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  • Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw

    Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw

    My Shopsmith™ bandsaw that I purchased has served me faithfully for about 5 years, but the bearings had started to squeal like a banshee The 6 inch depth of cut under the blade for sawing out blanks had also become a bit limiting since acquiring the new Nova 16/24. I looked at a couple of options and asked the advice of some of the more experienced turners in the group. But, not having won the lottery and not having 3 phase power I had to pass on the 24 inch Laguna. Luckily the December sales...
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  • Jet AFS1000B air filter

    Jet AFS1000B air filter

    The Jet AFS1000B is basically a big metal box with a squirrel-cage fan and two-stage filter system. It draws the air through the filters on one end, and blows it out the other end. It has a control panel on the box as well as a remote control. There are three speeds as well as a timer system so you can leave it running when you leave the shop, to finish cleaning up, and then shut itself off. The outside filter is a standard HVAC type, and the inside filter is a proprietary sub-micron arrangement...
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  • JimD's Extension tables (with miter gauge slots)

    JimD's Extension tables (with miter gauge slots)

    One of the key disadvantages to the BT3000 and BT3100 is the very small surface areas to support wood being cut. This is obvious to anybody looking at these saws and probably contributes a lot to the fact that they did not sell at the volume their quality deserves. Fortunately, there is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to address this weakness - make yourself extension tables to increase the table size to whatever you need. I have used this construction method to make three tables so far. Th...
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  • Harbor Freight parallel clamps (compared with Jet and Irwin)

    Harbor Freight parallel clamps (compared with Jet and Irwin)

    I own a variety of clamps, and only recently started using parallel clamps. I own a few from Irwin and Jet, and I tried the Bessey clamps in the store. I recently got a sale flier from HF with a ridiculously cheap price on their parallels, so I had to try them. Overall impression: Better than the Irwin and Bessey clamps, not quite as good as the Jets but 1/4 the price. All of these clamps (Irwin/Jet/HF) have nice big handles. The Jets are hard plastic with three rubber strips for good grip. ...
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  • Turning off BT3*00 from left side; another view

    Turning off BT3*00 from left side; another view

    After reading Ed62’s article I was invigorated. During my first use of my new 21829, I felt the need for left side turn off and Ed had supplied an answer. I sat before my saw and considered Ed’s solution. Good, but I thought I saw another approach. I wanted a switch that could be easily added or removed, one that interfered with saw function to a minimal extent and one that could be adjusted to eliminate any slop in my construction efforts. (This is important; I received my training as an electrical...
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  • Harbor Freight 4" belt/6" disc sander

    Harbor Freight 4" belt/6" disc sander

    I picked this up with a coupon and sale, thinking that $60-ish is a bargain for a belt sander. Unfortunately it has extremely limited usability because the motor is too weak and there are no square/solid faces to be found on the thing. The work support on the belt is out of square in both directions, but it is a solid piece of thick steel so bending it would be a challenge. The tiny table for the disk bends if you set a pen blank on it, so while you can adjust it to square, it won't hold with...
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  • Oneida Dust Deputy

    Oneida Dust Deputy

    My most wonderful daughter gave me the "Onidea Dust Deputy" for Christmas. It is one fantastic tool. So far it has saved me from dumping and cleaning my shop vac filter. I would recommend one if you can not go to the high dollar engineered, suck the grass off the lawn system. The only down side is you have to buy your own hoses.
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  • Harbor Freight 7" jointer vs. Jet 6" jointer

    Harbor Freight 7" jointer vs. Jet 6" jointer

    A few years ago I picked up the HF 7" rabetting jointer. With coupons and the sale price it was somewhere below $200. Assembly of this jointer is insanely horrible, with incorrect instructions and the requirement of both SAE and metric tools (on the same bolt/nut!). You really have to go through the entire assembly instructions, then compare them to what you have, then grab a beer and torch the instructions. You're gonna be here a while. Setup takes a very long time because nothing is pre-adjusted....
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  • BT3000 - Crack in Saw Table Casting - Repair or buy?

    BT3000 - Crack in Saw Table Casting - Repair or buy?

    Trying to dust of and setup my old, often moved, and rarely used BT3000, I found that it has a crack in the saw table. On the back left side, where the back rail is connected, I found a crack. Can it be effectively repaired? Or should I pay the 80 bucks for a replacement?

    Help???

    I am trying to get rolling on woodworking after a parent and job induced layoff.

    Thanks,

    Mike
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  • BT3X00 Shim Maintenance Aid

    BT3X00 Shim Maintenance Aid

    My 7 year old BT3000 finally refused to raise or lower the blade and I had to do some shim maintenance.

    So, I came back to bt3central to review recent articles on shim maintenance.

