I would rub it down with steel wool, wipe it clean with a rag and spray wd40 all over it.

Steel wool or a sander to get the rust off and then use a silicon free paste wax---putting a liquid substance on the top will transfer that substance to any wood that is cut on the saw.

The saw will work just fine.

A Scotch-Brite pad with a vibrator sander will do a good job of removing the rust. Then rub down with regular old Johnson's paste wax or similar and use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it in and let dry and polish. This should be applied about once a month and it will stay rust free and make sawing much easier. The saw will be fine.

All the above will work great. You can also use waxed paper, crumple it up and rub on your top once clean. It will pick up a light parafin wax.

I will try a coat of auto wax on mine. It picks up moisture when the temp changes( saw is cooler in morning) and as the air temp rises condensation occurs. Turtle wax on a car helps protect it, why not a saw. Will wax the rail for the rip fence to make it move smoother.

Some people advise against automotive waxes on tools for woodworking as they may contain silicone that can cause fisheyes when it comes time to apply the finish.

When I bought my Woodmaster planer they recommended regularly putting Johnson's paste wax on the surface. The results were so good that I did the same thing on my other tools - table saw, jointer, etc. You wouldn't believe how much difference it made, especially on older surfaces; the wood glides along SO smoothly.

But they specifically said NOT to use auto wax.

I had to store my cabinet saw in my new place, and had to take the top off to get it through the door. I laid the top and wings top side down on carpet in a room; carpet, as turned out that had dog pee in it. When I went to reassemble the saw, the top was rusted so badly that it stuck to the carpet.

I tried all methods to remove the rust, but the only thing that worked was a wire brush attachment of an angle grinder. To prevent further rusting, I got some Boeshield T-9 as recommended by Wood Magazine. It was not totally successful.

I had been looking for paraffin wax, but that stuff is hard to find. I thought about going to a surfboard or ski place to see if they still used the stuff. However, I stumbled across some at an antiques show last month  a old box of Gulf Paraffin Wax for $2, which is probably cheaper than what a new box would cost. It worked like a charm!

Just an update. The steel wool was going to take quite awhile, so I bought a wire brush bit for my drill and it did the job like a champ. The steel wool was great for crevices, etc. The Johnson's paste wax has kept the saw from rusting since. Thanks for all the words of advice.

Donald

In the future, keep in mind a product called Naval Jelly.......My father showed me this product many years ago for taking fine rust off of metal. Wipe it on, let it sit for a while and wipe everything off including the rust.....

Thanks DAD

I had to use a knotted cup wire brush on my angle grinder to get the rust off.

I'd go in stages to see how deep the rust is. First use a scotch brite pad with some mineral spirits. If you still find rust after this, I'd use naval jelly.

The woodwprkr I learned from put fine paste wax on all his tools and blades. It prevents rust and makes blades and table tops slick. But car wax and floor wax probably have silicon, which can stain your wood. WD-40 is a pentrating oil and provides no long lasting protection against rust.

@olphart, you should be able to find paraffin wax at any grocery store. it is sold for canning and candle making, but its uses are endless.