.  I think the difference this time was the was the weight of the wood plus clamps might have forced the glue through the waxed paper.  Either way, I still think I will be buying one of those silicone mats for my table saw top.

1 hour ago, DAB said:

table saw is for sawing lumber, not for finishing

Douglas, in an ideal world, I would agree with you.  You are blessed with the room to have a large shop.  Your shop appears larger than my whole basement, and I can't use my whole basement just for woodworking.  With a small shop, one has to use what is available.

i once had my shop in my basement.  18x11, 7-1/2' ceiling.  my movable workbench was my main glue up location, and if that didn't work, then the floor was next.

29 minutes ago, PostalTom said:

I have used waxed paper in the past with no problem.  I think the difference this time was the was the weight of the wood plus clamps might have forced the glue through the waxed paper.  Either way, I still think I will be buying one of those silicone mats for my table saw top.

Good idea on the silicone mat. Often, flat surfaces are at a premium. I'm blessed with plenty of room. Even so, CLEAR flat surfaces can get scarce. 

3 hours ago, DAB said:

from wrapping up food in the kitchen

Man if I even walk into the kitchen to get a beer my wife has a meltdown.  Insist she will get it.  

10 hours ago, Gunny said:

Man if I even walk into the kitchen to get a beer my wife has a meltdown.  Insist she will get it.  

If I was a little younger (OK, a LOT younger) I'd ask if she has a sister!

13 hours ago, PostalTom said:

Either way, I still think I will be buying one of those silicone mats for my table saw top.

 

I have not seen those mats.  I would be concerned about moisture being trapped under it - but we live where the humidity is normally quite high...

Cal, Rockler has a couple different sizes of them.  Here is one:

 

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-silicone-project-mat

 

and here is another one:

 

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-silicone-project-mat-xl

 

I'm sure other woodworking stores have similar items.

Being ribbed, trapping moisture wouldnt be an issue.