    David Green's article on using the BT3100 parts is part of my long term plan http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=33948 (parts are on order).
    Mark Stripes article on shim maintenance was very helpful. http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27266 I really liked his idea to use...
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  • Denali 3- by 48-Inch Medium Duty Bar Clamp

    Denali 3- by 48-Inch Medium Duty Bar Clamp

    Well I bought some of these through the Bargain alert of a couple of days ago and someone asked "I wonder how much flex you would get on this 48" bar." So I decided to write a review. First my subjective opinion. This is a very well built clamp. It is very heavy at about 7 lbs per clamp. It is also in my opinion heavier per foot, that other similar clamps that I own. In other words the 24 clamps I have don't weigh 3.5 lbs, they way more like two. The bar seems thicker in both dimensions that the...
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  • CST/Berger LM30 Rotary Laser Kit

    CST/Berger LM30 Rotary Laser Kit

    As we have started framing the garage at the new home site our foundation contractor recommended that we purchase a laser to lay out the level lines for the walls. So after some research I purchased this CST/Berger unit at the Borg for $399 + tax. I must say that I am inpressed with this laser. It only took about 5 minutes to establish the level lines for the side and back walls of the garage. The unit is very easy to operate. It levels manually but takes only a minute or so to do it. The system...
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  • BT3000 To 3100 Shim Upgrade

    BT3000 To 3100 Shim Upgrade

    Upgrading the shims avoids the issue of the BT3000 shims dropping out and causing the blade-raising mechanism to bind.


    Before you begin:
    Call Ryobi technical support at 1-800-525-2579 with the serial number from your saw to
    verify that your saw is eligible for the upgrade. Some earlier BT3000s are not.



    ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ designations assume you are starting by looking at the front of the saw.
    These instructions assume a stock
    ...
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  • RIKON 70-100 Mini Lathe

    RIKON 70-100 Mini Lathe

    The lathe arrived today. Although I will not be able to play with it for some time I did remove it from the packaging and set it up on a work table just to inspect it and make sure it would run. I must say I am very impressed with the fit and finish of this lathe. There is no paint where it shouldn't be, the bed is polished nicely and not a spot of corrosion. The handles are all chromed metal and feel very solid. The only plastic part on the lathe is the belt cover. Changing belt speeds is a...
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  • HF Combination square set

    HF Combination square set

    I got the Centech 4-piece combination square set HF#92471 for around 6-7 bucks. I think it was on sale for $6, a buck off the regular price. Having a decent Stanley Comb. Square, I wanted a protractor and centerfinder attachment. I figured for $6, how bad can it be? Came in a wooden case which it turns out was the best part. The fit and finish was awful. the metal was rough, the paint rough and peeling and the parts did not slide well at all. I guess the square and centerfinder move OK (locking screw ...
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  • Special DIY T-bolt for BT3000 Miter Fence, Rip Fence and Rails
    by LCHIEN
    After a bit more thinking, some universal T-bolts for the rip miter fence make more sense than fixture blocks.
    The two big slots in the rip fence and the miter fence and the front and rear rails are sized to take 1.00 inches wide x 1/8th and 1-1/8" wide x 1/8th.

    So I took some 1/8th flat Aluminum 1.00 inches wide and cut 1-1/8" long to make a 1: x 1-1/8" rectangular plates; I used a short rip fence Block to space the length but not cause a kickback with the cutoff...
    07-09-2023, 02:37 PM
  • How to make a BT3x00 Rip Fence/Miter Fence fixture block for mounting jigs
    by LCHIEN

    DIY BT3000 FIXTURE BLOCK for Rip/Miter Fence extrusion

    Simple shop construction - no machining.


    This is intended to fit the top T-track on the Rip and miter fence (uses the same extrusion) on the Ryobi BT3x00 / Craftsman 22811 family of saws
    You must make the Block and Base parts; you can make them 1.5" or 3 inches long or modify to any other length.
    Make the base from 1/8” aluminum bar, you can get 1.5”, 2”, and 3” at Lowes...
    05-24-2023, 09:55 PM
  • Another Thin Strip Jig
    by twistsol
    Ripping thin strips can be accomplished in a number of ways, but this jig is the best I've found so far.

    • There is no need to move the fence so every strip comes out exactly the same.
    • It is incredibly easy to build
    • It keeps your hands well away from the blade the whole time
    • It keeps control of the strip you are ripping all the way through the cut and past the blade
    • It doesn't interfere with the blade guard.
    • You can cut strips from any length of stock
    In the starting position,...
    04-16-2023, 10:42 AM
  • How to identify a Ryobi BT3000/BT3100/Craftsman 22811 or 21829 clone saw by sight
    by LCHIEN
    So you want to buy a BT3 clone. Been out of production for a while. Shopping on Craigs list or for sale ads is hard

    You have to keep an eye out and you have to be used to spotting the appearance giveaway features of the various models... Ryobi BT3000, BT3100, Craftsman 22811 and 21829
    There are certain things that clue you in and there are many ads that don't give model numbers and have crappy photos. Search for keywords RYOBI, Precision, System are often used i ad listings and
    ...
    12-20-2022, 01:53 AM
  • Screw friction products EZ-Grip and Screw Grab?
    by LCHIEN
    I was reading an article about fasteners the other day.
    They mentioned a couple of products I had not heard of before:

    EZ-grip and Screw Grab

    Apparently if you have a screw that you have a hard time engaging like a worn Phillips, a drop of these products will increase the friction between the screw and the driver 8X it is claimed so that you can back out the screw.

    You can find them both at Amazon.
    Not cheap 5 oz of EZ-GRIP is $20; 1/2 oz of Screw...
    04-07-2022, 10:58 AM

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