I did a big mistake

[tibi]

The above catchy headline (or similar) is often used in online media articles to attract curious people to find out what happened, get views and clicks, and increase media revenue). I have nothing to increase, so I will just describe my problem in plain foreign (to me) language.

I made a big mistake - I used a wax and oil finish on my new workbench. I intended to sand the top to make it more grippy, but I did not think about the dog holes. I applied finished after the dog holes were bored ( I should have applied it before boring or just used BLO finish). A lot of wax got into the holes, which made the holdfasts useless. I did not pay attention to this problem, but I get into more and more situations where holdfasts could be useful, so I want to sort it out.

I have tried to use sandpaper on the dowel and round file, but it did not improve things much. My top is 95 mm thick (3 inches and some weird fraction of an inch). The wax gets 2-3 cm deep from both sides of the bench top. The middle of the hole seems to be without wax.

Do you know of some quick remedy how to get wax out of the dog holes?

Thank you.

 

[Jacob]

The above catchy headline (or similar) is often used in online media articles to attract curious people to find out what happened, get views and clicks, and increase media revenue). I have nothing to increase, so I will just describe my problem in plain foreign (to me) language.

I made a big mistake - I used a wax and oil finish on my new workbench. I intended to sand the top to make it more grippy, but I did not think about the dog holes. I applied finished after the dog holes were bored ( I should have applied it before boring or just used BLO finish). A lot of wax got into the holes, which made the holdfasts useless. I did not pay attention to this problem, but I get into more and more situations where holdfasts could be useful, so I want to sort it out.

I have tried to use sandpaper on the dowel and round file, but it did not improve things much. My top is 95 mm thick (3 inches and some weird fraction of an inch). The wax gets 2-3 cm deep from both sides of the bench top. The middle of the hole seems to be without wax.

Do you know of some quick remedy how to get wax out of the dog holes?

Thank you.

Slightly larger dogs?

 

[tibi]

Slightly larger dogs?

Thank Jacob, my dogs are rather a tight fitting, so I may try it on Monday, once I am back in the workshop.

 

[Ttrees]

I'd see if some sawdust might do the trick on an undersized dowel, if it's just wax it should rub off.

Might be worth trying, obviously on some scrap, but if it's just wax then the WD-40 folks reckons it can be used to take crayon off walls?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I doubt it's the wax that causes the whole problem. 95mm is a thick top for holdfasts to garb properly in - if you have access to the underside counterbore the holes by 25mm or so.

 

[RobinBHM]

Do you know of some quick remedy how to get wax out of the dog holes

Cellulose thinners

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Saturday morning, like 4am, my wife and daughter were both woken by a repetitive treble bleep coming from beyond our house. Hours later, and with the help of a passing family, I discovered the three mains powered smoke alarms I had that day replaced in my bin. I had not thought to take the back up batteries out of them.

 

[tibi]

I doubt it's the wax that causes the whole problem. 95mm is a thick top for holdfasts to garb properly in - if you have access to the underside counterbore the holes by 25mm or so.

Thanks, I also plan to counterbore the holes, so that the remaining thickness will be only 50 mm (2 inches). But I wanted to get rid of the wax. I have read that vegetable oil can dissolve wax, so I might give it a try.

 

[MARK.B.]

You could try using a heat gun or hair dryer to make it soft enough to wipe most away with kitchen roll.

 

[Agowood]

You could try using a heat gun or hair dryer to make it soft enough to wipe most away with kitchen roll.

Careful with this, most wax finishes will soak deeper into the wood when heat is applied.

 

[Bod]

Last resort, bung the holes up, redrill in different places.

Bod

 

[MARK.B.]

You could try using a heat gun or hair dryer to make it soft enough to wipe most away with kitchen roll.

Careful with this, most wax finishes will soak deeper into the wood when heat is applied.

You are of course correct in saying that but would it be a problem if it soaked in and left the surface clean and wax free

 

[tibi]

I will first counterbore the holes tomorrow so that only 50 mm of material is left and then I will see how much the holdfasts will slip. If they will still slip (I assume they will), I will use most of the above-mentioned advice to get hold the grip.

 

[owen]

I dunno if it would help but you could try a bearing guided flush trim bit on a router

 

[JimJay]

Thanks, I also plan to counterbore the holes, so that the remaining thickness will be only 50 mm (2 inches). But I wanted to get rid of the wax. I have read that vegetable oil can dissolve wax, so I might give it a try.

Try olive oil - where I'm from it's even used to remove beach tar......and it certainly does the job on that!

 

[tibi]

Try olive oil - where I'm from it's even used to remove beach tar......and it certainly does the job on that!

I will try the olive oil. Should I only rub it with a finger on the wax, or I need to seal the hole and pour it in and wait several days? I need to know the correct procedure before claiming if it works or does not

 

[tibi]

I have counter-bored 19 mm holes with 25 mm bit, so that the remaining depth of 19 mm hole is 55 mm. It helped, so that I can now hammer the holdfast in, but I can easily remove it with a tiny bit of manual force. So the issue is definitely in the wax. My holdfasts are roughed up with the coarse sandpaper and also I made those nicks that the English Woodworker recommends and should enable using holdfasts in 5 inch thick tops. Neither sandpaper, nor the punch helped.
https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/holdfasts-get-a-grip/
So the issue is definitely the wax, which makes the contact points slide.

 

[okeydokey]

I think you need something absorbent rather apply more slippy stuff/oil of various sorts.
Perhaps try ramming the hole with kitchen tissue/toilet paper and leave it there for a few hours it might absorb some, next try white spirits (lots) and wire wool to dissolve and scrape off the surface in the hole and the paper treatment after. The wood might swell a fraction during this so let it settle before sanding.
Well that my pennyworth anyway - good luck.

 

[JimJay]

I will try the olive oil. Should I only rub it with a finger on the wax, or I need to seal the hole and pour it in and wait several days? I need to know the correct procedure before claiming if it works or does not

May not help much in this scenario but the usual approach is slosh some oil on cotton wool/cloth/kitchen roll etc and wipe away. I'd be inclined to stick a dowel in your drill, wind some cotton cloth around it (making sure you wind in the direction that won't let it unwind in the hole), put plenty of olive oil on it and then use a slow speed and some pressure against the edges of the hole.

 

[Thingybob]

The above catchy headline (or similar) is often used in online media articles to attract curious people to find out what happened, get views and clicks, and increase media revenue). I have nothing to increase, so I will just describe my problem in plain foreign (to me) language.

I made a big mistake - I used a wax and oil finish on my new workbench. I intended to sand the top to make it more grippy, but I did not think about the dog holes. I applied finished after the dog holes were bored ( I should have applied it before boring or just used BLO finish). A lot of wax got into the holes, which made the holdfasts useless. I did not pay attention to this problem, but I get into more and more situations where holdfasts could be useful, so I want to sort it out.

I have tried to use sandpaper on the dowel and round file, but it did not improve things much. My top is 95 mm thick (3 inches and some weird fraction of an inch). The wax gets 2-3 cm deep from both sides of the bench top. The middle of the hole seems to be without wax.

Do you know of some quick remedy how to get wax out of the dog holes?

Thank you.

Thats funny Tibi in the uk we have wierd fractions of a centimeter