What is the best lubricant to use on the shafts of a plunge router?
John Swanson: The best lubricant for plunge router posts is a product called Kitty Speed. It is made in Germany and contains chemicals that don’t collect dust and are dry to the touch.
Carol Reed: I use wax. It’s inexpensive, easily applied and works wonderfully.
Andy Rae: Rub on and vigorously rub off some paste wax, which lubricates without attracting dust and other dirt buildup the way oil-based lubes do.
John Brock: I used to service large format, ink-jet CAD printers. We would use a drop or two of Hoppe’s gun oil on a clean cotton pad to clean and lubricate a 36″-long bar the pen sled traveled on. If you could feel or see oil on the rod, it was too much as it would attract paper dust and gum everything up.
Richard Jones: Many people recommend a dry lubricant, which doesn’t attract dust. I use a bit of 3-in-1 oil, candle wax, or WD-40. They all seem to work well enough and personally, I’ve not yet had a problem with dust getting up inside the heads of the plunge shaft mechanism.
